LSWA Mr. Basketball 2023: Chris Lockett Jr., Isidore Newman

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>(LSWA Release, Written By Christopher Dabe)</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Newman senior [player_tooltip player_id='970120' first='Chris' last='Lockett'] Jr. has been selected as the Louisiana Farm Bureau Insurance/Mr. Basketball winner by the Louisiana Sports Writers Association after helping the Greenies win a second straight LHSAA championship.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 6-foot-5 Boise State signee averaged more than 16 points, six rebounds, four assists and 1.5 steals per game. Newman defeated Shreveport's Calvary Baptist 52-42 in the Division III select state championship played at Burton Coliseum in Lake Charles.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In the state final, Lockett scored 16 points and was selected as the title game's Outstanding Player.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“The stat sheet doesn't always say what a player does,” Newman coach Randy Livingston said soon after Lockett was selected in March as the Gatorade Louisiana boys basketball player of the year. “He guards the best player. He rebounds. He passes for us. He did a little bit of everything. Winning helps too.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In a game against eventual Division I nonselect state champion Ponchatoula in November, Newman made a defensive switch that put Lockett against 6-9 junior [player_tooltip player_id='1480391' first='Allen' last='Graves'] that helped the Greenies to a 60-55 victory in their home tournament.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“They were winning by 10 points in the whole first half, pretty much controlling the game and doing it from the perimeter,” Livingston said. After the switch on defense, “(Lockett) didn't give up much,” Livingston said.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“I took the challenge upon myself to slow him down,” Lockett said.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lockett follows former Carver standout Solomon Washington, now at Texas A&amp;M, as the second consecutive Mr. Basketball winner to hail from the New Orleans area.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lockett and Newman senior teammate [player_tooltip player_id='1130920' first='Canin' last='Jefferson'] were each selected as Class 2A first-team all-state players by the LSWA . Livingston credited Lockett and Jefferson for how well they shared the ball during their senior seasons together.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Newman posted a 24-3 record against in-state opponents. The Greenies won by wide margins in the postseason, defeating No. 17 Green Oaks by 26 points in a regional, No. 8 Sophie B. Wright by 36 points in a quarterfinal and No. 4 Dunham by 22 points in a semifinal.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In the state final, after Newman opened to a 14-2 lead, the top-seeded Greenies went cold from the floor and No. 3 Calvary trimmed the margin to five by halftime. Newman widened the lead to 18 with a 21-8 run through the third quarter as Lockett scored eight points in the period.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“It was him, making the small plays, making the extra pass,” Jefferson said of Lockett. “He kind of kept us in that first half when I was pretty much out of it. Then we kind of came together in the second half and we finished it.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>For Lockett, the victory was a fine finish to a four-year varsity career that included three state finals appearances, two championships and now plenty of state basketball player of the year recognition.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>La. Farm Bureau Insurance/LSWA Mr. Basketball winners</strong><br>1996: Lester Earl, Glen Oaks<br>1997: Marcus Fizer, Arcadia<br>1998: Stromile Swift, Fair Park<br>1999: Bernard King, Gibsland Coleman<br>2000: Chris Duhon, Salmen<br>2001: Donald Perry, McCall<br>2002: Darrel Mitchell Jr., St. Martinville<br>2003: Paul Millsap, Grambling<br>2004: Glen Davis, University<br>2005: Tasmin Mitchell, Denham Springs<br>2006: Demond Carter, Reserve Christian<br>2007: Greg Monroe, Helen Cox<br>2008: Greg Monroe, Helen Cox<br>2009: Joevoskie Mitchell, Zwolle<br>2010: Markel Brown, Peabody<br>2011: Ricardo Gathers, Riverside<br>2012: Dee Wagner, Peabody<br>2013: Jarell Martin, Madison Prep<br>2014: Reginal Johnson Jr., Richwood<br>2015: Brandon Sampson, Madison Prep<br>2016: Javonte Smart, Scotlandville<br>2017: Javonte Smart, Scotlandville<br>2018: Javonte Smart, Scotlandville<br>2019: Jalen Cook, Walker<br>2020: Reece Beekman, Scotlandville<br>2021: Carlos Stewart, The Dunham School<br>2022: Solomon Washington, Carver<br>2023: [player_tooltip player_id='970120' first='Chris' last='Lockett'], Newman</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->