This is an opinion piece.

The 2023 AHSAA basketball season is history.

Fourteen state champions were crowned last week in Birmingham after the completion of 42 games from Monday through Saturday at the BJCC’s Legacy Arena.

It would be impossible to sum up the whole week in one column, but to start with, here are a few themes that stuck out.

1. Youth movement

The young talent in the state of Alabama right now for basketball may be as good as it’s ever been.

The player of the week in my mind – boys or girls and in any classification – was Buckhorn freshman Caleb Holt. The 6-foot-5, 15-year-old powered the Bucks to the Class 6A state title.

In the semifinals, Holt scored 24 of his 33 points in the second half as Buckhorn rallied to beat a gritty McGill-Toolen team. He went 8-of-17 from the field and 16-of-19 from the free throw line, including hitting his first 13 free throws. He also had 14 rebounds and five steals.

It was pretty much the same story against perennial championship contender Mountain Brook in the final on Saturday. This time, Holt did more damage from the outside. He finished with 32 points and 15 rebounds in a 65-56 Buckhorn win.

McGill-Toolen coach Phillip Murphy called Holt a future pro. Mountain Brook coach Tyler Davis said he was a “generational talent.” He already holds offers from Auburn, Alabama, Georgia and Ole Miss, and I would expect the blue bloods of college basketball to be in the mix for him as well.

Saturday night’s Class 7A boys championship was a showcase of sensational sophomores. Hoover’s Salim London (34 points, six rebounds) and DeWayne Brown (24 points, 13 rebounds) led their team past Jacoby Hill (37 points, seven rebounds, three steals) and Central-Phenix City. Hill scored 32 points in a semifinal win over Spain Park.

On the girls side, seventh-grader Belle Hill led Mars Hill to the state title. That’s right, seventh grader. She scored 27 points in the Panthers’ championship win over Cold Springs.

Also, sophomore Ace Austin led Spring Garden to its eighth state title. She scored 33 points in her team’s 62-39 championship rout of Marion County.

There were plenty of other young players on display as well.

Let’s hope they all stay healthy and stay at their respective schools for the duration of their high school careers. They will be fun to watch for a long time.

2. North domination

This seems to be a reoccurring theme each year.

It’s the same in 2023.

The teams that came out of the Northwest and Northeast Regionals dominated the state tournament, winning a combined 10 of the 14 state titles.

Teams from the Central Regional, held this year at Bill Harris Arena in Birmingham, won four state titles. Teams from the South Regional, held at Garrett Coliseum, did not win a state title.

3. The perfect season

Only one AHSAA team (boys or girls) finished the 2022-2023 season with a perfect record.

That team was the Valley boys.

Cam’Ron Dooley scored 19 points – all in the second half – as the Rams defeated Charles Henderson 54-50 to win the Class 5A state title and finish 33-0.

The championship and the season were especially meaningful for several reasons. It was meaningful for coach Marshon Harper, a Valley graduate, and for the school itself, which is likely facing consolidation with another Chambers County school, LaFayette High.

4. Title streak

Hazel Green breezed through the Class 6A final four, beating McGill-Toolen by 27 points in the semifinals and Huffman by 13 in the final.

The Trojans’ sixth straight championship sets an AHSAA record for boys or girls.

“It’s never easy and this never gets old, getting to this point and getting a championship,” said Hazel Green coach Tim Miller. “I’m so proud of what these ladies had to go through this season with the injuries and all.”

The sixth title came despite losing a pair of starters to injuries late in the season. It marked the 10th overall title for Miller, who won three at Bob Jones and one at Jeff Davis before his current streak of six at Hazel Green.

5. A Hoover sweep

The only team to accomplish the rare sweep of boys and girls state titles was Hoover.

Krystle Johnson’s Bucs defeated Prattville and Sparkman to win their third straight girls title and ninth overall. Scott Ware’s boys team knocked off Dothan in the semifinals and Central-Phenix City in the final to win their first title since 2015.

The Bucs are just the eighth team in AHSAA history to pull of the basketball sweep and the first since Tanner did it in 2011.

“Our girls are used to this,” Ware said. “I guess I need to get some advice from her (coach Krystle Johnson). I guess you could say there is some pretty good basketball being played at Hoover.”

No doubt about that.

6. Broom vs. McCarty

One of the most anticipated matchups of the week came in the Class 4A final between No. 1-ranked Westminster Christian and No. 2-ranked and defending champion Jacksonville.

It also was a matchup of star players.

South Alabama signee John Broom for the Eagles. Junior forward and Mr. Basketball contender Chase McCarty for Westminster.

Broom and company won the final round, defeating Westminster 51-37.

Broom not only scored 20 points but also defended McCarty most of the night.

“He’s a great player,” Broom said. “D1 on D1 is what everyone wanted to see. I wanted to give the crowd what they wanted.”

Broom went 6-of-9 from the field and 8-of-9 from the free throw line. He had five rebounds, three steals and two assists. McCarty picked up two early fouls and fouled out late. He finished with 14 points and five rebounds.

Broom is scheduled to play on his future college court this Saturday as part of the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star doubleheader at South Alabama.

Ben Thomas is the high school sportswriter at AL.com. He has been named one of the 50 legends of the Alabama Sports Writers Association. Follow him on twitter at @BenThomasPreps or email him at [email protected]. He can be heard weekly on “Inside High School Sports” on SportsTalk 99.5 FM in Mobile or on the free IHeart Radio App at 2 p.m. Wednesdays.