2A All-State Boys Basketball Performers (pt. 4)

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This is the last group of all-state performers from the 2A classification.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Colt Barrett (Poyen 2026 6'7" SF)</strong>- Like Bo Batchelor, Colt Barrett is a great athlete who had a phenomenal season with Poyen. Barrett is mostly known for his abilities on the gridiron as he is Poyen's quarterback and has received offers to play college football from McPherson College, Arkansas-Monticello, Minnesota North College Vermillion, and Hendrix College. On the hardwood, Barrett had some solid performances, including a 17-point outing in late January and a 14-point outing in the 2A-8 district title. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2731188' first='Jude' last='Roberts'] (Woodlawn 2026 6'1" PG)</strong>- The 2-time all-conference player averaged 24 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 5 assists per game this past season. He had several top-notch scoring games throughout the year, starting with a 45-point night against Smackover in late November. Roberts had multiple other solid offensive outings, especially in January. He had 30 points and 6 rebounds versus Hampton and 25 points and 5 assists against Fordyce.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Cameron Mattingly (Ouachita 2025 6'1" SG)</strong>- Mattingly hit 1,000 career points, which was no surprise after he had multiple strong performances throughout the year. He had 20 points against Arkadelphia in November and then 15 points versus Parkers Chapel in early December. In the middle of the conference slate, Mattingly put up 21 points against Mineral Springs. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Keilin Ellison (Fordyce 2025 6'0" G)</strong>- Outside of being a solid wide receiver for the Red Bugs, Ellison has had some great moments in his basketball career. He has hit 1,000 career points and had 31 points in the 2A-8 district title game against Poyen.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Jamartez Stroud (Fordyce 2027 5'10" G)</strong>- Like several other players in this classification who were selected as all-state performers, Jamartez Stroud is an exceptional football player. He picked up an offer from Sacramento State and was all-state and all-conference on the field this past year. He was also an all-Arkansas underclassman, but regarding his play on the court, he had a great performance in the playoffs against Mount Vernon-Enola, where he posted 21 points.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/deondre-smith/"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2411183' first='Deondre' last='Smith']</strong></a>- Smith is another player who surpassed the 1,000-point mark this year, which earned him an offer from Ecclesia College. He had some incredible outings, starting with a 32-point game versus Lakeside in December. He then put up 28 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals in late January, about two weeks before dropping 32 points on 8 threes and 4 dunks against Magnet Cove. [player_tooltip player_id='2411183' first='Deondre' last='Smith'] is an elite athlete who should be hearing from more schools very soon.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Shanka Larry (Junction City 2025 5'8" PG)</strong>- Junction City had a pair of great senior guards, starting with Shanka Larry. He averaged 18.2 points, 3.1 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 2.4 steals per game while shooting 38% from beyond the arc. He had some notable performances during Junction City's conference schedule, including a strong outing against Gurdon, where he had 27 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals. He shot a lights-out 8/14 from the 3-point line in that game. Against Quitman in the state tournament, Larry posted 21 points against a solid Bulldog team.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Taylen Owens (Junction City 2025 6'3" G)</strong>- Like Larry, Taylen Owens had some strong performances in Junction City's conference slate, including a 15-point, 4-rebound, 4-assist, and 2-steal evening against Fordyce. After averaging 8.4 points, 3.9 assists, and 2.8 steals per contest this season, Owens was named to the all-conference 2nd team in addition to being all-state. Perhaps even better, though, Owens committed to play football at Louisiana Christian. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Caden Dixon (Murfreesboro 2025 5'11" G)</strong>- Caden Dixon was fantastic in Murfreesboro's conference matchups. He had 23 points against Dierks and then 20 points against Spring Hill. In early February against Caddo Hills, he put up 32 points. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>James Silva (Murfreesboro 2025 6'2" C)</strong>- Murfreesboro had a great 2024-25 season, finishing with an 18-6 overall record and an 8-2 record in league play. James Silva, the Rattlers' 6'2" center, was a major part of their great season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Wyatt Pittman (Caddo Hills 2025 6'1" SG)</strong>- Caddo Hills had a great season, sporting a 21-11 overall record. Their success this past year was primarily on the backs of Wyatt Pittman and Colton Francis. In a game in late January, Pittman and Francis combined for 40 points, cementing themselves as a dynamic duo.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Colton Francis (Caddo Hills 2027)</strong>- As I mentioned before, Pittman and Francis were a great duo. Colton Francis averaged 19.2 points, 6 rebounds, 1.1 assists, and 2.3 steals per game during his freshman season, so being an all-state performer as a sophomore is no surprise.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Landen Young (Dierks 2025 6'6" C)</strong>- Dierks had an 8-6 conference season, featuring serious length to help them have a successful year. Landen Young was a major part of their solid play in the conference slate, especially with his 6'6" frame.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Bentley Gigerick (Cutter-Morning Star 2027 6'3" F)</strong>- Gigerick averaged 15 points per game during his sophomore season with Cutter-Morning Star. He had some solid outings during the conference slate, putting up 21 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 assists versus Spring Hill. In another game against Spring Hill, he had 22 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 steals.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>John Hooper (Cutter-Morning Star 2027 5'8" PG)</strong>- John Hooper also averaged double-digit points per game for Cutter-Morning Star this season. He put up 12 points per contest during the year while also being an all-around threat. He had 15 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists during a game in January, displaying that all-around talent.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Maverick Mills (Spring Hill 2025 6'1" PF)</strong>- Spring Hill's star had a fantastic season, and the fans down in Hope got to see him go for multiple 20+ scoring outings. He was the SWARK.Today player of the week during the week of December 11th after putting up 28 points on Bismarck, which included 26 points in the first half of that game. He was the SWARK.Today player of the week for a second time in February after a 29-point performance against Bradley.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->