Brentwood Academy senior Darius Garland joined another exclusive club Tuesday night in Murfreesboro.
Just days removed from winning his TSSAA-record-tying fourth state championship, scoring career point No. 2,500 in the process, Garland became just the second player in state history to claim three consecutive Mr. Basketball awards, joining former Eagle Brandan Wright, who won three straight from 2004 to 2006.
“That hasn’t been on my mind, but it’s really a blessing,” Garland said. “I just want to thank my teammates and coach Hubie (Smith) for everything he put us through. The fourth state championship, that really meant a lot to us, and this is really cool, too.”
Garland, a five-star Vanderbilt signee who donned a black suit, white shirt and black and gold bow tie at Tuesday’s Mr. and Miss Basketball awards presentation, averaged 27.6 points per game on an impressive 59.7 percent shooting from the field.
“That was just a coincidence,” Garland said of his Commodore-themed garb. “I didn’t really think about it actually.”
