By Billy G. Baker Publisher Moncks Corner —The High School Sports Report is proud to release our 37 th consecutive all-state basketball teams, from both the SCHSL and SCISA, for the recently completed 2024-25 season. Despite there being no signings of boy’s or girls’ basketball players to either South Carolina or Clemson from the 2025 class, it was a solid year for in-state talent none-the-less. The staff of the HSSR attended every SCHSL play-off game held the Florence Center this past season, and the majority of the post-season games held in Sumter, involving SCISA competition. Over the past three seasons, the HSSR has literally witnessed 70 per cent of these players chosen for our 2024-25 all-state teams play in person, logging thousands of miles to see these players in action first-hand. Abijah Franklin, the recent MVP of the Carolina’s Classic all-star game versus North Carolina, after he scored a team high 24 points in the game, has been named the HSSR-SCHSL 2024-25 Mr. Basketball . The Furman signee led the state in scoring this season at 33 points, 8 rebounds, three assists and two steals a game. Franklin is a two-time all-state pick. After leading Andrew Jackson to their second straight AA basketball title this season, Elon signee Tamia Watkins, has been named the HSSR-SCHSL 2024-25 Miss Basketball . Watkins, closed out an outstanding six-year career by averaging 30.1 points and 4 rebounds a game her senior season. She recently led the South Carolina Select team with 14 points against North Carolina in that annual all-star game between the two states. From the SCISA ranks Heathwood Hall senior point guard Lauren Jacobs was almost a unanimous choice for the HSSR-SCISA 2024-25 Miss Basketball honors. The Ole Miss signee averaged 25.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 3.7 steals a game this past season closing out an outstanding career with the Highlanders. The HSSR-SCISA 2024-25 Mr. SCISA Basketball is Porter-Gaud senior John Michael Jenkins . Jenkins was among the fastest moving players in recent memory on the court and he averaged nearly 20 points a game, with seven assists, and four steals a game this season. Jenkins scored 21 points in the Cyclones state title win over Agusta Christian recently. He is currently entertaining college offers after transferring to P-G from Oceanside Collegiate two years ago. HSSR-SCHSL 2024-25 Mr. Basketball - Abijah Franklin-Wren HSSR-SCHSL 2024-25 - Statewide Boys Player of Year-Josh Leonard-Wilson HSSR-SCHSL 2024-25 - Div. I AAAAA Boys Player of Year-Korie Corbett-Ridge View HSSR-SCHSL 2024-25 - Div. II AAAAA Boy’s Player of Year---Caden Coleman-Greenville HSSR-SCHSL 2024-25 - AAAA Boys Player of Year-Jordan Watford-Lancaster HSSR-SCHSL 2024-25 - AAA Boys Player of Year—Brian Sumpter-Keenan HSSR-SCHSL 2024-25 - AA Boys Player of Year—Jamie Brooks-Atlantic Collegiate HSSR-SCHSL 2024-25 - Class A Boys Player of Year—Joshua Goodman-Denmark-Olar HSSR-SCHSL 2024-25 - Div. I AAAAA Boys Coach of Year—Josh Staley-Ridge View HSSR-SCHSL 2024-25 - Div. II AAAAA Boys Coach of Year—Mike Anderson-Greenville HSSR-SCHSL 2024-25 - AAAA Boys Coach of Year—Jerron Cauthen-Lancaster HSSR-SCHSL 2024-25 - AAA Boys Coach of Year-Zach Norris-Keenan HSSR-SCHSL 2024-25 - AA Boys Coach of Year—Tanner Massey-Atlantic Collegiate HSSR-SCHSL 2024-25 – Class A Boys Coach of Year-Hercules Davis -Denmark-Olar HSSR-SCHSL 2024-25 Div. I AAAAA All-State Boys Basketball TJ Lewis-Blythewood Evan Enos-Byrnes Melvin Teal-Summerville Gavin Ward-James Island Yasir Cromer-River Bluff Colt Fowler-Byrnes Rex Walter-Boiling Springs Keenan Whiteside-Dorman Kaleb Evans-Lexington Ethan Crews-Easley Dontez Walker-JL Mann HSSR 2024-25 Div. II AAAAA All-State Boys Basketball Damien Kinloch-Berkeley John Cleveland-Berkeley Roman Cooley-Greenville Franklin Whitley-Greenville Shane Potts-Goose Creek Ja’Quell Brown-Goose Creek Sebi Boyogueno-Riverside Logan Parker-Fort Mill Nas Berry-Fort Mill CJ Terrell-Greenwood Thomas Rouse-Eastside Rickey Littlejohn-Gaffney James Watson-Myrtle Beach HSSR 2024-25 All-State AAAA Boys Basketball Lamont Britt-Gray Collegiate Levi Ball-Gray Collegiate Columbus Parker-Lancaster Malik Tinsley-Lancaster Jacarey Ballard-Lancaster Amare Anderson-Greer Malik Tinsley-Lancaster Da’Ron Dunbar-North Augusta Quh’mareon Webb-North Augusta Brock Cherry-Wren Kmajay Jenkins-Westside Tristian Thompson-Wilson Shannon Davis-Crestwood Johnathan Perry-Christ Church HSSR-SCHSL 2024-25 All-State AAA Boys Basketball Eric Gray-Union County Antoine Caughman-Keenan Khalid Sherman-Loris Zay Robertson-Dillon Jordan McGahee-Orangeburg-Wilkinson Justin Vining-Fox Creek Quan Burton-Powdersville Jaleel McGee-Powdersville Von Burton-Powdersville Johnathan Perry-Christ Church Adam Bown-Christ Church AJ Edwards-Brookland-Cayce Grayson Patterson-Woodruff Blayne Edwards-Lake City Brelin Davis-BHP HSSR-SCHSL 2024-25 All-State AA Boys Basketball Jaylen Bellamy-Atlantic Collegiate CJ Hemingway-Atlantic Collegiate Bryce Peterson-Andrew Jackson Zeke Clyburn-Andrew Jackson J’Sean Sanders-High Point Academy Chonci Miller-High Point Academy Jaden McNeil-High Point Academy Eli Brown-Chesnee Tushawn Richardson-Clinton Manny Davis-Eau Claire Darius Brooks-Hampton County Deyon Ford-Mullins Dakarai Worley-Mullins Charles White-Marion Jeffrey Ceasar-Manning Caden Edmond-Central Amarion Wilson-Bridges Prep HSSR-SCHSL 2024-25 All-State Class A Boys Basketball Gavin Hood-Great Falls Tykeem Ross-Denmark-Olar Terrence Hinton-Denmark-Olar Terence McFadden-Bethune Bowman Bryson Robinson-Bethune-Bowman Jayden Baylor-Abbeville Darius Riley-Abbeville Cayden Ramsey-Cross Stetson Stacks-North Tylin Jenkins-Hannah-Pamplico Kenard Heyward-Carvers Bay Tyrek Wright-McBee Darius Houston-McCormick Jayden Crawford-Green Sea-Floyds Nasir Brooks-Hemingway HSSR 2024-25 Boys All-Rookie Basketball Nathaniel Freeman-Bridges Prep Huck Flynn-Riverside Judah Lee-Green Sea-Floyds Riggs Savage-Powdersville Zay Harris-North Augusta Anton Daniels-Atlantic Collegiate Brice Wiersma-TL Hanna James Gamble-East Clarendon Beau Hite-Emerald HSSR- SCHSL 2024-25 -Miss Basketball— Tamia Watkins-Andrew Jackson HSSR-SCHSL 2024-25 -Div. I AAAAA Girls Player Of Year- Chase Thomas-Blythewood HSSR SCHSL 2024-25 – Div. II AAAAA Girls Player Of Year—Amani McCray-Berkeley HSSR SCHSL 2024-25 – AAAA Girls Player Of Year-Celena Grant-North Augusta HSSR-SCHSL 2024-25 -- AAA Girls Player Of Year—Kami Roach-Walhalla HSSR SCHSL 2024-25 - AA Girls Player of Year— Ni’Yonna Asbelle-Andrew Jackson HSSR-SCHSL 2024-25 - Class A Girls Player of Year—Dream Watson-Military Magnet HSSR SCHSL 2024-25 Div. I -Statewide Girls Coach Of Year-- HSSR-SCHSL 2024-25 -Div. I AAAAA Girls Coach Of Year—Emily McElveen-Schaffer-Blythewood HSSR-SCHSL 2024-25 Div. II AAAAA Girls Coach of Year-Crystal Peace-Berkeley High HSSR SCHSL 2024-25 - AAAA Girls Coach Of Year-Al Young-North Augusta HSSR SCHSL 2024-25 - AAA Girls Coach Of Year-Bryon Wimphrie-Walhalla HSSR-SCHSL 2024-25 -AA Girls Coach of Year—Steven Fair-Andrew Jackson HSSR SCHSL 2024-25 – Class A Girls Coach Of Year-Nathaniel Taylor-Military Magnet HSSR-SCHSL 2024-25 Div. I Girl’s All-State Basketball Jade Hailstock-JL Mann Skyla Tuthill-Ashley Ridge Jahzara Leamon-Mauldin India Williams-Blythewood Hayley Hightower-Blythewood Molly Daugherty-Summerville Cailah Tucker-Summerville Emma Daugherty-Summerville Morgan White-Dorman Aubrey Stevenson-Rock Hill Chole Hudson-Rock Hill Ashlyn Evans-Byrnes Clara Mustapher-Stratford Breah Franks-JL Mann Anasia Harvey-Ridge View HSSR-SCHSL 2024-25 Div. II Girl’s All-State Basketball Alaina Carter-Berkeley Madison Thomas-Berkeley Tamera Wynn-TL Hanna Faith Farmer-North Myrtle Beach Danielle Oliver-Greenwood TyKirea Johnson-Greenwood Cameron Oliver-Greenwood Elly Trickett-Riverside Shiriah Harris-Gaffney Tianah “TT” Hopper-Gaffney Ava Owens-Greenville Madeline Dates-Goose Creek Michaela Fairwell-Dutch Fork Shaelyn Hayes-White Knoll Aneya Britt-Westwood HSSR-SCHSL 2024-25 All-State AAAA Girls Basketball Ashley Walker-North Augusta Kenedi Wright-North Augusta Khalia Hartwell-Westside Asia Clinksales-Westside Kaleigh Lucas-South Pointe Janiya Cunningham-South Pointe Hannah Rosato-Bishop England Braylin Mungo-Camden Lila Mann-Daniel Shala Williams-Daniel Jhnai Sumpter-Lower Richland Chi’Nya Isaac-Lower Richland Malasia Jamison-Aiken Logan Murray-Wilson Kadence Walker-Lee-Gray Collegiate HSSR-SCHSL 2024-25 All-State AAA Girls Basketball Miley White-Walhalla Gianna Ortiz-Walhalla Miley White-Walhalla Treasure Davis-Dillon Khw’Nylaha McKinnon-Dillon Taylor Lee-Sutton-Keenan Janiya Richburg-Loris Marisa Moody-Loris Ella Mae Schepp-Oceanside Collegiate Sadie Burnette-Woodruff Krislyn Wilder-Chapman Reagan Mobley-West Oak Devyn Blackwell-Southside Christian Janiya Cunningham-South Pointe HSSR-SCHSL 2024-25 All-State AA Girls Basketball Janiyah Squire-Ninety-Six Essence Rodgers-Blacksburg Jazzlyn McMillan-Fairfield Central Emily McCall-Andrew Jackson Jaeda Davis-Marion Maliyah Williams-Marion Kylie Fortner-Landrum Destinee Tiller-Eau Claire Milaysha Chisolm-Eau Claire Aimarika Moorer-Lake Marion Hannah Riles-Lake City Naydia Shaw-Kingstree HSSR-SCHSL 2024-25 All-State Class A Girls Basketball Autumn Thomas-Calhoun Falls DeNiriyah Williams-Military Magnet Sabri Mitchell-Military Magnet Serenity Williams-Lee Central Hannah Reames-Lee Central My’Keriyah Holmes-Lee Central Kalen Mayes-Denmark-Olar Aveion Walker-Denmark-Olar Tiffany Helmer-St. Joseph’s Catholic Kailen Parks-North Lauren Middleton-Cross Aysiah Bonaparte-Hunter-Kinard-Tylar Tilayzia Youmans-Hunter- Kinard-Tyler D’Essence Graham-Carver’s Bay Jasmyn Jenkins-Carver’s Bay Raven Brown-Bamberg-Ehrhardt HSSR-2024-25 All-Rookie Girls Basketball Tiana Marshall - Westside (8 th ) Imani Levey - Berkeley Miracle Cheeks - Greenville Jaiden McKnight - Kingstree Maddie Pojani - First Baptist CoCo Charley - North Evie Adams - St. Joseph’s Catholic Campbell Delaney - Orangeburg Prep Lauren Willis - Military Magnet HSSR-SCISA 2024-25 SCISA Boys Basketball HSSR-SCISA 2024-25 Mr. SCISA Basketball - John Michael Jenkins - Porter-Gaud HSSR-SCISA 2024-25 AAAA Boys Player Of Year - Bryce Reyierson - Augusta Christian HSSR-SCISA 2024-25- AAA Boys Player Of Year - Ty Harping - Hilton Head Prep HSSR-SCISA 2024-25-AA Boys Player Of Year - Bryce Ward - Cathedral Academy HSSR-SCISA 2024-25- Class A Boys Player of Year - Kavontay Rose - Ragin Prep HSSR-SCISA 2024-25- AAAA Boys Coach of Year - John Pearson - Porter-Gaud HSSR-SCISA 2024-25- AAA Boys Coach Of Year - Richard Barron - Hilton Head Prep HSSR-SCISA 2024-25 -AA Boys Coach of the Year - Blake Ferguson - Cathedral Academy HSSR-SCISA 2024-25 -Class A Boys Coach of the Year - Anthony Jackson- Ragin Prep HSSR-SCISA 2024-25 All-State AAAA Boys Griffin Ferrano-Porter-Gaud Banks Butler-Porter Gaud Kateaux Miller-Porter Gaud Kais Parris-Pinewood Prep Tre Green-Pinewood Prep Tripp Eidson -Pinewood Prep Jonathan Slawson-Pinewood Prep Braysen Stockman-Ben Lippen Ty Shine-Augusta Christian Aamere Tolbert-Augusta Christian Hugh Humphries-Wilson Hall KJ Allen-Trinity Collegiate JY’Ell Preston-Trinity Collegiate Tristen McCleary-Heath Jaiden Haltiwanger-Hammond Kamari Hunter-Heathwood Hall Tristen McCleary-Heathwood Hall Jackson Ross-Hammond Luis Echevanna-Cardinal Newman Scoop Dennis-Laurence Manning HSSR-SCISA 2024-25 All-State AAA Boys Billy Barron-Hilton Head Prep Brenden Moore-Hilton Head Prep T Riley-Orangeburg Prep Avery Ravenell-Orangeburg Prep Colby Richardson-Pee Dee Academy Bennett Causey-Pee Dee Academy Payne Wood-Spartanburg Day Ron Rank-Spartanburg Day Ty Kennedy-Greenwood Christian Crews Felder-Calhoun Academy Taylor Greene-Florence Christian Thomas Hester-St. Johns Christian Mateo Costello-Colleton Prep Thompson Stone-Dillon Christian Jackson Outlar-Dillon Christian Tucker Shealey-First Presbryterian Rowen Croft-Patrick Henry Mikell Tucker Mathis-Patrick Henry HSSR-SCISA 2024-25 All-State AA Boys Kadan Whitledge-Cathedral Academy Ajani Gresham-Cathedral Academy Dominic Felis-Cathedral Academy Gage Dicks-Andrew Jackson Academy Hayden McClung-Andrew Jackson Academy Hall Sease-Andrew Jackson Academy Vashahd Schofield-Andrew Jackson Academy Tony O’Banner-Thomas Heyward Academy Kelan Fripp-Thomas Heyward Israel Wright-Bethesda Academy Abe Shuler-Dorchester Academy Landon Turner-Carolina Academy Walker McCutchen-Carolina Academy Trace June-Lee Academy John Quattlebaum-Dorchester Academy Daniel Shetley-Oakbrook Prep Yannick Huelsmeyer-Faith Christian HSSR-SCISA 2024-25 All-State Class A Boys Jody Gillam-Holly Hill Academy Ashton Soles-Holly Hill Academy Omarai Myers-Ragin Prep Zymir Robinson-Hill-Ragin Prep Kayshaun Rutherford-Ragin Prep Trez Mincey-Curtis Baptist Treivan Wright-Curtis Baptist Charlie Bonds-Richard Winn Bennett Nicholson-Richard Winn Colson Loadholt-Jefferson Davis Nasir Void-Jefferson Davis Reece Still-Jefferson Davis Academy Caleb Wilbanks-Newberry Academy HSSR-SCISA 2024-25 Girls Basketball Awards: HSSR-SCISA 2024-25 Miss SCISA Basketball - Lauren Jacobs-Heathwood Hall HSSR-SCISA 2024-25 AAAA Girls Player Of Year - Makayla Leggette-Trinity Collegiate HSSR-SCISA 2024-25- AAA Girls Player Of Year - Rebecca Hammond-Pee Dee Academy HSSR-SCISA 2024-25- AA Girls Player Of Year - Ryan Mayers-Cross Schools HSSR- SCISA 2024-25- Class A Girls Player of Year - Jaliyah Terry-Curtis Baptist HSSR- SCISA 2024-25- AAAA Girls Coach of Year - Bree Goodson-Trinity Collegiate HSSR-SCISA 2024-25- AAA Girls Coach Of Year - Meagan Thomas-Pee Dee Academy HSSR- SCISA 2024-25 -AA Girls Coach of the Yea- Doc Archibald-Cross Schools HSSR-SCISA 2022-23-Class A Girls Coach of the Yea- Tim Johnson-Curtis Baptist HSSR-SCISA 2024-25 AAAA Girl’s All-State Salease Kind-Trinity-Collegiate Natalie Pitts-Trinity Collegiate Cokey Suddeth-Palmetto Christian Maliyah Birch-Northwood Academy Rylan Dundon-Northwood Academy Ava Rush-First Baptist Gabby Moore-First Baptist Paige Pouyat-First Baptist SaBreya Monsanto-Heathwood Hall Camillea Gore-Heathwood Hall Avery Schwarz-Augusta Christian Lyza Pricklemyer-Laurence Manning Logan Mims-Wilson Hall Lauren Majorkiewicz-John Paul II Makenna Ellis-Augusta Christian Evie Godfrey-Northside Christian Chaelyn Tifre-Northside Christian Elaina Whalen-Ben Lippen Perry Chambers-Porter-Gaud HSSR 2024--25 All-State SCISA AAA Girls Courtney Campbell-Hilton Head Prep Erin Cleary-Hilton Head Prep Claire Owens-Pee Dee Academy Claire Eskridge-Pee Dee Academy Jane Walker Yonce-Orangeburg Prep Hannah Lambrecht-Orangeburg Prep Annabelle Hunter-Orangeburg Prep Anne Hatcher White-Colleton Prep Ava Murray-Colleton Prep Kylie Finley-St. Johns Christian Audrey Fredere-Greenwood Christian Emma Hudgens-Greenwood Christian Emerson Poston-Florence Christian Lillian Lucas-Patrick Henry Laney Futch-Patrick Henry Kaytlin McJimpsey-Spartanburg Day Mandy Wells-Clarendon Hall Ashlee Berry-Clarendon Hall Layla Walker-Calhoun Academy HSSR 2024--25 All-State SCISA AA Girls Lexann Maldonado-Cross Schools Sydney Hollings-Cross Schools McKinnley Beard-Andrew Jackson Academy Bella Carrigg-Andrew Jackson Academy Braylee Burke-Laurens Academy Madisyn Graham-Laurens Academy Rylee Weathers-Dorchester Academy Emery McClure-Dorchester Academy Emma Amos-Carolina Academy Mazie Tomlinson-Lee Academy Karagan Melton-Lee Academy Caro Chmura-Charleston Collegiate Madison Williams-Cathedral Raven Williams-Cathedral HSSR-SCISA 2024-25 All-State Class A Girls Macy Butler-Curtis Baptist Lily Kilroy-Curtis Baptist Charlotte Lewis-Richard Winn Abby Lewis-Richard Winn Milly Kate Prescott-Holly Hill Academy Taylor Hill-Wardlaw Academy Maddie Deloach-Wardlaw Academy Milly Kate Prescott-Holly Hill Academy Rileigh York-Jefferson Davis Academy Riley Williams-Jefferson Davis Academy Payton Hutto-Jefferson Davis Academy McKenzie Glanton-Mead Hall Carolina Wiedenman-Mead Hall Kenzie Morse-WW King

Saluting The Outstanding Basketball State Champions In SC For The 2024-25 Season Moncks Corner —As we transition into Spring sports, by far the busiest period in high school athletics in South Carolina, the HSSR would like to salute all the basketball state champions from both the SCISA and the SCHSL. The HSSR was there for every championship game. In most cases, we observed first-hand the SCHSL lower and upper state championship games played in Florence at the Florence Center. We also took in numerous SCISA play-off games at Wilson Hall and the Sumter Civic Center as well. Please enjoy of our in-depth coverage of all the state basketball games played on pages four through 13 of this issue! We happen to believe this was the most in-depth coverage of all the games by any one media source in Soth Carolina. The SCHSL boy’s champions were Ridge View in Div. I AAAAA, in Div. II AAAAA we salute champion Greenville High , while the AAAA boy’s title was won by Lancaster High . The Keenan boys became only the second SCHSL team to win 10 state titles with their AAA crown. Atlantic Collegiate Academy won the AA boy’s state title in just their second year as a program. In Class A boy’s competition, Denmark - Olar sent head coach Hercules Davis into retirement by winning the school’s first ever basketball state title. In SCHSL girl’s action, we salute Div. I AAAAA champion Blythewood, Div. II AAAA state champion Berkeley along with AAAA champion North Augusta who won their sixth state title. In AAA, the Walhalla took gold. In AA, Andrew Jackson took top honors and Military Magnet won their third-Class A state title in four years at the Florence Center. In SCISA state championship action, the HSSR salutes AAAA state champion Porter - Gaud . The Hilton Head Prep boy’s won their third straight AAA state title . Cathedral Academy won their third AA boy’s title in four years and newcomer Ragin Prep win the Class A boy’s state championship. In SCISA girl’s championship action, the HSSR salutes AAAA winner Trinity Collegiate. Pee Dee Academy is saluted for winning the AAA state title while the Cross School took top honors in winning the AA girl’s state championship. We congratulate Curtis Baptist for winning the Class A SCISA girl’s championship. One thing we particularly enjoy about attending SCISA basketball championships is witnessing the boy’s and girl’s state title winners, in each classification, cutting down the nets, at opposite ends of the court after their games. In the back ground the song expressing “We are The Champions” rings loud and proud as players and coaches take turns on the ladder cutting a portion of the net. Often you can see SCISA head basketball coaches, like Blake Ferguson of Cathedral, actually wearing the net around his neck, as he was leaving the Sumter Civic Center after the championship win. The head coach is always the last member of a championship team to cut down, what is left of the net. This ceremony of victory adds a nice touch to the great accomplishment. While numerous players got the attention of the HSSR during the championships, Tamia Watson, a 6-2 forward from Andrew Jackson has a bright future ahead of her. She is our choice for the 2024-25 Miss basketball in the state of South Carolina. All we can say is that Elon College better enjoy her freshman year on their team. We strongly predict, Watkins, and her 6-2 frame, will likely be in the transfer portal at the conclusion of her freshman year. How a major college like Clemson passed up on signing her is a mystery to the HSSR. The HSSR also predicts that Clemson will be one of her first offers should she enter the portal after her freshman year at Elon. Watkins can dribble with either hand, and she has equal dexterity even in her feet. She can play all five positions on a basketball court! In her six- year career at Andrew Jackson she averaged 22.2 points a game, over 124 games, for a career points total of 2,752, ranking her the number 11 all-time scorer among girl basketball players in South Carolina! She also had 1,500 career rebounds, 496 steals, 260 blocked shots, and 310 assists during her career. On the boy’s side, we are still debating the HSSR 2024-25 Mr. Basketball as we were going to press with this issue. The HSSR has never named a sophomore as a Mr. Basketball in South Carolina, not even Zion Williamson. We can say with confidence that the best-all-around boy player we saw at the Florence Center, over a week-long period of watching games was sophomore Josh Leonard (6-6,200) a big-man from Wilson High . Leonard possesses all the ball skills of a future NBA player. Leonard averaged 21.7 points a game while shooting 56 per cent from the field. He also averaged 10 rebounds a game along with 2.7 assists and 2.3 steals a game. He is one confident looking super prospect on the hardwood for sure. There is a great possibility that Leonard will join Zion Williamson, who was named the HSSR Mr. Basketball in both his junior and senior years, by winning Mr. Basketball honors over the next two years of his career at Wilson High. We should have our 2024-25 HSSR all-state basketball teams posted at hssr.com in the very near future! Now we are moving on to Spring Sports!

2024 State Champions Lake View at the Florence Civic Center

Hammond's Michael Tyler laying out for the TD catch in the SCISA AAAA title game.

SCHSL Commissioner -Dr Jerome Singleton

Offensive Linemen, HSSR Media Day 2024

Crestwood's Javion Martin, QB - 2023 Shrine Bowl

HSSR Forced To Raise Sponsor Ad Rates For First Time In 21 Years Starting August 1st Moncks Corner — It has been 21 years since “The High School Sports Report” has had a price increase on our sponsor ads, school coverage support, and even on a yearly subscription to the only statewide publication in South Carolina covering high school sports on a full-time basis. At some point, in these inflationary times we are living in, reality sets in. So, on August, 1 st the HSSR will be forced to adjust sponsor ad rates, subscription rates, and year- round coverage cost for athletic programs we are now covering on a year-round basis, and for any new schools who wish to join our network that has provided statewide coverage since our founding in December, 1986. The HSSR is still crunching the numbers as to what the increase costs will be but a 20 per cent increase is likely what will happen. Our last price increase happened in 2003. In that year a postage stamp was 37 cents and a gallon of gas averaged $1.59 per gallon. A postage stamp today is 68 cents each. A gallon of gas in South Carolina ranges around $3.38 a gallon. No kidding, you go though a lot of gas driving between 35,000 and 40,000 miles a year across South Carolina covering high school athletic events. We also have several other writers we reimburse gas expenses too. Thank goodness we now use more e mailing of our team information forms to the 265 schools across the state, who have varsity athletic teams, but not too long ago our postage budget alone was $6,000 a year! Let’s talk about the value in what we do promote your favorite high school athletic program. I will use a real person in our example. Dr. Phil Wallace is the team doctor of the Dillon High football team. I met him on the sidelines of Dillon football in 1987. He has been sponsoring a full business card ad on the Dillon page of this publication for 37 straight years! Thank you, Dr. Wallace! (Good luck to your cherished alma mater Miami Hurricanes also. His cost for that ad in 1987 was $500 per year. At that time, we didn’t have a website ( hssr.com ). By 2003, we increased a full card ad to $600 a year. We started our web site around the same time. All school sponsor ads, benefiting the statewide coverage of a certain school appear in our publication adjacent to the school’s coverage. This sponsor ad also appears on the school page provided all sponsored schools at hssr.com for no extra charge! We average close to 1 million home page hits at hssr.com per year and the website is also totally free! We also upload the entire contents of our monthly issue to our web site and Dr. Wallace’s ad, and the coverage of his beloved Wildcats, is available on the world wide web to anyone in the world for free! So, let’s review this total market coverage strategy that could also benefit your school. For one price of $600, that has not gone up since 2003, Dr. Wallace’s sponsorship is recognized in the publication with 50,000 annual copies per year, with his sponsor ad duplicated at hssr.com on a web site that averages nearly one million home page hits a year, plus his sponsor ad helps provide Dillon with a free click on “School page” found in the mast head of the web site hssr.com. Is this a deal or what? It will be still be a deal after a slight increase on August, 1 also! Some marketing experts would likely want to have three charges in this situation. They could charge for the yearly print ad, have an additional charge for the ad duplicated on the school page found at hssr.com, and a third charge for the sponsors ad appearing in the publication that is uploaded to the web site for free downloading! How much extra should the $600 full card ad cost be starting on August, 1 st . Please review the aforementioned in your head one more time. When we say that the HSSR is a not-for-profit venture we mean it and we can prove it! However, if we want to stay in business a price increase is justified. Until August, 1 st our year-round coverage packages to cover every varsity sport at your school for the entire 2024-25 school year is as follows: 1/3-page coverage requires a $2,500 sponsorship that covers the publication, web site, and school page. A ½ page coverage requires a $3,500 sponsorship and a full- page coverage requires a $6,000 annual sponsorship. We pay our writers, as a collective group, over $120,000 a year to write monthly articles for the 85 sponsored schools we now have as year-round members of our network, plus bonus coverage of live events that we post on the home page of hssr.com on a ongoing basis. In August, of 2021 the HSSR spent $6,000 to upgrade our web site so every article written on a sponsored school, since that date, is automatically archived for life! We mail our monthly publication to over 250 college athletic programs, from Newberry to Notre Dame . We were recognized by the South Carolina General Assembly in 2001 with a joint resolution honoring our service to high school athletic programs in South Carolina. In 2021, the HSSR was totally surprised to be recognized at halftime of a state championship basketball game with a “Distinguished Service Award” from the National Federation of High Schools . The HSSR was nominated for this service award by the South Carolina High School League and we were humbled to the moon and back to be so recognized. In all honesty, we cover a lot of schools regardless of sponsorship. We cover the vast majority of SCHSL and SCISA state championship events in person, no matter what schools are in the finals. Our stats page, sponsored by Mark Grainger at Modern Turf , is free to any school in South Carolina who can send their stats to hsreport@aol.com , or directly to our stats master of nearly 40 years, Gerald Doolittle at sc7777@aol.com . So, take a minute to look at our year-round sponsored school index on page 79 of this issue. If you do not see your favorite school listed, but would like to help support your favorite school, please call me direct at 843-200-9555. We will be increasing our sponsor fees on August; 1 st so now is a great time to make statewide coverage happen for the hard-working athletes at your favorite school!

The Good, Bad, & Challenges Of Being On A HSSR Deadline! Moncks Corner - The second season of Spring Sports, a.k.a. the play-offs, are in high gear across South Carolina; as the HSSR goes to press (Monday, May 6), and we can all expect many highly competitive games across numerous sports that bring communities together in support of thousands of young student athletes. The HSSR extends best wishes to all teams competing. Always remember, that good sportsmanship will be honored and appreciated in all situations, no matter who is calling the balls and strikes! In the process of my goal of “original and self-directed research” over 100 hours are spent coordinating the production of the nation’s only statewide publication, devoted exclusively to prep sports in any one state during, “deadline week.” In helping prepare this one-of-a-kind 72- page publication, with a joint web site companion known as of hssr.com each month, we have a team of experienced and seasoned writers, a senior photographer with a five-star camera, and a network of contacts second to “no one else” in the Palmetto State. We also thank the high school coaches across the state who understand when they get a call at 11 p.m. on deadline nights, from yours truly, often with this opening comment, “I hope I didn’t wake you, but you never returned my phone calls the past three days, or my 8 text messages, and we go to press in seven hours!” (Reactions vary from Coach to Coach) We feel blessed at the HSSR, and honored, to be a one-of-kind combination print/web site media, devoted exclusively to promoting the positive achievements of our hard-working prep athletes in South Carolina. It has been over 38 years of “one day feeding into the next day:. (Pretty soon you have a whole lot of days making your hair grayer by the day!) Here are just some of the musings, happenings and seat-of-the-pants issues confronted by this Publisher on this deadline alone: For the first time ever a certain high-profiled softball coach in our state was asked “once again” to e-mail the stats of her highly regarded team to the HSSR for information to be used on one of the “Softball Class Feature pages in this very issue. We got the stats in a matter of hours, Thank you! This note was written in the body of the e-mail: “My stats are attached. Will these be published somewhere before playoffs are over? If so, I would prefer to not be included - I don't share stats with my players / parents until after the season;) A short while later this e mail arrived that read: “I appreciate it. If we get to the championship series then I'm good with you using it at that point).” Well, I said this was a “first time ever” because for the past 10 years this coach has always provided stats for our publication that we put up on our widely read stats page, in both the publication and on our web site at hssr.com. I have not checked, but if this team’s games are live streamed through Game Changer or Facebook, that is the best scouting report you could ever give to your opponents. By live streaming your games you could be providing “real video” for opposing coaches to record your athletes in competition allowing them to observe your players strengths and weaknesses batting, fielding and all of the above for example! I am likely to ask God at the Gates of Heaven one day, why is the publishing of players stats somehow giving opponents an advantage over their competition? With all the social media available these days (in real time also) the publishing of stats should be the least of our worries. If stats are not important to the resumes of student athletes, or to the scrap books of our hard-working student athletes, and their parents, then go-ahead and take down the score boards on our ball fields and in our gyms, and quit keeping score! (Yes, I honored the wishes of this coach but I will never request her stats again!) The SCHSL has a wonderful partnership with Max Preps and I wish more coaches would use this media to at least publish their rosters so “we” in the media can make sure we have player’s names spelled correctly. During this deadline one Max Preps soccer team site had a team roster on it, but it was missing the names of all three senior co-captains! (I told one of the parents of this team to leave my name out of the conversation after I had to call them to ask them how they spelled their last name because no roster was available at their game I had just covered). I cover all games using player’s jersey numbers and match the numbers with names later. On this deadline I also got a call back at exactly mid-night from Dillon head softball coach Stevie Grice . “You sound wide awake,” was the first thing he said when I answered the phone, still plugging away on deadline. Got in bed four hours later, and was back-up at 8 am sending text messages and e mails out to coaches all over South Carolina. Lastly, I get some of the most unusual phone calls from people during the tense moments of a deadline. Some folks confuse the HSSR with the SCHSL, and they call at the wrong times sharing their concerns. “Sir, I just want to report that the plate umpire in our game yesterday was so confused that he kept going out to the field ref to consult with him to see if he had the count right out on the batter at the plate. Do you have any idea who this umpire was and why did he get assigned to my team’s game?” After pausing for a few seconds, a stab at humor was attempted, “Mam, I have not a clue who the umpire was in your game yesterday. Nor, can I speak to his apparent confusion. However, it just so happens that the Sports Report needs a current copy of the stats from this team you follow. You mind stopping by the school and asking your favorite coach to send his stats in right away?”