Smith Claims 2026 JTV Boys Basketball ‘Player of the Year’

JTV Sports

Tuesday March 24th

(3-24-2026, 6:01PM): It was a historic season for both boys and girls basketball in our area, with two state champions from Jackson County and both winning it all for the first time in school history. This 2025-26 season was also filled with individual achievements and milestones. Below is the full list of JTV’s 2026 boys basketball honors including the dream team, first team, second team, and honorable mention:

‘Player of the Year’: Jett Smith – Senior, Concord HS

Jett Smith’s individual performances throughout the Yellowjackets playoff run helped tab him as JTV’s boys basketball player of the year for 2026. Smith, along with teammate Connor Stevens, surpassed 1,000 career points including a 35-point performance in that game. Smith also scored 35 points in Concord’s district final win and 25 points (including 15 in the first quarter) in their regional final win.

Dream Team

Jayden Watson – Michigan Center

Roe DeDeaux – Northwest

Connor Stevens – Concord

Berkley Drummond – Jackson

Ashton Callan – Lumen Christi

Berkley Drummond was one of the leaders for the Jackson Vikings historic season. Drummond helped lead Jackson to their first district title since 2012, hit a game-winning layup against Chelsea live on JTV, and claimed a share of the SEC-White conference title alongside the conference’s ‘Coach of the Year’ in Phil Thompson.

First Team

Roman DeRose – Leslie

Dallas Higelmire – Springport

Tre Collins – Michigan Center

Jaiden Ramirez – Jackson

Grant Johnson – Manchester

Jayden Watson was named to JTV’s first team. Watson was a double-double machine and helped lead Michigan Center to a district title, knocking off Adrian and only falling to powerhouse Lansing Sexton by just three points in the regional semifinal.

Second Team

Caleb Blonde – Jonesville

David Munro – Columbia Central

Brodey Bially – Hanover-Horton

Jonathan Morgan – Lumen Christi

Jake Kregel – Springport

David Munro was one of the leaders for the Columbia Central Golden Eagles this season, as CC won its first conference title since 1983.

Honorable Mention

Nolan Schiel – Columbia Central

Travis Collins – Michigan Center

Broden Burgess – Lumen Christi

Markese Williams – Northwest

Tre Pierce – Jackson

Darrell Dean Jr. – Concord

Alex Oliver – JPEC

Dennis Graham – Northwest

Brody Baum – Springport

KJ Oliver – East Jackson

Tyler Nall – Napoleon

This year’s list was tabulated by JTV Sports Announcer & Producer David Rice plus JTV Sports staff. Congratulations to all of this year’s honorees and their accomplishments this season. Follow us on social media @jtv.sports and @jtvjackson along with our Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok as we begin our spring sports coverage on April 6th.