[AwardedBallerParticipant]

Miami Heat star LeBron James picked up his fourth MVP trophy Sunday.
Steve Mitchell, USA TODAY Sports
LeBron James was a no-brainer for MVP in the NBA, but what if we named an MVP for high school basketball?

Miami Heat star LeBron James picked up his fourth MVP trophy Sunday, receiving 120 of 121 first-place votes by league media members and analysts. New York Knicks star Carmelo Anthony was the only other first-place vote getter, prompting hoards of fans to insist that the “LeBron conspiracies” abound.

Truth is, they’re right… This time.

This year’s MVP race was clear-cut.

Anthony took the Knicks to the No. 2 seed in the East, which is admirable, but we watched James take an, at-best, average Cleveland Cavaliers team to the NBA Finals in 2007.

Talk about valuable.

It got me to thinking, though: What if we named an MVP for high school basketball? That’s far from being a no-brainer.

Huntington Prep (Huntington, W.Va.) wing Andrew Wiggins is widely regarded as the country’s best player, and even that’s debatable, but deciding which player is the most valuable is an even more impossible debate.

Take Wiggins, without him, the Express still have a roster full of Division I players to get the job done.

Then there’s Simeon (Chicago) forward Jabari Parker, who led the Wolverines to their fourth-straight state title this past season.

Parker makes a very strong case at MVP because he’s dangerous in so many ways on the court, some of which don’t show up on the stat sheet. Still, he plays with a handful of D-I players which weakens the argument for him to bring home the MVP hardware.

Given, it’s not Parker’s or Wiggins’ fault that they play on talented teams, it’s just that when competitive accolades are on the line, often times, it’s the smallest, most tedious details that make all the difference.

Keep in mind, we’re only talking about great players here.

Archbishop Mitty (San Jose, Calif.) forward Aaron Gordon makes a strong case because without him, Mitty would be, well, bad.

Still, he played all season and Mitty lost six games, plus they didn’t win the state title.

Remember one must be nit-picky when naming an MVP.

My pick?

Prestonwood Christian (Plano, Texas) forward Julius Randle.

The Lions went 9-19 without him and finished 6-0 with him. Randle returned from a broken foot injury just before the state tournament and dominated over the course of five games, averaging 28.8 points, 15 rebounds and four blocks. He upped that to 32.5 points and 15.5 in the state Final Four.

Need more? You shouldn’t, but OK; Randle only played at “around 60 percent,” according to his godfather Jeff Webster.

No, seriously.

Maybe the imaginary high school MVP isn’t as clear-cut as James, but it’s close.

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This is a very interesting and debatable topic, like it was said in the article this is MOST VALUABLE PLAYER not BEST PLAYER. I don’t have a clear cut favorite but my nominees would be.

SF Jabari Parker (Simeon)

SF Andrew Wiggins (Huntington)

PG Kasey Hill (Montverde)

PG Nigel Williams-Goss (Findlay Prep)

PF Aaron Gordon (Archbishop Mitty)

PF Julius Randle (Prestonwood Christian)

SG Keith Frazier (Dallas Kimball)

[he_gets_bucketsParticipant]

Nigel Williams Goss would be my pick

[fcb206Participant]

Mine too. Not nearly the NBA prospect that those other guys are, but Findlay Prep was unstoppable and he was the straw that stirred that drink. Looking forward to seeing if he can rejuvenate my Huskies and possibly save LoRo’s job.

[fcb206Participant]

Mine too. Not nearly the NBA prospect that those other guys are, but Findlay Prep was unstoppable and he was the straw that stirred that drink. Looking forward to seeing if he can rejuvenate my Huskies and possibly save LoRo’s job.

[he_gets_bucketsParticipant]

Nigel Williams Goss would be my pick

[BasketballJunkie224Participant]

I honestly think its Julius Randle. IMO hes just the perfect mix of a winner, junkyard dog, warrior etc. I just love his attitude and approach to the game. It actually reminds me a little bit like Lebron James(not the way he plays) but his whole ‘i will not be outdone’ attitude…..Wiggins Surely deserves it though as he is the most Talented player

[BasketballJunkie224Participant]

I honestly think its Julius Randle. IMO hes just the perfect mix of a winner, junkyard dog, warrior etc. I just love his attitude and approach to the game. It actually reminds me a little bit like Lebron James(not the way he plays) but his whole ‘i will not be outdone’ attitude…..Wiggins Surely deserves it though as he is the most Talented player

[TYOParticipant]

I’d probably go with Kasey Hill. I think he played on the best HS team in the nation & they won the NHSI tournament.

[OneAndDoneParticipant]

Kasey Hill is an excellent player but as much credit should go to Dakari Johnson for their teams success. He was incredibly consistent all year, and should garner some consideration for MVP.

[OneAndDoneParticipant]

Kasey Hill is an excellent player but as much credit should go to Dakari Johnson for their teams success. He was incredibly consistent all year, and should garner some consideration for MVP.

[TYOParticipant]

I’d probably go with Kasey Hill. I think he played on the best HS team in the nation & they won the NHSI tournament.

[Author]

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