Orchard Lake St. Mary’s senior and this year’s Mr. Basketball winner Trey McKenney was picked as the Michigan Sports Writers Division 1 Player of the Year, leading the panel’s All-State selections.

A hand injury that forced him to miss a portion of the action after the turn of the calendar wasn’t enough to keep the Michigan commit from securing another top honor, a testament to his achievements in the games that he otherwise played, and often starred in.

Following a junior season in which he averaged 22.8 points, 10.1 rebounds and 3.3 assists to help lead his team to a Division 1 state title, McKenney, also selected to play in this year’s McDonald’s All-American Game, essentially replicated those numbers (21.7 ppg, 10.3 rpg, 3 apg) to help take the Eaglets back to the Breslin Center and a semifinals appearance.

The Michigan commit consistently put up big numbers against marquee opponents throughout the course of the year, often times on remarkably efficient shooting. Highlights included a 37-point performance against an IMG Academy (FL) team loaded with future D1 players, as well as a double-double of 22 points and 10 boards in the final against Detroit U-D Jesuit to lead the Eaglets to a CHSL Tournament Championship.

Following his game against IMG in which he suffered the injury, St. Mary’s head coach Todd Covert said of McKenney, “That’s why he’s one of the best players to play in the state of Michigan, ever. I was telling (Michigan head coach Dusty) May before the game, ‘This moment’s not too big for him.’ When the lights come on in this type of environment, he’s at his best.”

The 6-foot-5 guard finished his career at St. Mary’s as the program’s all-time leading scorer, high esteem for one which has claimed 24 regional titles and multiple state championships.

Oxford senior Jake Champagne joined McKenney as a first-team selection. He averaged 25 points and seven rebounds for the Wildcats (21-2), who won their first 18 games of the year.

Champagne, who helped the Wildcats win the OAA White, already became the school’s all-time leading scorer with 1,591 points, but added to his place in history by breaking the school’s single-game scoring record with 45 points in a late season win over rival Lake Orion. That outburst facing the Dragons was part of a four-game streak in which he averaged 35 points.

When asked how he improved from a junior year during which he averaged 21 points, Oxford head coach Joe Fedorinchik said, “I think he has a lot of trust in his teammates. He’ll give the ball up, make the extra pass this year. He’s much more physical. He’s a football player, and I love that he’s a football player — he was an all-league receiver — and you can see that football toughness come out in him.”

Second-team picks from the area included Brother Rice junior Greg Grays, and a pair of seniors in Kobe Menyweathers from Waterford Mott and Josh Gibson of Birmingham Groves.

Grays, who transferred following a sensational start to his prep career at Farmington, averaged 16.2 ppg (48.7 FG%, 38.2 3FG%) during his first year in Bloomfield Hills. Among his better outings, Grays scored 21 points in 66-64 win over CHSL rival St. Mary’s, and in a signature performance, Grays scored 12 points (and a game-high 27 overall) in the final 47 seconds of the Warriors’ 64-61 win for a district title against Groves.

Menyweathers was picked as the Lakes Valley Conference Player of the Year for the second year in a row to conclude his career at Mott. The athletic guard, who hit 1,000 career points in January, averaged 17.3 points, 6.3 assists, 4.9 rebounds, and 2.9 steals for the Corsairs. He helped the Corsairs go 22-4 overall, including 14-2 in the LVC, with their only losses coming in overtime. Those 22 wins represented a school record for Mott.

Gibson’s team was halted by the Warriors in the district final, a fact that should by no means overshadow what was one of the best seasons by an individual in the county. The 6-foot-2 senior guard averaged 21 points (60 FG%, 41% 3FGs, 85% FTs) to help Groves win its first-ever OAA Red league title. Gibson, who knocked down an average of over three 3-pointers per contest, had big scoring nights that included dropping 34 points against D1 state finalist Wayne Memorial, 26 against regional finalist Warren De La Salle and 22 points (five 3FGs) in the district championship loss to Brother Rice. He leaves as Groves’ all-time leading scorer (1,417 points) and 3-point leader (227 3FGs).

Ray Mitchell of East Lansing was picked as D1 Coach of the Year, and a pair of his players, Cameron Hutson and KJ Torbert, were also picked amongst the first team after the Trojans won a state title.