This year’s Premier Preps Presented By Mississippi Power boys basketball team features numerous standouts from across East Mississippi.

All 11 players made the All-Region teams in their respective MHSAA divisions, and Quitman’s Chris Keys Jr. represented the Panthers on the Classes 4-6A roster in the Mississippi Association of Coaches’ North-South All-Star Basketball Game. Here are a few other facts about the 2020 squad:

3 — Number of repeat Premier Preps appearances: The 2019 boys team featured eight seniors, and all three juniors who made the squad a year ago returned to the 2020 team. Union’s J.T. Vance, Meridian’s Makeem Roberts and Neshoba Central’s Jacob McMillan were back to represent their schools, and they plan on doing so at the next level as well. McMillan signed with East Central, Roberts is drawing interest from East Mississippi and Jones College while Vance is also being recruited but is still uncommitted. 

10 — Number of area teams represented: Talent was spread throughout East Mississippi, and Meridian High School was the only local team to have two players make the 2020 squad. Other teams represented include Quitman, Choctaw Central, Kemper County, Union, Southeast Lauderdale, Neshoba Central, Northeast Lauderdale, Philadelphia and Newton.

8 — Number of guards: Basketball has become a guard-oriented game of late, and this year’s Premier Preps boys team features eight guards. Philadelphia’s Jordan Hill, Northeast Lauderdale’s Dennis Heidelberg, Neshoba Central’s Jacob McMillan, Southeast Lauderdale’s Demondre Graham, Meridian’s Kyler Yarbrough and Makeem Roberts, Kemper County’s James Granger and Choctaw Central’s Octavious Jones are all listed as guards. Quitman’s Chris Keys Jr., Union’s J.T. Vance and Newton’s Kedrick Osby are listed as forwards.

9 — Number of upperclassmen on the team: Coaches love the leadership juniors and seniors often provide, and this year’s Premier Preps squad was mostly filled out by upperclassmen. The team’s X seniors were Meridian’s Makeem Roberts and Kyler Yarbrough, Union’s J.T. Vance, Neshoba Central’s Jacob McMillan, Northeast Lauderdale’s Dennis Heidelberg and Philadelphia’s Jordan Hill. The 11th graders were Quitman’s Chris Keys Jr., Choctaw Central’s Octavious Jones and Kemper County’s James Granger.

17.4 — Average points per game scored: The best defense is a good defense, but it doesn’t hurt if you can score, too. All 11 selections on the 2020 team averaged double digits scoring, and combined they all averaged 17.4 per contest. Leading the way was Kemper County’s James Granger, who had 24.6 points per game, followed closely by Quitman’s Chris Keys Jr., who tallied 24 points per contest.

Demondre Graham, Freshman, Guard, Southeast Lauderdale

Why he’s here: After starting 26 out of 30 games for the Tigers this past season, Graham finished second in scoring on the team, tallying 13.2 points, 4.6 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.7 steals per game to help Southeast Lauderdale to a 20-10 record, a Region 5-3A Tournament championship and a berth in the second round of the Class 3A playoffs. He was named first-team All-Region and is being recruited by Southern Miss.

Kedrick Osby, Freshman, Forward, Newton

Why he’s here: An All-Region 6-2A selection, Osby finished the season with 15 points and eight rebounds per game for the Tigers, helping Newton earn a berth in the MHSAA Class 2A playoffs. 

James Granger, Junior, Guard, Kemper County

Why he’s here: In 28 games played, Granger scored 24.6 points per contest and tallied 5.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists and two steals per game to help Kemper County finish 22-9 overall and 11-1 in Region 5-3A. Granger was named first-team All-Region, first-team defensive  All-Region, Region 5-3A Most Valuable Player and Kemper County’s MVP.

Octavious Jones, Junior, Guard, Choctaw Central

Why he’s here: Despite missing some time due to an injury, Jones proved to be one of the Warriors’ most valuable players during a season in which Choctaw Central finished 22-11, won the MHSAA Region 4-4A Tournament and made it to the second round of the Class 4A postseason. He tallied 15.6 points per contest, six rebounds per contest, three assists per contest and 1.6 steals per contest in 23 games played.

Makeem Roberts, Senior, Guard, Meridian

Why he’s here: An All-Region 5-6A selection, Roberts was one of 10 seniors on the Wildcats’ roster that helped them to a 23-6 record, a Region 5-6A Tournament championship and a berth in the second round of the MHSAA Class 6A postseason. He tallied 11 points, eight rebounds and three assists per game. Though he’s currently uncommitted, Roberts is drawing interest from East Mississippi Community College and Jones College.

Dennis Heidelberg, Senior, Guard, Northeast Lauderdale

Why he’s here: Heidelberg was the leading scorer in Region 4-4A as he tallied 18 points per game for the Trojans this past season along with five rebounds and 2.5 steals per contest, earning him All-Region 4-4A honors. He tallied a career-high of 35 points versus Class 5A powerhouse Laurel and also scored more than 27 points in four games this season.

Chris Keys Jr., Junior, Forward, Quitman

Why he’s here: Keys played a critical role for the Panthers this past season as they finished 25-7 and made it to the third round of the MHSAA Class 4A basketball playoffs. He finished with 24 points per game, 8.5 rebounds per game, four assists per game, 2.5 steals per game and 2.5 blocks per game. Keys was also named offensive player of the year in Region 5-4A.

J.T. Vance, Senior, Forward, Union

Why he’s here: Vance had another dominant season for the Yellowjackets as he tallied 22 point and eight rebounds per contest to help Union to a 20-8 record. Vance was named to the All-Region 6-2A team and the All-Region 6-2A Tournament team. He is drawing interest from schools but is currently uncommitted. Vance is a repeat selection to the Premier Preps team for the Yellowjackets. 

Jordan Hill, Senior, Guard, Philadelphia

Why he’s here: Hill played a big part in a strong season for Philadelphia as he helped the Tornadoes to a 24-6 overall record, a Region 6-2A championship and a berth in the third round of the MHSAA Class 2A postseason. He tallied 18.9 points, seven rebounds, 4.5 assists and four steals per game and was also 73% from the free-throw line, earning him an All-Region selection.

Jacob McMillan, Senior, Guard, Neshoba Central

Why he’s here: A returning Premier Preps selection, McMillan finished with 15 points per game for the Rockets and was an All-Region 3-5A selection for the third year in a row. A member of the Rockets’ 2017 MHSAA Class 5A state runner-up squad, McMillan will continue his basketball career at East Central Community College along with his twin brother, Coby McMillan.

Kyler Yarbrough, Senior, Guard, Meridian

Why he’s here: An All-Region 5-6A selection, Yarbrough was one of 10 seniors on the Wildcats’ roster that helped them to a 23-6 record, a Region 5-6A Tournament championship and a berth in the second round of the MHSAA Class 6A postseason. Roberts had 14 points per game and three rebounds per contest. He is committed to Itawamba Community College.