Ingram, Ervin named state’s best

Hawthorne's C.J. Ingram was named the 2023 Florida Dairy Farmers Class 1A Player of the Year.
Photo by C.J. Gish

C.J. Ingram, the son of Hawthorne football and girls basketball coach Cornelius Ingram, has been named the Florida Dairy Farmers Class 1A Player of the Year.

Ingram finished ahead of Greg Maxwell of Williston, outscoring Maxwell in total points, 112-91.

The sophomore hit two free throws with one second left to beat Newberry, 43-41, in the region final to help the Hornets make their second straight final four.

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Photo by C.J. Gish Williston’s Greg Maxwell averaged 19.1 points, 6.4 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.5 steals per game this season.

Last year as a freshman, Ingram made two free throws with six seconds left to play in double overtime as Hawthorne defeated Trenton, 40-39, to advance to the state semifinals.

Hawthorne (11-7) lost a heartbreaker to Chipley, 49-46, in this year’s Class 1A state semifinals. However, Ingram scored a game-high 26 points and grabbed a team-high six rebounds in the loss. He also had a game-high five steals.

He helped lead the Hornets back to the state semifinals by averaging 21.6 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 3.3 steals per game.

Maxwell, the nephew of former Gator and Houston Rockets guard Vernon Maxwell, struggled in the state semifinal win against Franklin County, finishing with just three points.

However, the senior bounced back quickly in the state championship game. He set the tone early with nine of his game-high 22 points in the first quarter as Williston defeated Chipley, 58-49, to win the 1A state title. Maxwell added six rebounds and a game-high eight steals.

For the season, Maxwell averaged 19.1 points, 6.4 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and 1.5 steals a game

Don’trell Jenkins, who led Santa Fe (Alachua) to the Class 4A-Region 2 final, finished third in the voting for the Class 4A Player of the Year.

Alabama signee Sam Walters, who scored 29 points for The Villages in the 66-60 regional final win against the Raiders (22-7), was named the 4A POY. Jenkins had 28 points in the loss.

Meanwhile, Williston’s Jim Ervin was named the Class 1A Coach of the Year after guiding the Red Devils (25-7) to their first state title in program history. Ervin, who is in his third season at Williston, talked about building a program.

Hawthorne’s Greg Bowie finished third in the voting for 1A COY, while Steve Faulkner, who led Columbia (Lake City) to a regional final appearance, finished third in the voting for the 5A COY.

Santa Fe's Don'trell Jenkins
Photo by C.J. Gish Santa Fe’s Don’trell Jenkins led the Raiders to the Class 4A Regional Final.

Every finalist was the leading vote-getter in their classification, making each one the Player of the Year or Coach of the Year in his class. The two winners, Mr. Basketball and the overall Coach of the Year, will be announced next Friday, March 31, following a final round of balloting by coaches and media.

The seven finalists for the 2023 Mr. Basketball Award:

Cameron Boozer, Sophomore, Forward, Columbus, Class 7A Player of the Year

Led his team to a 26-4 record and the Class 7A state championship game by averaging 21.1 points, 10.4 rebounds,  3.9 assists, 1.9 blocks and 1.3 steals per game.

Koree Cotton, Senior, Guard, Southridge, Class 6A Player of the Year 

Led his team to a 21-7 record and a spot in the regional semifinals by averaging 21.8 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.4 blocks per game. Signed with Virginia Military Institute.

Trey Murray, Junior, Guard, Wesley Chapel, Class 5A Player of the Year

Led his team to an 18-10 record by averaging 27.7 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 3.0 steals per game.

Sam Walters, Senior, Forward, The Villages, Class 4A Player of the Year

Led his squad to a 23-9 record and a Class 4A state runner-up finish by averaging 23.0 points, 9.9 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.6 blocks per game. Signed to play at the University of Alabama.

Karter Knox, Junior, Guard/Forward, Tampa Catholic, Class 3A Player-of-the-Year

Led his team to a 19-11 record and a spot in the Class 3A state Final Four by averaging 19.8 points, 9.9 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.2 blocks per game.

Kris Parker, Senior, Guard/Forward, Crossroad Academy, Class 2A Player of the Year

Led his team to the Class 2A regional semifinals by averaging 24.8 points, 14.2 rebounds and 7.1 assists per game. Committed to play at the University of Alabama.

CJ Ingram, Sophomore, Guard, Hawthorne, Class 1A Player of the Year

Led his team to a an 11-7 record and a spot in the Class 1A state Final Four by averaging 21.6 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 3.3 steals per game.

Williston coach Jim Ervin (in grey shirt) was named the Florida Dairy Farmers Class 1A Coach of Year.
Photo by C.J. Gish Williston coach Jim Ervin (in grey shirt) was named the Florida Dairy Farmers Class 1A Coach of Year.

The seven finalists for the 2023 Boys’ Basketball Coach of the Year:

Tyrone Woodside, Winter Haven, Class 7A Coach of the Year

Led his squad to a 27-5 record and a Class 7A state runner-up finish. In 16 years at Winter Haven he has posted a 265-178 record with five Final Four appearances.

Fred Ross, Dwyer, Class 6A Coach of the Year

Led his squad to a 29-1 record and the Class 6A state championship. In 32 years at Dwyer, Ross has won four state titles (2004-05-11-23), the most of any Palm Beach County boys’ basketball program. He has compiled a 708-197 record at Dwyer.

Gaston Rodriguez, Belen Jesuit, Class 5A Coach of the Year

Led his squad to a 28-4 record and the Class 5A state championship, the school’s first boys’ basketball state title. In seven years at Belen Jesuit, Rodriguez has posted a 128-64 record and is the first coach (since at least 1950) to win state titles at three different schools (Champagnat Catholic-2000 and Coral Reef-2009).

Dylan Estock, Mater Lakes Academy, Class 4A Coach of the Year

Led his squad to a 28-3 record and the Class 4A state title, the school’s first state title in any sport. In three years, he has posted a 62-21 record.

Anthony Shahbaz, Riviera Prep, Class 3A Coach of the Year

Led his squad to a 27-6 record and the Class 3A state championship, the first state title in school history. Riviera was the state runner-up in 2022 before winning the championship this season. In five years Shahbaz has posted a 116-46 record.

David Roe, Sagemont, Class 2A Coach of the Year

Led his squad to a 29-4 record and the Class 2A state title while ending Orlando Christian Prep’s three-year state championship streak. In six years, Roe has a 110-50 record at Sagemont, including a state runner-up finish in 2022.

Jim Ervin, Williston, Class 1A Coach of the Year

Led his squad to a 25-7 record and the Class 1A state title. In three years at Williston, Ervin has compiled a 55-24 record and has a 26-year career mark of 399-201.

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