By BAKER ELLIS / Sports Editor 

MONTGOMERY – The Alabama Sports Writers Association crowned J.O. Johnson’s John Petty Mr. Basketball on April 6, beating out Spain Park’s Austin Wiley and Madison Academy’s Joshua Langford. In what many speculated would be a two-man race between Langford and Petty, in the end, it was the junior Wiley who gave Petty the closest call. Petty won the award with 84 points, including 12 first-place votes, while Wiley came in second for the award with 74 points, including one first-place vote.

Both Wiley and Pelham’s Alex Reese were named to the Alabama Super 5 team, or the top five vote-getters regardless of classification. The Super 5 team consisted of Petty, Wiley, Langford, Woodlawn’s Javien Williams and Reese. Reese was the fifth member of the Super 5 team with seven total points.

Wiley was also named the 7A Player of the Year, winning the award over Kalin Johnson of Gadsden City and Tevin Brown of Fairhope. Williams was named the 6A Player of the Year over Reese, who came in second in the 6A voting, beating out Reginald Todd of Blount.

Both Reese and Wiley are juniors along with Petty, and the three will headline an incredibly talented 2017 class next season. Wiley averaged 21.7 points, 12.1 rebounds and 2.9 blocks per game as a junior while leading Spain Park to the 7A Final Four while Reese averaged 25.4 points, the most of any player in the county, to go along with 10.9 boards and two blocks per game as he led Pelham to just the Panthers’ second-ever Sweet Sixteen appearance.