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April 9, 2007 Although he's just a junior, Helen Cox center Greg Monroe is proving to be a basketball player with few peers.Inside Louisiana, make that a player with no peers. Monroe, a two-time All-State selection and the current Class 4A Player of the Year, has earned the 2007 Farm Bureau/Louisiana Sports Writers Association Mr. Basketball award, an honor singling out the 6-foot-10 junior as the state's top schoolboy player. Monroe is the 11th Mr. Basketball chosen by the LSWA and the first junior so honored. Monroe's selection gives the New Orleans area its second consecutive Mr. Basketball and third overall, with Monroe joining Reserve Christian's Demond Carter from 2006 and Salmen's Chris Duhon from 2000 as Crescent City area winners. "I'm a bit surprised,'' Monroe said. "Usually it goes to a senior. So, I'm just honored to be chosen. I know it's the top honor that you can receive in the state of Louisiana, so I'm very honored.'' Monroe's Mr. Basketball selection adds to the individual accolades earned by the 16-year-old from Gretna. He is regarded by at least one major recruiting service as the nation's top prospect for 2008, Monroe was named to the 51st Parade Magazine All-American team and was the Class 4A Player of the Year after making the LSWA's 4A team for the second straight year. Monroe made Parade's third team. He also is a two-time unanimous selection as Large Schools Metro Player of the Year by The Times Picayune. "Last year was my first year of real varsity play, so I feel like I've grown up a lot,'' Monroe said. "I also have to thank my teammates for helping me achieve all of these individual honors.'' Monroe averaged 19.4 points, 12.2 rebounds, 2.9 blocked shots and 1.9 assists as Cox (36-4) played some of the top competition in Louisiana and across the South, advancing to the regional round before losing to eventual state champion Peabody. Cox also went 8-0 en route to a second consecutive District 8-4A championship with Monroe adding new dimensions to his game as a passer, ball-handler and shooter. "Greg's abilities evolved this year to the point where we did not confine him to the post,'' Cox Coach Tyrone Mouzon said. "He's probably our best passer. He can handle the basketball. So when he gets a rebound he can bring the ball up. He can play inside and outside. We tried to take advantage of his skills. If he couldn't have done it, we wouldn't have tried to do it. But he's just a rare, gifted kid who can play all five positions.'' Monroe is also a standout in the classroom with a 3.4 grade-point-average in the honors curriculum. "I think I've progressed a lot from last year,'' said Monroe. "I think I raised my skill level a lot higher from last year. I've gotten more mature on the court and off of it as well. This year for me was about stepping up because we had some high expectations placed on us. We didn't achieve them all (the state championship). But we won some good tournaments. We won a second straight district championship. So that's a successful season for a lot of people.'' His focus, however, remains riveted on winning a state championship. "(Losing in the state playoffs) really hurt this time,'' Monroe said. "This year we were more focused. I wanted to win state, but (this season) was about more than just me wanting to win state. We wanted to win it for our seniors. We all have been playing together since the eighth grade. So it hurt not being able to achieve that goal. So it did hurt personally. I've got another year, but it hurt me more because I wasn't able to help my teammates achieve that goal. I would gladly trade all my individual honors for a state championship.'' Mr. Basketball Farm Bureau/Louisiana Sports Writers Association Mr. Basketball winners: 1996: Lester Earl, Glen Oaks 1997: Marcus Fizer, Arcadia 1998: Stromile Swift, Fair Park-Shreveport 1999: Bernard King, Gibsland-Coleman 2000: Chris Duhon, Salmen 2001: Donald Perry, McCall-Tallulah 2002: Darrel Mitchell Jr., St. Martinville 2003: Paul Millsap, Grambling Lab 2004: Glen Davis, University 2005: Tasmin Mitchell, Denham Springs 2006: Demond Carter, Reserve Christian 2007: Gregory Monroe, Helen Cox |
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