FIRST TEAM
Antoine Allen
Lake Clifton
The 6-foot-3 senior swing player was the catalyst for a team that won Baltimore City and Class 3A North regional championships before falling in the state semifinals. With his spirited play, the guard-forward led the Lakers to a 25-2 record. After helping Lake Clifton win the Baltimore City championship by scoring 16 points in a 53-42 win over Douglass, Allen had a game-high 19 points in a 64-53 victory over Mervo in the 3A North final.
Allen averaged 16 points, eight rebounds, three assists and two steals for the Lakers. He is considering attending a prep school before playing in college.
C.J. Fair
City
A smooth sophomore swing player, Fair burst onto the scene to lead the No. 10 Knights (20-4) to a second straight 20-win season. Fair, 6 feet 7, gave City a threat on the perimeter as well as inside.
Displaying poise and confidence beyond his years, Fair teamed up with junior Adam Johnson to give the Knights a potent 1-2 punch. Fair often became the team's go-to guy and was consistent from game to game.
Fair, who was called up to the varsity at the end of his freshman season, made an immediate impact this season. With his long body and athleticism, Fair created and finished.
He averaged 20.3 points and six rebounds per game.
Troy Franklin
Mount Carmel
Franklin was the senior catalyst of the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association B Conference champion Cougars (25-3). He drove opposing defenses crazy with his ability to penetrate off the dribble, create and finish, as well as shoot pull-up jumpers and three-pointers.
The flashy 5-foot-10 guard's talent, quickness and court awareness were never more evident than in No. 7 Mount Carmel'ss 58-50 victory over St. Mary's in the B Conference final. Franklin, the Baltimore County Player of the Year, had 21 points, six assists, four steals and two blocked shots as the team won its second conference title in three years, going 68-20 in that span.
Franklin led the Cougars in scoring (17.9), assists (5.5) and steals (3.6), and averaged 3.6 rebounds. He finished his three-year varsity career with 1,311 points (believed to be a school record), 374 assists, 245 steals and 241 rebounds. He has signed with Towson University.
Brandon Greene
Towson Catholic
Greene, a senior and three-year starter, was a force in the paint, using his 6-foot-6 frame to grab rebounds and score. He led the No. 9 Owls (22-12) to the MIAA A Conference title.
His offensive presence near the basket opened things up for his teammates, and his defense earned him the Baltimore Catholic League Mark Amatucci Defensive Player of the Year award.
Greene showed his talents and strength in a 54-44 upset of then-No. 1 Mount St. Joseph in the A Conference final by scoring 13 points, grabbing 12 rebounds and blocking three shots.
Athletic and focused, Greene averaged 12.5 points, 10.5 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game. He shot 47 percent from the field and 78 percent from the free-throw line. Greene scored 1,016 career points and had 872 rebounds and 277 blocks in his three varsity seasons.
Greene is undecided on a college.
Isaiah Philmore
John Carroll
Philmore, a 6-foot-7 junior forward who has already received scholarship offers from a host of Division I schools, led the Patriots (20-12) to a fourth-place finish in their first season in the highly competitive MIAA A Conference and to their second straight 20-win season.
Despite 16 points, 11 rebounds, two steals and two blocks by Philmore, John Carroll lost, 72-54, to Mount St. Joseph in the A Conference semifinals.
With a repertoire of skills that figure to make him one of the nation's top power forward prospects for 2009 (he was ranked No. 24 by rivals.com), Philmore went from 15.9 points per game last season to 18.3. He shot better than 50 percent from the field and 72 percent on free throws, and he scored 29 points in a game three times.
He also averaged 10.1 rebounds (with a game-high of 18) and 1.8 assists.
Henry Sims
Mount St. Joseph
A repeat All-Metro center, the 6-foot-11 senior led the No. 3 Gaels (31-6) to regular-season titles in the Baltimore Catholic League and the MIAA A Conference and their second 30-win season in three years. With Sims leading the way, the Gaels held The Sun's No. 1 ranking most of the season until faltering in postseason tournaments.
Part of the reason the Gaels slipped late in the season was because Sims was slowed by a groin injury.
One of the highlights of his season for Sims was his 32-point, 10-rebound effort in a 73-70 loss to nationally ranked Oak Hill (Va.) Academy in the Hall of Fame Hoopball Classic in Springfield, Mass.
Sims, the BCL co-Player of the Year, led the Gaels in rebounding as a junior with 9.9 per game and raised that average to 10.6 this season. He also raised his scoring average from 11 points per game to 16.5 and his blocks from 2.5 to 4.1. Sims has signed with Georgetown.
Roscoe Smith
Walbrook
