Boys basketball All-Stars 2014: Shaker Heights junior Esa Ahmad wins top award, plus see honorable mentions (videos, poll)

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Here are the 2014 cleveland.com boys basketball All-Stars, highlighted by Player of the Year Esa Ahmad from Shaker Heghts. See below for a feature on Ahmad, first-team player capsules, videos, a poll and honorable mentions.

Player of the Year: Esa Ahmad, Shaker Heights

Esa Ahmad was not going to sit out.

Despite a gash above his left eye that required a head bandage and stitches after the game, Ahmad was going to come back into the Feb. 11 game and lead Shaker Heights to a win over St. Edward.

After sitting out half of the second quarter, the junior returned and finished with a team-high 14 points in the 53-50 victory over the Eagles, who at the time were ranked as the No. 1 Division I team in the state by the Associated Press.

Although it wasn't his best or most dominant moment of the season, it showed Ahmad's grit and determination, which played a big role in his selection for cleveland.com’s Player of the Year for the 2013-2014 boys basketball season.

Here, Ahmad reflects on his life and notable high school career, as told to the Northeast Ohio Media Group.

The motto that I play by is: If you want to be successful, you have to want it as bad as your last breath. That's something coach Danny Young always tells us.

I've always played basketball. I would go to the gym with my dad and my brother when I was little. Then AAU started in fifth grade. That's when my mom and my dad saw that I could play. That's when I thought that I could play basketball. My seventh or eighth grade year I grew, and I took off from there.

My biggest role model is LeBron James. It's just the way he carries himself on and off the court, his demeanor and his personality. My favorite player from the '90s is Michael Jordan. He always had that killer instinct. He did not stop. He made sure his opponent was no more.

When I watch basketball on television, I pay attention to the style of play -- how they run an offense. I watch the coaching staff that they have. I try to look for the overall feel of the team.

My best game was against Ballard from Kentucky. It was just one of those games when I had it going. I was on the boards, and I was finding my teammates. That was a game I will remember.

The biggest moment for me was beating the No. 1 team in the state in St. Edward. It just showed our toughness as a team. It showed my toughness to come back from a head injury and play through it. That was a big game for us.

I learned from the regional semifinal loss to East Tech that as good as they said that we were, we still have room to improve. We really had a bad game, and we're just trying to work to make sure that doesn't happen again.

When you go to college, you have to make sure you are comfortable there. You have to make sure you can see yourself there for the next four years of your life. It's important to make sure that the coaching staff is like your second family. That's a big part of my decision.

My former teammate Terry Rozier has been big. I've seen what he's gone through with his recruiting before signing with Louisville. He stayed humble, and I just want to do the same thing.

Ahmad

PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Esa Ahmad

Shaker Heights

Forward, Jr.

Height, weight: 6-7, 220.

College: Undecided.

This season: Ahmad took his game to another level this season. He led Shaker Heights in points (26.5), rebounds (11.5), assists (3.5), blocks (2) and steals (2) per game. He was named Player of the Year for the Northeast Lakes District and Associated Press for Division I statewide. While Ahmad had plenty of big moments during the season, he was especially dominant in the district tournament. He had 32 points against Bedford and 37 points against Euclid to lead the Raiders to the district title.

Bragg

ALL-STARS

Carlton Bragg

Villa Angela-St. Joseph

Forward, Jr.

Height, weight: 6-9, 220.

College: Undecided.

This season: For the second straight season, Bragg was part of a Vikings team that made it all the way to the state title game. During that run, Bragg stood out in a district final against Warrensville Heights, in which he had 27 points, 13 rebounds and shot 14 of 17 from the foul line. Although he missed four games with a broken toe in February, Bragg was second on the Vikings in field goals made, points, rebounds and blocks. He finished the season with 18.7 points and 8.5 rebounds per game.

Parker

Brian Parker

Villa Angela-St. Joseph

Guard, Jr.

Height, weight: 6-2, 205.

College: Undecided.

This season: Parker did a little bit of everything for the Vikings this season, as he averaged 17.6 points, 6.4 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game. The junior plays bigger than his size indicates. Only 18 of his 527 points this season came from beyond the 3-point line. Parker added a lot of hardware to his shelves at home this season, as he was named Player of the Year for the Northeast Lakes District and Associated Press for Division III.

Nichols

Kipper Nichols

St. Edward

Forward, Jr.

Height, weight: 6-7, 200.

College: Undecided.

This season: It was a special postseason for Nichols, who helped lead St. Edward to its first state title since 1998. In the state semifinal and state final, Nichols shot a combined 20 of 27 from the field and had 51 points. He was named the top player in Division I at the state tournament and earned a spot on the Associated Press' All-Ohio First Team for Division I. For the season, he averaged 18.1 points and 5.9 rebounds per game, and that led the Eagles in both categories.

Spellman

Omari Spellman

North Royalton

Forward, Soph.

Height, weight: 6-8, 230.

College: Undecided.

This season: While Spellman was an immediate factor as a freshman, he was even better as a sophomore. He averaged 22 points and 9.8 rebounds per game, as the Bears lost just twice all season. The big difference was an improved outside shot. Spellman shot a team-best 43 percent from beyond the perimeter. It was all on display when he went against Ohio State signee Dave Bell and Garfield Heights on Dec. 17, as Spellman scored a season-high 40 points.

HONORABLE MENTION

Adam Asadorian, Olmsted Falls; Ryan Badowski, Brunswick; Marcus Bagley, Cleveland Heights; Tervell Beck, Central Catholic; Matt Beech, Stow; Eric Black, St. Ignatius; Alex Brown, Berea-Midpark; Anthony Christian, Archbishop Hoban; John Cirillo, Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin; Angelo Cugini, Cuyahoga Falls; John Davis III, Beachwood; C.J. Franklin, Warrensville Heights; Johnell Free, East Tech; Bryan Gee, Cornerstone Christian; Nolan Gerrity, Berea-Midpark; Yavari Hall, Warrensville Heights; Marsalis Hamilton, St. Edward; Chavez Harper, Euclid; Jalen Hudson, St. Vincent-St. Mary; Jimond Ivey, Glenville; Jalen Jackson, Warrensville Heights; Willie Jackson, Garfield Heights; Lawrynce Johnson, Holy Name; Brad Karn, Holy Name; VJ King, St. Vincent-St. Mary; Conner Krizancic, Mentor; Antwon Lillard, Central Catholic; Shawn McDonald, Lakewood; Vonte Montgomery, Garfield Heights; Dererk Pardon, Villa Angela-St. Joseph; Caleb Potter, Mentor; Zavier Powers, Lake Catholic; Craig Randall, Medina; Justin Robinson, Lake Catholic; Gavin Skelly, Westlake; KT Taylor, East Tech; Isaiah Walton, Elyria; Branden Wilkins, Medina; Cristen Wilson, John Hay; Colin Zucker, Gilmour.

Contact high school sports reporter David Cassilo by email (dcassilo@cleveland.com) or Twitter (@dcassilo). Or log in and leave a message in the comments section below.

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