8 things to know about high school basketball in Alabama before tip off
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Nov. 7 marks the first official day of basketball competition for the Alabama High School Athletic Association (AHSAA).
The hype around the college basketball season for our state is well known but it doesn’t stop there. We have plenty of great basketball to watch at the high school level too.
Keep reading to learn more about some of the top teams, players + headlines for the new season.
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Ace Austin is back
Before she takes her talents to Tuscaloosa, Ace Austin will be back for one final high school season. She’s trying to add to her already extensive list of hardware which already includes:
- 2 state titles in basketball
- 2 state titles in volleyball
- 2024 Alabama Miss Basketball award
- 2023-24 Gatorade Player of the Year
If Austin can win the Miss Basketball award again, she would be the first ever two-time winner of the award. She is also hoping to lead Spring Garden to its third straight state championship, which would be the first ever threepeat in Class 1A girls basketball.
Hoover domination
For the first time in AHSAA history, the same school repeated as 7A state champions in both boys and girls basketball.
The Hoover boys team has won 61 games over the last two seasons and dominated both championships, including a 25-point win over Enterprise in the title game last season. The Bucs will return two of the state’s top recruits: DeWayne Brown (Tennessee) and Salim London (UAB).
The school’s girls program has been even more impressive, winning four consecutive state championships under coach Krystle Johnson. The Bucs have a 130-12 record during that span.
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Is that a shot clock?
If you’re anything like me, you’ve been begging for a shot clock to arrive to high school basketball. Many teams nowadays go faster than any shot clock anyway but at times, especially when a team is milking a lead, the game slows down way too much.
Well, there’s good news and bad news on that front.
The good news: a shot clock will be used in the AHSAA. Schools can choose to use the 35-second shot clock when it is agreed upon by both teams. It will also be used to more accurately determine the 10-second to get across halfcourt rule.
The bad news: the shot clock is mostly just a test. The cost and resources will make this not available to most schools but it will also not be used in competition play which means you will not see a shot clock during area play or during the playoffs.
Mr. Basketball up for grabs
There have been five two-time winners of the Mr. Basketball award but never a three-time winner. While it seemed Caleb Holt could have been on his way to that record after leading Buckhorn to back-to-back state championships, he has transferred out of state.
That leaves the title a little bit up for grabs this season. Here’s some of the players who could compete for the best individual player award:
- Ladarius Givan, JAG
- DeWayne Brown, Hoover
- Salim London, Hoover
- Brayden Rivers, Huntsville
- Simon Walker, Huntsville
- Jacobe Whitted, McAdory
- Jacoby Hill, Central-Phenix City
- Jeremy Chatman, Shades Valley
Who can stop Hazel Green?
If you’re familiar at all with high school basketball in the state, you probably know all about the Hazel Green girls program. They have won an unprecedented seven consecutive state championships and every time you think they might be beatable, they seem to turn it up a notch.
Over the last four seasons, Hazel Green has a 137-6 overall record. Four of those losses came last season but none of them during the playoffs, as they won every postseason game by double figures.
Can Mountain Brook get back on top?
Speaking of dynasties, the Mountain Brook boys basketball program is often talked about as one of the best in the state, if not THE best. But the Spartans are without a state championship for three years now, their longest drought since winning their first title in 2013 under coach Bucky McMillan.
The Spartans made it all the way to the 6A championship game in the last two seasons only to lose to Buckhorn.
Mountain Brook has some pieces to replace on its team but this is a program that has taught us never to doubt their resurgence. Can this be the year they finally get another blue map?
Reclassification impact
A team’s classification may not play as big of a role on the basketball court as it does on the football field but there’s still no doubt that the overall competition level goes up with each classification.
Over the summer, the AHSAA released its latest reclassifications with several big programs making moves including:
- Carver Montgomery: 6A to 7A
- Spain Park: 7A to 6A
- Jasper: 5A girls state champion to 6A
- Fairfield: 5A boys state champion to 4A
- Trinity: 3A girls state champion to 4A (competitive balance rules)
- Mars Hill: 2A boys state champion to 3A (competitive balance rules)
- Ider: 2A girls state champion to 1A
Check out the full reclassification and areas for the 2024-25 season.
Postseason format
As always, the basketball season can be a roller coaster for so many different programs and it can give us some fun cinderella stories by February.
Every time makes the postseason, starting with the area tournament hosted by the regular season area champion. The winner and the runner-up from those tournaments will move on to the sub-regional round to square off against teams from a different area.
In the sub-regional round, the area tournament champions will host and the runner-up will travel. The winner of those matchups will go to one of four regional tournaments around the state including:
- Central — Alabama State University, Montgomery
- South — Garrett Coliseum, Montgomery
- Northeast Regional — Jacksonville State University, Jacksonville
- Northwest Regional — Wallace State Community College, Hanceville
The winners of each regional advance to Birmingham to play the Final Four and championship games at Legacy Arena. Those games are scheduled for Feb. 24 through March 1 of 2025.
Who do you think wins a state championship this season? Let us know by tagging The Bama Buzz on Instagram, X, Facebook + LinkedIn.
