2024 LSWA Mr. Basketball: Allen Graves, Ponchatoula

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>(LSWA Release, Written by Christopher Dabe)</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ponchatoula 6-foot-10 standout [player_tooltip player_id='1480391' first='Allen' last='Graves'] capped his high school career as a leading player on a state championship team for a second year in a row, and for that has been selected as Mr. Basketball by the Louisiana Sports Writers Association.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Graves, twice selected as the outstanding player in the LHSAA Division I nonselct state final, averaged 20.8 points and 12 rebounds with 2.8 assists, 2.4 blocks and 1.5 steals as a senior. The Santa Clara signee nearly posted a triple double as Ponchatoula defeated Natchitoches Central 75-60 in the more recent of the two state finals with 19 points, 20 rebounds and eight blocked shots.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ponchatoula posted a 30-4 overall record against several other top programs from across the state.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“This season was definitely amazing," Graves said. “We had a whole bunch of ups and downs, and I'm glad to be part of this team we had this year. We definitely had a lot of pressure on us coming into the season, trying to go back-to-back.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ponchatoula won the final 10 games of the regular season after a mid-January loss to Newman and scored more than 90 points in the two postseason games before the state tournament.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ponchatoula won a semifinal against a New Iberia team that was intent on slowing the pace to keep Ponchatoula from scoring a runaway victory. Graves scored nine points in the 34-26 victory and found several other ways to impact the game with 13 rebounds, three steals, two blocked shots and two assists.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In a quarterfinal against Slidell, Graves made four 3-pointers and scored 37 points. He made 50 3-pointers for the season on nearly 40% shooting from beyond the arc.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“A lot of times, this is a trust thing,” Ponchatoula coach Tom Taylor said. “You got a 6-foot-10 guy, most coaches will put him in a box, down low, a rebounder and shot-blocker. With him, this happened in the Natchitoches Central game and throughout the season, he'd get the rebound and try to get an outlet. Or it's, ‘OK, I'll initiate it and bring the ball up.' Even at 6-10, he has tremendous ball-handling skills.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Graves is a younger brother to former LSU men's basketball player Marshall Graves and to current Auburn women's player Amoura Graves.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Graves joins Chris Lockett from Newman (2023) and Solomon Washington from Carver (2022) as recent Mr. Basketball selections from the New Orleans metro area.</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: Chris Lockett, Newman<br>2024: [player_tooltip player_id='1480391' first='Allen' last='Graves'], Ponchatoula</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->