40 players named to the 34th Annual Free Press All-State Boys Basketball Team

For the 34th consecutive year, the Free Press sports department has once again scoured the state for its premier high school boys basketball players, contacting coaches and media from one end of Vermont to the other to craft what we hope is a squad representing the best the state has to offer.

And as always, the task in whittling the list down to first and second teams, plus a batch of honorable mentions, never gets any easier. At the end of the day it remains a subjective process, but one we undertake with great pride and care.

Congratulations to the 40 players named to the Free Press boys basketball all-state team and to Rice senior forward Drew Bessette, who was named Mr. Basketball last week.

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THE FIRST TEAM

Tyler Bergmans, South Burlington High School

Senior, forward

• The player: Reaching 1,000 career points this winter, Bergmans demanded double teams and was a "workhorse" on both ends of the floor. Bergmans averaged 19.9 points and 8.5 rebounds a game before an injury late in the regular season cost him a playoff appearance. He'll continue his career at UMaine-Farmington.

• Coach Sol Bayer-Pacht on Bergmans: "What makes Tyler so great, he was just a really tough guy to guard 1-on-1. He sacrificed his body and gave everything he had. He was super-efficient and got to the foul line — a throwback, old-school guy."

Drew Bessette, Rice Memorial High School

Senior, forward

• The player: Selfless in his approach to team basketball, Bessette deferred at times in Rice's march to the Division I championship. Bessette also elevated his game when needed, dropping a career-high 36 points in a key win over St. Johnsbury. The UVM-bound and BFP Mr. Basketball award winner averaged 16.2 points, 7.7 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.5 blocks per game.

• Coach Paul Pecor on Bessette: "The biggest thing with Drew, he's the ultimate team guy and not into personal stats. All he wanted to do was win a state championship and that says a lot of about him and his character."

More: 'Dangerous offensive player': Unselfish Rice leader is the Free Press' Mr. Basketball

Harry Geng, St. Johnsbury Academy

Senior, guard

• The player: The Metro Division player of the year overcame an array of defenses — face-guarding, multiple defenders, zones — to lead the state's top league in scoring as a three-level threat. The lefty Geng, who's headed to St. Michael's College on scholarship, averaged 23.9 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.5 rebounds and 2.4 steals a game. His lowest single-game output this season was 12 points.

• Coach Patrick Rainville on Geng: "His strength was his ability to score just about anywhere on the floor. His stamina and his ability to endure over the course of the game was pretty impressive."

Abdi Sharif, Rice Memorial High School

Junior, guard

• The player: A creative and skilled shotmaker who also excels on the defensive end, Sharif blossomed in his junior season. His 23-point performance in the D-I title game secured Rice's fourth D-I crown in five seasons. He averaged 14.3 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game this winter.

• Coach Paul Pecor on Sharif: "He was heading in this direction (of a breakout season). He can change the game on both ends. He can create his own shot when our offense stagnants."

Tucker Tharpe, Champlain Valley Union High School

Senior, forward

• The player: Remarkably reliable on both ends of the floor, Tharpe anchored CVU's fifth straight D-I Final Four appearance following the program's first state title last winter. The RPI-bound Tharpe averaged 15.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and 1.0 steals per game while making 65% of his field-goal attempts.

• Coach Mike Osborne on Tharpe: "He's the best defensive player I've coached at CVU by a large margin. He came with purpose (in practice) to get better and held teammates to the same standard. And that value over the last four years in our program was significant."

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THE SECOND TEAM

Freddie Bacon, Colchester High School

Sophomore, guard

• The player: The composed, high-scoring Bacon became an emotional leader with an expanded role in his second season running the show. Bacon had eight games of at least 25 points, including a career-high 41 points vs. St. Johnsbury, and averaged 22.6 points per game. He also shot 40% on 3s and 82% at the foul line. Bacon will head to prep school Northfield Mount Hermon in Massachusetts in the fall to continue his academic and basketball career.

• Coach Joe Maheux on Bacon: "He's pretty special, a once-in-a-generation player. He can finish, make shots, he takes care of the basketball and he was one of our best defenders."

Carson Cody, Montpelier High School

Junior, guard

• The player: A three-year starter and the Solons' leading scorer this winter on the program's march to a fourth straight D-II title, Cody can score at all three levels and turned into a good distributor. Cody, who had a game-high 17 points in the title game, averaged 19.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.6 steals per game. He also made 39.8.% of his 3-pointers and shot 83.3% at the foul line.

• Coach Nick Foster on Cody: "Most of our opponents’ scouting report would begin with Carson. He’s been dynamic offensively and he shows up in the biggest games."

Kyle Eaton, Champlain Valley Union High School

Senior, guard

• The player: With one of the quickest releases, the undersized Eaton remained one of Vermont's best shooters this winter. Eaton also stepped into the full-time role as starting point guard. He averaged 13.1 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.1 assists per game, while draining 37% of his shots from beyond the 3-point line and 88% at the foul line.

• Coach Mike Osborne on Eaton: "Kyle is a baller, he’s living, thinking and dreaming (basketball). He had a knack of stepping up in the bigger games. I can't think of a practice that he missed in four years."

Owen Eaton, Rice Memorial High School

Junior, guard

• The player: The leading scorer on Rice's championship squad, Eaton produced big nights in bunches thanks to an unlimited range and a green light from the coaching staff. Also a skilled defender with ups, Eaton averaged 16.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game this winter.

• Coach Paul Pecor on Eaton: "When he gets going, look out. I told him, 'We need you to keep shooting, it's just a matter of when you're going to get hot.' He has a ton of upside."

Xavier Hill, Hazen Union High School

Senior, guard

• The player: The player of the year for the Capital Division and the Times Argus newspaper, the 6-foot-3 Hill led Hazen's charge to a third straight D-III title game. An elite passer, Hill averaged 17.9 points. 9.3 rebounds, a school-mark 6.8 assists and 2.1 steals per game. He also shot 47% from the floor and 81% at the foul line.

• Coach Aaron Hill on Hill: "There was nobody who had to do more for their team than Xavier. He was a tremendously unselfish player who got everyone involved and made his teammates better."

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Deng Aguek, South Burlington, junior, guard

Khamis Ali, Burlington, junior, guard

Will Ameden, Burr and Burton, forward

Phil Bean, Fair Haven, junior, forward

Tobey Bellows, Harwood, senior, guard

Carter Bruzzese, Montpelier, junior, guard

Joe Buxton, Fair Haven, senior, guard

Haidin Chilafoux, North Country, junior, guard

Grant Cieplicki, Rice, junior, forward

Zach Davis, Colchester, senior, forward

Oakley Francis, Vergennes, senior, forward

Ian Funke, Mount Abraham, senior, forward

Johnathan Haskins, Brattleboro, senior, forward

Christian Hathorn, Hartford, senior, guard

Rex Hauser, St. Johnsbury, junior, forward

Will Hughes, BFA-St. Albans, senior, guard

Jerrick Jacobs, Richford, junior, guard

Noah Jenks, Windsor, sophomore, guard

Andrew Joncas, Danville, junior, guard

Musa Kasanga, Burlington, junior, guard

Dez Krakowka, Rutland, junior, forward

Atif Milak, Montpelier, junior, forward

Colby Morehouse, Champlain Valley, senior, guard/forward

Pascal Munezero, Burlington, freshman, guard

Mitchell Parkman, Thetford, senior, forward

Sam Parris, Winooski, senior, guard

Carter Thompson, Mount Anthony, senior, guard

Brayden Trombly, Hartford, senior, forward

Brody Tyburski, Hartford, senior, forward

Cellan Wood, Rutland, sophomore, guard

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Contact Abrami at aabrami@freepressmedia.com. Follow him on Twitter: @aabrami5

This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: Vermont H.S. boys basketball: Free Press All-State Boys Basketball