Meet The Clarion Ledger's Mississippi high school boys basketball Dandy Dozen
The Clarion-Ledger has released its annual Dandy Dozen, a collection of Mississippi's top high school boys basketball players heading into the 2023-24 season.
The Dandy Dozen is the newspaper's recruiting list. It is decided by conversations with basketball recruiting reporters, recruiting rankings, observations on the court and individual success.
The Clarion-Ledger's top 12 high school prospects are listed alphabetically.
Kameron Brown
Port Gibson | Senior
Guard | 6-foot-3
Brown averaged 25.3 points, 4.2 rebounds, 6.2 assists and 2.8 steals last season. Brown, a high-scoring combo guard, led Port Gibson to the MHSAA Class 3A elite eight last season and has been receiving some Division I interest and interest from Mississippi junior colleges.
Brewer Carruth
Parklane Academy | Senior
Forward | 6-4
Carruth averaged 20 points, seven rebounds, three assists and two steals last season. Carruth, a smooth scorer, has signed with Southern Miss.
Jeremiah "DJ" Davis
Oxford | Senior
Guard | 6-2
Davis averaged 20.1 points 7.5 rebounds, two assists and two steals. Davis, a high-scoring combo guard, is receiving some Division I interest and interest from Mississippi junior colleges.
Jamarion Davis-Fleming
Canton | Junior
Post | 6-8
Fleming averaged 13.5 points and 11 rebounds last season. Fleming is a highly regarded junior post who helped lead Canton to the MHSAA Class 5A semifinals. Look for Fleming to remain averaging a double-double.
Sam Funches
Germantown | Sophomore
Center | 6-10
The 6-foot-10 center averaged 17 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks last year. Funches is ranked top-10 nationally by the 247Sports Composite in the class of 2026 and is a constant participant at USA team camps. He holds offers from a number of Power-5 schools.
Tamarion Hoover
Yazoo City | Senior
Wing | 6-4
Hoover averaged 13.6 points, 7.3 rebounds and shot 37.3% from 3-point range. Hoover helped lead Yazoo City to the MHSAA 4A state title and to No. 1 in the final team rankings last season. He recently committed to Jackson State.
DeAndre Lewis
Canton | Junior
Forward | 6-5
Lewis averaged 16 points and seven rebounds last season. Lewis led Canton to the MHSAA 5A semifinals and holds an offer from Rider and from a number of other Division I schools.
Ashton Magee
Madison-Ridgeland Academy | Junior
Forward | 6-6
Magee averaged 10.2 points, 7.7 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.7 blocks. Magee was key for MRA last season as he helped lead the team to the MAIS Class 6A state title.
Dorian McMillian
Pascagoula | Senior
Guard | 6-3
McMillian averaged 15.9 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 2.1 steals last season. He is receiving recruiting interest from a number of Division I schools including Nicholls State, Murray State, New Orleans and Tennessee Tech.
Eric Paymon Jr.
Raymond | Senior
Forward | 6-8
The 6-foot-8 forward averaged 19.7 points, 8.8 rebounds, 4.2 assists and three blocks in 37 games last year. Paymon led Raymond to the MHSAA 4A state championship game. Paymon has received recruiting interest from Division I schools including North Carolina State, Mississippi State and Houston.
Kedrick Simmons
Booneville | Junior
Forward | 6-6
Simmons averaged 16.8 points, five rebounds, five assists, and shot 41% from 3-point range. Simmons led Booneville to the MHSAA 3A state title last season and is a two-time state champion. He is receiving recruiting interest from a number of upper-level Division I schools.
Avery Thomas Jr.
Terry | Senior
Forward | 6-7
Thomas averaged 12 points, seven rebounds, four assists, two steals and 1.5 blocks. Thomas is receiving recruiting interest from schools including Southern Mississippi, Tulane and New Orleans.
Michael Chavez covers high school sports, among others, for the Clarion-Ledger. Email him at mchavez@gannett.com or reach out to him on X, formerly Twitter @MikeSChavez.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Mississippi high school boys basketball Dandy Dozen from Clarion Ledger
