Spain Park, Oak Mountain players earn All-State honors

The honors are rolling in for local basketball programs in a big way, as the Alabama Sportswriters Association has dished out its postseason accolades.

Austin Wiley took home a prestigious honor, as he was named the Class 7A Player of the Year, beating out Tevin Brown of Fairhope and Kalin Johnson of Gadsden City. He was also a first team All-State selection, leading the Jags, averaging 27.1 points, 12.1 rebounds and 2.9 blocks per game in 31 games this season 

Teammate Jamal Johnson was a second team selection, and posted numbers of 18 points, seven rebounds and 4.4 assists per contest as well. 

Oak Mountain’s Payton Youngblood took home third team honors and is just the second player in Eagle history to be named to the All-State squad. He averaged 11.5 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game in his senior season while shooting 50.6 percent from the field.

“Payton was one of the best players in the Birmingham metro area, which is littered with Division I players,” Oak Mountain head coach Chris Love said. “We played against a lot of them, and he more than held his own.”

Along with the tangible numbers, Youngblood’s heart and value to his team can be shown through the amount of charges he took, one of the most selfless acts a player can participate in on the basketball court. He led the Eagles in charges over the course of the season.