Final Four Participants Hope to Repeat State Championship Experiences
from Dr. Karissa L. Niehoff, NFHS Chief Executive Officer
The month of March was maddening as usual with thousands of high school student-athletes involved in state championships in basketball, wrestling, ice hockey, swimming and diving, indoor track, gymnastics and a few others.
Likewise, other activities such as drama, speech, debate and music are a central part of the excitement in school-based activity programs this time of year.
The spotlight as always was on the high school version of March Madness as more than 500 high school basketball teams (girls and boys) were crowned state champions. And perhaps some of the players on the teams in the NCAA Men’s and Women’s Final Fours will be able to experience the “March Madness Double” to add to their championship accomplishments in high school.
In the men’s Final Four, Walter Clayton Jr. of the University of Florida led Bartow (Florida) High School to the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) Class 6A state title, and he was also a member of the school’s football team.
Florida’s Will Richard helped his team at Woodward Academy (College Park, Georgia) to the Georgia High School Association Class 4A Championship and averaged 24 points per game along the way.
Another Gator, Denzel Aberdeen, led Dr. Phillips High School of Orlando, Florida, to the school’s first state basketball championship and scored 27 points in the FHSAA Class 7A state title game.
Although he was only at Nokomis Regional High School in Newport, Maine, for one year, Duke University’s Cooper Flagg made the most of it by leading his team to the Maine Principals’ Association Class A state title in 2022. Two years later, future teammate Kon Knueppel led Milwaukee Lutheran High School to a 30-0 record and the 2024 Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Class 2 state championship while earning Wisconsin Mr. Basketball honors.
Finally, Duke freshman Isaiah Evans helped North Mecklenburg High School in Huntersville, North Carolina, to a 30-0 record last year and the North Carolina High School Athletic Association Class 4A state title. He was a two-time North Carolina Mr. Basketball and averaged 27.5 points per game.
Auburn University’s Johni Broome helped Tampa Catholic High School to the Florida High School Athletic Association 5A semifinals two times and was 2019-20 Hillsborough County Player of the Year.
The Houston Cougars boast several players who had tremendous success in school-based programs, including two that claimed state titles. Mylik Wilson led Rayville (Louisiana) High School to back-to-back Louisiana High School Athletic Association Class 2A state titles, and Terrence Arceneaux helped Beaumont (Texas) United High School to a 31-0 record as a junior and the Texas University Interscholastic League 5A state championship.
In addition, while they didn’t cut down the nets as they hope to do this weekend, L. J. Cryer and Emanuel Sharp had outstanding high school careers. Cryer averaged 34.2 points per game as a senior at Morton Ranch High School in Katy, Texas, and finished as the state’s fifth all-time leading scorer with 3,488 points. Sharp helped Bishop McLaughlin of Tampa to the Florida 3A title game before losing and was the state’s Class 3A Player of the Year.
Many of the players on teams in the NCAA Women’s Final Four have hoisted high school trophies, beginning with five key members of defending champion University of South Carolina. Leading the way with four high school titles are MyLaysia Fulwiley and Raven Johnson. Fulwiley won four South Carolina High School League state titles in six years on the varsity at W. J. Keenan High School in Columbia, and Johnson led Atlanta Westlake High School to four Georgia High School Association state titles.
Other state champions include Joyce Edwards, who won back-to-back titles at Camden (South Carolina) High School; Sania Feagin, Georgia 6A champion at Forest Park High School in Ellenwood; and Tessa Johnson, Minnesota State High School League state champion at St. Michael Albertville High School.
UCLA standout Lauren Betts was a dominant player in Colorado at Grandview High School in Aurora. She led her team to the Colorado High School Activities Association 5A state title in 2022 and was named High School Player of the Year.
Among the key players on the University of Texas squad, Rori Harmon helped Cypress Creek High School in Houston to the state runner-up finish as a senior with a 41-1 record. Madison Booker (Germantown High School, Ridgeland, Mississippi) and Shea Holle (Austin, Texas, Westlake High School) were three-time all-state performers, while Jordan Lee won two state track and field championships at St. Mary’s High School in Stockton, California.
Paige Bueckers of the University of Connecticut led Hopkins (Minnesota) High School to a perfect 30-0 record and the state championship game in March 2020 but was denied a chance for a state title when the MSHSL state tournament was cancelled due to the pandemic.
Other Connecticut players with high school championship success include KK Arnold, who helped Germantown (Wisconsin) High School to the 2021 Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Division I state title, and Sarah Strong, who was twice named Miss Basketball at Grace Christian School in North Carolina.
From high school to college basketball, the Madness of March is something to behold.
Online link to article: https://www.nfhs.org/articles/final-four-participants-hope-to-repeat-state-championship-experiences/
Dr. Karissa L. Niehoff is in her seventh year as chief executive officer of the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) in Indianapolis, Indiana. She is the first female to head the national leadership organization for high school athletics and performing arts activities and the sixth full-time executive director of the NFHS. She previously was executive director of the Connecticut Association of Schools-Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference for seven years.
About the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS)
The NFHS, based in Indianapolis, Indiana, is the national leadership organization for high school sports and performing arts activities. Since 1920, the NFHS has led the development of education-based interscholastic sports and performing arts activities that help students succeed in their lives. The NFHS sets direction for the future by building awareness and support, improving the participation experience, establishing consistent standards and rules for competition, and helping those who oversee high school sports and activities. The NFHS writes playing rules for 18 sports for boys and girls at the high school level. Through its 50 member state associations and the District of Columbia, the NFHS reaches more than 19,800 high schools and 12 million participants in high school activity programs, including more than 8 million in high school sports. As the recognized national authority on interscholastic activity programs, the NFHS conducts national meetings; sanctions interstate events; offers online publications and services for high school coaches and officials; sponsors professional organizations for high school coaches, officials, speech and debate coaches, and music adjudicators; serves as the national source for interscholastic coach training; and serves as a national information resource of interscholastic athletics and activities. For more information, visit the NFHS website at www.nfhs.org.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Bruce Howard,
Director of Publications and Communications
National Federation of State High School Associations
Chris Boone,
Assistant Director of Publications and Communication
National Federation of State High School Associations
Jordan Morey,
Manager of Communications and Media Relations
National Federation of State High School Associations