Meet the 2023 AL.com Coastal Alabama girls basketball team
Alabama signee Naomi Jones of Jackson headlines the 2023 AL.com Coastal Alabama girls basketball team.
Jones, a three-time first-team All-State selection, was named Coastal Alabama Player of the Year after leading the Aggies to the Class 4A South Regional final.
RELATED: ASWA All-State girls team
RELATED: All-Coastal boys team
Foley, a Class 7A final four team, also had a good showing. The Lions garnered the Coach of the Year and the Newcomer of the Year awards and had two other players on the top three teams.
The Coastal Alabama team is compiled through voting from area coaches, AL.com staff insights and opinions of experts in the area. It includes players from Mobile and Baldwin Counties as well as the four counties that border Mobile and Baldwin (Escambia, Monroe, Clarke and Washington).
The squad includes a first, second and third team along with honorable mention selections. The Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year are also considered first-team selections.
Here is this year’s team:
THIRD TEAM
La’Merrica Johnson
School: Daphne
Height: 5-foot-11
Class: Junior
Position: Forward
The skinny: Johnson helped the Trojans to the Central Regional, averaging 13 points and 7.6 rebounds per game. She also had 80 steals. She was a third team Class 7A all-state selection.
Zykerria Ross
School: Blount
Height: 5-foot-7
Class: Senior
Position: Guard
The skinny: Ross averaged 13.1 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.9 assists for the 17-9 Leopards.
Ashuantee Hobbs
School: Foley
Height: 5-foot-5
Class: Junior
Position: Guard
The skinny: Hobbs helped power the Lions to the Class 7A final four. She averaged 10.7 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game. She also had 99 steals.
Chauncey Dixon
School: Leroy
Height: 6-foot-2
Class: Sophomore
Position: Center
The skinny: Dixon averaged a double-double with 20.5 points and 11 rebounds for Leroy. She also had 58 steals, 44 blocks and was a Class 1A second-team all-state selection.
Kennedy Vines
School: LeFlore
Height: 5-foot-3
Class: Senior
Position: Guard
The skinny: Vines averaged 15.9 points a game for the Rattlers this season.
SECOND TEAM
UMS-Wright’s Noel Freeman (40) controls the ball from Priceville’s Zoey Benson (33) during an AHSAA 4A semifinal game at BJCC’s Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Ala., Tues, Feb. 28, 2023. (Marvin Gentry | [email protected])
Noel Freeman
School: UMS-Wright
Height: 5-foot-10
Class: Junior
Position: Forward
The skinny: Despite missing multiple games due to injury, Freeman returned late in the season to help UMS to the final four and a 30-6 season. She averaged 12.2 points and 6.4 rebounds a game and had 44 steals. Freeman was a Class 4A second-team all-state selection.
SECOND TEAM
Mary G. Montgomery’s Ivy Klezmer drives to the basket during the Vikings game at Cottage Hill on Friday. (Helen Joyce | [email protected])
Ivy Klezmer
School: Mary G. Montgomery
Height: 5-foot-10
Class: Senior
Position: Forward
The skinny: Klezmer averaged 14.6 points, 6.9 rebounds and 3.6 assists in helping MGM to the South Regional semifinals. She finished with 63 steals for the season and surpassed the 1,000-point mark for her career. She was a Class 7A third-team all-state selection.
Faith Academy’s Kellyn Hunter dribbles down court during a prep girls basketball game, Thursday, January 26, 2023, in Mobile, Ala. (Scott Donaldson | al.com)Scott Donaldson/al.com
Kellyn Hunter
School: Faith Academy
Height: 5-foot-4
Class: Senior
Position: Guard
The skinny: A second-team Class 5A all-state selection, Hunter averaged 22 points and four rebounds a game. She also had 138 steals.
McGill’s Anna Reed McNeece guards the basket during the McGill vs Fairhope girls basketball game, Thursday, February 3, 2022, in Mobile, Ala. (Scott Donaldson | al.com)Scott Donaldson/al.com
Anna Reed McNeece
School: McGill-Toolen
Height: 6-foot
Class: Senior
Position: Guard/forward
The skinny: McNeece was a dominant presence in the low post for the Yellow Jackets. She averaged 12.6 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. She also had 66 steals and 51 blocks as McGill reached the Class 6A final four.
Davidson’s Jenice Adjessom works against Baker’s Jeslyn Kellum in the first half of a Girls 7A, Area 1 Basketball Tournament game Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2023, at Davidson in Mobile, Ala. (Mike Kittrell | [email protected])
Jenice Adjessom
School: Davidson
Height:
Class: Junior
Position: Guard
The skinny: Adjessom averaged 13.3 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.9 assists to help the Warriors to another Class 7A regional appearance. She was a third-team Class 7A All-state selection.
FIRST TEAM
McGill-Toolen’s Lindsey Cox works the ball down the court during an AHSAA Class 6A semifinal game at BJCC’s Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Ala., Wednesday, Mar. 1, 2023. (Vasha Hunt | [email protected])
Lindsey Cox
School: McGill-Toolen
Height: 5-foot-3
Class: Senior
Position: Guard
The skinny: Cox helped guide McGill-Toolen to its eighth final four appearance in nine years. She averaged 13 points, 2.5 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game and was a Class 6A second team all-state selection. Cox and Alma Bryant’s Madi-Marie Grayson are the only returning first-team player from the 2022 All-Coastal team.
Theodore’s Jazmyn Bigham drives to the basket during a prep girls basketball game, Friday, January 27, 2023, in Theodore, Ala. (Scott Donaldson | al.com)Scott Donaldson/al.com
Jazmyn Bigham
School: Theodore
Height: 5-foot-11
Class: Junior
Position: Center
The skinny: Bigham, a first-team Class 6A All-State selection, averaged 19.1 points and 10.9 rebounds a game for the Bobcats. She had 30 blocks and 15 steals as the team reached the South Regional final.
Alma Bryant’s Mari-Margret Grayson (5) and Madi-Marie Grayson (4) take a break in the action against MGM in the first half of a Girls 7A, Area 1 Basketball Tournament game Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2023, at Davidson in Mobile, Ala. (Mike Kittrell | [email protected])
Madi-Marie Grayson
School: Alma Bryant
Height: 6-foot
Class: Freshman
Position: Guard
The skinny: Grayson averaged 21.4 points and 5.4 rebounds for the Hurricanes. She also recorded 103 steals. She was a second-team Class 7A all-state selection.
Sparkman’s Nylaa Fuller and Foley’s Jestiny Dixon battle for the ball during an AHSAA Class 7A semifinal game at BJCC’s Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Ala., Thursday, Mar. 2, 2023. (Vasha Hunt | [email protected])
Jestiny Dixon
School: Foley
Height: 5-foot-8
Class: Senior
Position: Guard/forward
The skinny: Dixon helped the Lions to the Class 7A final four. She averaged 17.9 points and 7.9 rebounds per game. She also had 97 steals and was a second-team Class 7A All-State selection.
St. Paul’s Ella Vallas grabs the rebound during a prep girls basketball game, Thursday, January 26, 2023, in Mobile, Ala. (Scott Donaldson | al.com)Scott Donaldson/al.com
Ella Vallas
School: St. Paul’s
Height: 6-foot-2
Class: Senior
Position: Center
The skinny: A Class 5A second-team all-state selection, Vallas averaged a double-double of 18 points and 10.8 rebounds per game. She also had 31 blocks and 26 steals.
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Alabama’s Naomi Jones of Jackson grabs a rebound against Mississippi in the first half of the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Basketball Classic on Saturday, March 11, 2023, at the Mitchell Center in Mobile, Ala. (Mike Kittrell | [email protected])
Naomi Jones, Jackson
The 6-foot-3 center and Alabama commit led the Aggies to the South Regional final. A first-tea Class 4A all-state selection, Jones finished her senior year averaging a double-double with 12.8 points and 11 rebounds for Jackson. She also had 120 blocks and 51 steals.
She has been a first-team all-state selection for three straight years. As a junior, Jones averaged 15.4 points, 11 rebounds and 1.4 assists for the 24-4 Aggies. She also had 107 blocks. Jones also played in this year’s Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Classic.
Recent Coastal POTY winners
2023: Naomi Jones, Jackson
2022: Kelsey Thompson, Davidson
2021: Nya Valentine, McGill-Toolen
2020: Nya Valentine, McGill-Toolen
2019: Elsie Harris, B.C. Rain
2018: Daisha Bradford, LeFlore
2017: Unique Thompson, Faith Academy
2016: Japonica James, LeFlore
2015: Cierra Johnson, Blount
2014: Tyler Phelion, Blount
2013: Jasmine Rhodes, Faith Academy
2012: Jasmine Rhodes, Faith Academy
COACH OF THE YEAR
Foley’s Amiyah Carvin talks with coach Emily Flanigan during an AHSAA Class 7A semifinal game at BJCC’s Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Ala., Thursday, Mar. 2, 2023. (Vasha Hunt | [email protected])
Emily Flanigan, Foley
Flanigan led the Lions to the Class 7A final four. Her team finished 23-6. The Lions defeated rival Daphne 68-46 to win the Central Regional at Bill Harris Arena before ending the season with a loss to Sparkman in the state semifinals. It marked the first time a Foley basketball team – boys or girls – had reached the state semifinals.
“We did our best. We just came up short,” Flanigan said after the loss.
Flanigan is the second Foley coach to win the award in five years. Sally Jeter was named the 2019 Coach of the Year.
Recent Coastal Coaches of the Year
2023: Emily Flanigan, Foley
2022: Amanda Niehoff, St. Paul’s
2021: Brian Sexton, Gulf Shores
2020: Garreth Trawick, St. Luke’s
2019: Sally Jeter, Foley
2018: Ron Jackson, T.R. Miller
2017: Carla Berry, McGill-Toolen
2016: Darrell Walton, LeFlore
NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR
Foley’s Keiyonla Knight looks for a passing lane during an AHSAA Class 7A semifinal game at BJCC’s Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Ala., Thursday, Mar. 2, 2023. (Vasha Hunt | [email protected])
Kei Knight, Foley
Only a sophomore, Knight was a key piece of Foley’s final four run. She averaged 12.8 points, 8.9 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game and also had 90 steals. In the Central Regional final against rival Daphne, Knight scored a game-high 20 points. She added eight rebounds, four assists and a block.
Recent Newcomers of the Year
2023: Kei Knight, Foley
2022: Madi-Marie Grayson, Alma Bryant
2021: Jazmyn Bigham, Theodore (first year of award)
HONORABLE MENTION: Addison Luker, Daphne; Daysha Broughton, Mary G. Montgomery; Cooper Anderson, Fairhope; Cristyle Mauldin, Davidson; Donniya Torrey, Blount; Zy’Kheria Anderson, Murphy; Aniyah Anderson, Murphy; Keyonna Royal, Gulf Shores; Saije Taylor, LeFlore; Tori Passeau, St. Paul’s; Kiara Howard, Vigor; Jamyia Washington, Vigor; Ta’Myla Allen, Williamson; Missy Kate Smith, Bayside Academy; Brayley Weaver, Satsuma; Chloe Tarver, Satsuma; Samantha Kokoszka, St. Michael; Taylor Davidson, Cottage Hill; Dakota Freeman, Cottage Hill; Elle Roberts, Mobile Christian; Emily Claire Harbaugh, McGill-Toolen; Kate Miller, Spanish Fort; Jamaica Walker, Murphy; C’anna Betts, Escambia County; K.K. Robinson, St. Luke’s; Logan Stephenson, St. Luke’s; Camryn Waite, St. Luke’s; Maraya Fields, Spanish Fort; Amiah Matone, Saraland; Elizabeth Meador, UMS-Wright; Briana Stuckey, Flomaton;bTaniya Boykin, J.U. Blacksher; Tymiah Burroughs, Washington County.