First Team
ISHMAEL BALDWIN | South Lenoir | F, 6-6, Sr.
Ishmael Baldwin bounced back as a senior after academic troubles kept him from playing the year before to help lead the Blue Devils to a top four finish in the East Central 2A Conference and back to the state playoffs. Baldwin averaged a team-best 16.1 points, 9.6 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game. He was an all-conference selection and has the interest of several junior college programs.
JOSH DAWSON | Kinston | G, 6-1, Sr.
Josh Dawson wasn’t the Vikings’ leading scorer, but he did all of the little things that helped them win their second straight NCHSAA state 2A championship last month. Dawson averaged 11.7 points and seven assists and was the guy that made Kinston’s ship run for 30 games — the final 19 of them wins. Dawson was named the Eastern Plains 2A Conference Player of the Year, the East’s Most Outstanding Player of the state championship game, the most outstanding player of the regionals and played in the Southeast Elite 24 Classic charity game in Wilmington. Oh, and he’s the area player of the year for the second straight year.
BRANDON INGRAM | Kinston | G, 6-7, So.
Brandon Ingram may only be a sophomore, but he’s already at the top of several local D-I college’s recruiting lists for the class of 2015. Ingram, who has already received a scholarship offer from N.C. State, averaged 12.7 points and four rebounds per game for Kinston, and scored 12 points to go along with three blocks in the state title game. He was also the only one that didn’t come off the floor for the Vikings.
JAUQUAZ JONES | North Lenoir | G, 6-1, Jr.
Jauquaz Jones had a breakout junior year in which he averaged a team-best 16.4 points and added 5.6 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 3.6 steals to help lead the Hawks to their highest finish in the Eastern Carolina 3A Conference at a tie for third. He also helped lead North Lenoir back to the state playoffs after missing out the year before. Jones was an all-conference selection.
DENZEL KEYES | Kinston | F, 6-5, Sr.
The athletic ability of Denzel Keyes was unmatched in the area this year. He led Kinston in scoring at 18.1 points and rebounding at 7.5 per game. He spent more time above the rim than below it, whether it was throwing down thunderous dunks or grabbing loose balls. And if the inside wasn’t there, he’d step out and drain the 3, where he was 37 percent on the year. Keyes, who had 18 points and 10 rebounds in the state title game, was named its Most Valuable Player, was an all-conference pick, joined Dawson in the Southeast Elite 24 Classic and has already signed to play basketball and football at N.C. A&T University.
Second Team
Davon Edwards, Bethel Christian Academy
Miguel Foy, Jones Senior
K.D. McCall, Jones Senior
Jonte Midgette, South Lenoir
Billy Summers, North Lenoir
Third Team
Joseph Biggs, Greene Central
John McLawhorn, Parrott Academy
Conor Rivero, Bethel Christian Academy
Jordan Stallings, Bethel Christian Academy
Jaquan Wooten, South Lenoir
Honorable Mention
Ayden-Grifton: Rondell Bell, Geremi Dixon, Brandon Larry
Bethel Christian Academy: Ben Potter
Greene Central: Cortez Braswell
Jones Senior: Eric Dudley Jr., Glen White
Kinston: Tiquan Canady, Qwarri Ham, VeQuain Joyner, Andrew Lopez, Jeremy Taylor
North Lenoir: Javante King
Parrott Academy: Henry Piner, Nate Staskelunas
South Lenoir: Dion Jones, Luke Whaley