Meet the finalists for SBLive's 2022-23 Texas Class 6A girls basketball Player of the Year
After four months of regular season play and seven rounds of postseason, it's time to recognize the top high school basketball stars in Texas in 2022-23.
SBLive has selected finalists for our Class 1A-6A and Private School Player of the Year awards to be chosen by the fans.
First we took a look at the private school (TAPPS) boys and girls finalists, then Class 6A boys, Class 5A boys, Class 4A boys, Class 3A boys and Class 2A.
Next up? Here are the nine finalists for the Class 6A Texas girls basketball player of the year:
(Editor's note: Players are listed in alphabetical order)
6A state player of the year: Meet the finalists
Salese “BoBo” Blow, Plano Sr. SG/PG
Blow’s performance for Plano earned herself the title of offensive player of the year in District 6-6A. The future Texas Longhorn averaged 32.8 points per game in her senior season, and joined the 2,000 point club to become the all-time leading scorer at Plano High.
Rian Forestier, San Antonio Brandeis Jr. PG/SG
The 5-foot-11 junior sparked an impressive run for Brandeis high school. Forestier averaged 24.8 points a game with 12.5 rebounds per game to help the Broncos make the playoffs before falling to Cibolo Steele in the first round.
Rylee Grays, Pearland Sr. PF/C
Grays played in 39 games as a senior, leading Pearland to the semifinals before falling to DeSoto. She averaged a double-double all season with 16.6 points per game and 10.7 rebounds per game. She will play her college ball at North Carolina.
Amarachi Kimpson, Little Elm Sr. SG/PG
Kimpson helped Little Elm reach the regional tournament before falling to Coppell and Julianna LaMendola. She led her team in total points (722), total rebounds (152), and total steals (110). She is committed to play her college ball at UNLV.
Julianna “Jules” LaMendola, Coppell Sr. SG
The Indiana commit led her school to its first state tournament in school history, and earned Gatorade player of the year in the state of Texas. At 6-foot-1, she averaged 17.4 points per game and 9.2 rebounds per game.
Kylie Marshall, Mansfield Lake Ridge Sr. PF/C
Marshall joined the 2,000 point club as a senior and became Lake Ridge’s most prolific scorer in school history with 2,017 despite missing large portions of her freshman and sophomore years. The Texas A&M commit led her team three rounds deep before falling to DeSoto.
Kierra Merchant, Spring Westfield Sr. SG
The 5-foot-10 guard played well on both ends of the floor as a senior. The future Houston Cougar had an astonishing 26.5 points per game and 11.2 rebounds with 7.4 of those averaged on defense. She led Spring Westfield to a perfect 14-0 district record before falling in the second round.
Aysia Proctor, Schertz Clemens Sr. G/SF
The UTSA commit had a stellar final year, scoring 761 total points, 213 total rebounds and 117 steals in a season that saw Schertz Clemens fall to eventual state champion San Antonio Clark. Despite finishing fourth in district and being an early exit, Proctor made a big splash for her team.
Arianna Roberson, San Antonio Clark Jr. C/PF
Roberson put on quite the performance in the state championship, scoring 24 points with 15 rebounds to give San Antonio Clark its first state title. The six-foot-four junior comes from a family of athletes, including NBA veteran Andre Roberson.
