Brandon Miller headlines 2022 Mr. and Miss Basketball award winners
MURFREESBORO – Brandon Miller has unfinished business.
He'll hold off on celebrating being the first recipient of the TSSAA's Class 4A Mr. Basketball award from Cane Ridge on Monday until what he hopes is at the end of the week
"It's definitely a big honor, but similar to (the award), Cane Ridge has never won a state championship," Miller said. "Our goal is to to win a state championship here on Saturday."
Six Mr. Basketball and six Miss Basketball winners were named during an awards ceremony at Middle Tennessee State's Murphy Center — also site of the TSSAA BlueCross Boys Basketball State Championships from Tuesday-Saturday.
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Miller, a 6-foot-9 forward and the No. 1 player in Tennessee according to the 247Sports Composite, was the 4A winner after averaging 25.7 points and 7.8 rebounds a game for the Ravens, who open their state tournament run against Bearden at 4:30 p.m. (CT).
The TSSAA announced its Mr. and Miss Basketball winners on Monday at Middle Tennessee State's Murphy Center. The award is a regular season honor based on their performance from the 2021-2022 school year. Academics and character were also taken into consideration. A statewide committee of sports writers selected the finalists and winners.
Miller is one of three Mr. Basketball award recipients playing this week. JaKobi Gillespie led Greeneville to the Class 3A tournament and Class 1A repeat winner Grant Strong has Clay County in the 1A quarterfinals.
Strong was one of three repeat winners, joining Class 2A Miss Basketball Karly Weathers of Loretto and Ensworth's Jaloni Cambridge in Division II-AA.
"It's great and all, but I really wish this would have went to my sister," said Cambridge, referring to senior Kennedy Cambridge, who also was a finalist for the award. "I'm taking this in honor of her.
"At the end of the day, we wanted to win it for each other."
In Division II-AA, Chandler Jackson won his first Mr. Basketball after leading the Purple Wave to an undefeated season and state championship.
"I crossed off all the boxes I had as far as goals this season after sitting down with my coach and dad," said Jackson, a Florida State signee. "I told them what I wanted to do. I've accomplished all of the goals. I got everything."
Jennifer Sullivan and Brooklyn Crouch can also go away knowing they accomplished everything they wanted to do their senior years.
Sullivan and Crouch each helped lead their teams to state championships on Saturday with Sullivan helping Bearden to a Class 4A championship and Crouch guiding Upperman to the 3A title.
"It's unreal," Sullivan said. "I want to say I didn't think it could get any better. But this just caps it off."
Here are the TSSAA 2022 Mr. and Miss Basketball award winners.
Division II
Class A
Girls: Olivia Lee, Trinity Christian
Boys: Tyler Byrd, Tipton-Rosemark
Class AA
Girls: Jaloni Cambridge, Ensworth
Boys: Chandler Jackson, Christian Brothers
Division I
Class 1A
Girls: Savannah Davis, McKenzie
Boys: Grant Strong, Clay County
Class 2A
Girls: Karly Weathers, Loretto
Boys: Gus Davenport, Cannon County
Class 3A
Girls: Brooklyn Crouch, Upperman
Boys: Ja'Kobi Gillespie, Greeneville
Class 4A
Girls: Jennifer Sullivan, Bearden
Boys: Brandon Miller, Cane Ridge
Reach Tom Kreager at 615-259-8089 or tkreager@tennessean.com and on Twitter @Kreager.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: TSSAA Mr. and Miss Basketball awards" Brandon Miller wins Class 4A award
