In a season where several players had their moments of greatness, Osceola’s Luke McCrimon is the selection for the Osceola News-Gazette Boys Basketball Player of the Year.
“There was definitely more than one deserving candidate this year,” Osceola coach Steve Mason said. “Even though we took some losses early in the year, Luke was definitely one of those deserving candidates. When things were difficult, he was our most consistent player for us all season long and led us to the district championship.”
McCrimon led both the county and district in scoring at 18.4 points per game, and shot 37% from beyond the arc (36 of 97) and 50% overall.
Playing an extremely difficult schedule, Osceola was struggling but won their final two games of the regular season before knocking off Celebration, Poinciana and Harmony in one week to win the District 7A-6 title. Playing as the No. 8 regional seed, the Kowboys gave state runner-up Oak Ridge (27-4) all they wanted in the quarterfinals—staying within a few points for most of the game before falling off at the end, 8776. Overall, Osceola won five of their last six games.
Just a sophomore, McCrimon is a third-generation Kowboy hoopster. His grandfather and father (Paul Sr. and Paul Jr.) played for the Kowboys. His cousin Jimmy McCrimon was the starting point guard on the legendary 1983 undefeated state champion team (37-0) and Jimmy’s son (Luke’s second cousin) was the last sophomore named Osceola County Player of the Year.
The selection of McCrimon was not an easy one.
Alex Springs led Orange Belt Conference champs St. Cloud in scoring at 17.6 per game and, even though he played guard, also averaged five rebounds per game. A standout wide receiver on the football team known for precise route running and making acrobatic catches, it could be argued that Springs may be the best athlete in the county.
The junior led St. Cloud to new heights in basketball, as it posted its first winning season in more than two decades (197), won their first OBC title, finished second in districts and earned an at-large regional bid. In the playoffs, the Bulldogs put a scare into perennial state power Edgewater.
Joining McCrimon and Springs on the All-County team are their teammates: OHS’ Jordan Mundle, who averaged 13.6 points and 3.9 assists per game, and St. Cloud point guard Josiah Cotto (8.3 points per game, 4.0 assists per game).
Jordan Isaac and Hakeem Alvena helped Poinciana post a 15-7 record. They won the Kowboys Invitational and made it to the OBC conference championship game. Isaac averaged 16 points and five rebounds per game and Alvena chipped in 10 points and added seven rebounds.
Despite losing a ton of talent to graduation, Harmony had a surprisingly good year behind Vlad Torrado and Noah Tribe. Torrado (16.6 ppg) and Cotto (7.6 ppg, 3.5 assists). The Longhorns (216) posted a second consecutive 20-win season under Coach Duke Leonardo.
Rounding out the Osceola News Gazette’s All-County team were Tohopekaliga’s Alijah Hall and Gateway’s Yangel Malpica. Hall shot 50% from three-point range and averaged 15 points per game; while Malpica led Gateway with 8.3 points per game.
ONG All-County Second Team: Osceola’s Jordan Mason and Mason Fontaine; St. Cloud’s Malaki Baker and Diomar Ortiz; Harmony’s Jeremy Penner; Tohopekaliga’s Steve Almonte; Gateway’s Kyle McGregor; Celebration’s Jedaiah Sankitts; Poinciana’s Steve Bennett; and Liberty’s Genola Thermazier.
