FORT MYERS, Fla. — The high school basketball season is officially over in Southwest Florida. However, there were plenty of sneakers squeaking and fans cheering at Bishop Verot High School on Friday night. The reason for those noises was the SFABC All-Star Game.

The event is run by the Southwest Florida Association of Basketball Coaches. Friday night was the 24th edition of the annual showcase. It features the area’s best high school seniors on both the girls and boys sides. The girls played first, followed by the boys.

“We’re just going out there to have fun and put on for the folks that are coming around,” Charlotte High School’s John Gamble said.

The athletes are selected by the area’s head coaches. They get together multiple times throughout the season to go over which players are deserving of the all-star title. The coaches then vote and the teams are then separated by north versus south.

“There’s a lot of other seniors that could’ve been picked for this, but they picked a select few because we have some talents that they want to see,” Gamble said.

The top vote-getter in those meetings is named Southwest Florida’s Mr. Basketball. This year, Gateway Charter’s Jahmari Johnson received the honor.

“It’s special because I earned it — I worked for it,” Johnson said. “Not only just my individual success but my team’s success has proven it.”

In total, 16 schools were represented in the boy’s all-star game Friday night. Barron Collier and Immokalee led the way with three selections each.

The game provides the players with a unique opportunity — instead of playing against each other, they got to play with each other.

“We always have friendly competition, so it’s always a great battle,” Gamble said. “Then you get to team up with them and have fun sometimes.”

Friday night was the final opportunity for Southwest Florida’s best hoopers to show off their talents and celebrate their high school careers.

“It’s their kind of curtain call,” Bishop Verot Head Coach and SFABC President Matt Herting said. “A lot of them, it’s their last time going out. So it’s really one last time without everything on the line. It’s competitive, but it’s for fun. A lot of hugs at the end — a few tears with the guys. It’s really special.”

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