Boys | Player of the Year: Camron Justice

CAMRON JUSTICE

Justice won Mr. Basketball honors to nobody’s surprise. The Knott County Central guard was the third-leading scorer (3,588 points) in state history, the all-time leader in free throws made (841), and ranked third in three-pointers made (393). He also led the Patriots to four consecutive state tournaments. Justice signed with Vanderbilt.

ARIC HOLMAN

Owensboro’s 6-foot-9 senior made a big impression while leading the Red Devils to the state title. He had 69 points, 42 rebounds and 42 blocked shots in Rupp Arena. Holman will play at Hargrave Military Academy in Virginia next season. He has offers from Louisville, Memphis, VCU, Cincinnati and Xavier.

RAY SPALDING

After helping Trinity to the Sweet Sixteen semifinals as a junior and signing with Louisville before his senior season, Spalding was rated the top player in the state. He was a force on both ends of the court for the No. 1 Shamrocks, who lost to Ballard in the 7th Region semifinals.

JAMES “BEETLE” BOLDEN

Bolden first earned statewide notice as a sophomore star for Holmes in the 2013 Sweet Sixteen. The left-handed senior point guard, who signed with West Virginia last fall, finished his career with 2,024 points, 464 rebounds, 402 assists and 227 steals.

QUENTIN GOODIN

Rated the top junior in the state, Goodin played up to the billing by leading Taylor County to its first Sweet Sixteen in 32 years. He’s the Cardinals’ all-time leading scorer with 2,213 points, to go with 627 rebounds, 556 assists and 277 steals. He has offers from Louisville, Florida, Michigan, Minnesota and WKU, among others.

JALEN PERRY

As a junior at Ballard, Perry was overshadowed by all-state players Quentin Snider and Kelan Martin. As a senior, Perry took his star turn and led the Bruins to the Sweet Sixteen. A scoring machine, Perry also became a standout on defense. He’s drawn interest from Wright State, Morehead State and a lot of Division II schools.

JAQUALIS MATLOCK

Hopkinsville’s all-time leading scorer and rebounder, Matlock helped the Tigers to 123 victories in four years, and he started on four consecutive Sweet Sixteen teams (and averaged 11 points, 10 rebounds in eight games in Rupp Arena). Matlock has an offer from WKU and interest from Oklahoma State.

DWAYNE SUTTON

Manual’s star followed up a stellar junior year with an even better senior season. He led the Crimsons to the 7th Region finals where they lost in overtime to Ballard. Sutton, who signed with UNC-Asheville, averaged a double-double over the last two years, piling up more than 1,400 points and 700 rebounds in that time.

DREW MCDONALD

McDonald helped Newport Central Catholic win three consecutive All “A” Classic state titles and earn a top-five state ranking. He had a school-record 985 rebounds, along with 1,724 points. The 6-7 senior will play basketball (and maybe golf) at Northern Kentucky University.

HAGEN TYLER

Tyler’s two free throws with :01 left in the 12th Region finals lifted Boyle County over Lincoln County, and he had 32 points and 12 rebounds in the Rebels’ upset of Ballard in the Sweet Sixteen. Tyler, who signed with Northern Kentucky University, is the second-leading scorer in Boyle County history with 1,857 points, to go with 646 rebounds.

HONORABLE MENTION: Matthew Barger (Knox Central), Jeremiah Bell (Boyle Co.), Braxton Blair (Johnson Central), Peyton Broughton (North Laurel), Ryne Callahan (Rowan Co.), Jacob Conway (Lincoln Co.), Eljay Cowherd (Bardstown), Mason Faulkner (Caverna), Richard Gaines (Pleasure Ridge Park), Dillon Geralds (Monroe Co.), Terrell Gray (Doss), Skyler Griffith (Williamsburg), Kyle Gullett (Johnson Central), Hayden Hawes (Oldham Co.), Dorian Henry (Mason Co.), Brandon Johnson (Jeffersontown), Tanner Johnson ( Lexington Catholic), Zack Pangallo (Newport Catholic), Bo Schuh (Covington Catholic), Tucker Sine (Bowling Green), Timmy Taylor (Lincoln Co.), Dujuanta Weaver (Doss), Darius Williams (Paul Dunbar), Matt Wilson (Campbell Co.).  

This story was originally published April 12, 2015 at 7:58 AM with the headline "Boys | Player of the Year: Camron Justice."