Red Bay’s Khalil Luster named ASWA Class 2A Player of the Year

Much like his jump shots on the basketball court, the accolades continue to fall for Red Bay High School sophomore Khalil Luster.

At the Renaissance Hotel and Convention Center in Montgomery on Tuesday, the two-time All-State selection received yet another award recognizing his standout ability: the Alabama Sports Writers Association (ASWA) declared Luster the Class 2A Player of the Year, making him the first Tiger in boys’ basketball program history to earn so distinguished an honor.

“It means a lot,” Luster told the Franklin Free Press. “It means a lot to me because it shows that my hard work is paying off. And it means a lot because my parents have dedicated a lot of time and money supporting me and helping me get to where I am now.”

Both Luster and his head coach at Red Bay, John Torisky, said that there was a little bit of initial “shock”—the good kind of surprise—when the award winner was announced, but Torisky was quick to express his belief in Luster’s worthiness.

“Going into the season, me and my coaching staff knew that Khalil was one of the best players in the state. That was clear just from how he progressed from last year to this year,” Torisky said. “As the season went on he really came into his own. About halfway through the season, probably about December, he had some really big games and from then on it was like, ‘how good can he be?’

“The best part of his game is probably that he’s so efficient in everything he does,” he added. “He plays within the system and he scores all of his points within the system. When he scores it’s not from selfish shots or from doing his own thing to pad his stats. He’s an unselfish teammate, and I’m just really proud of the way he plays and really happy that he’s getting rewarded for it.”

Torisky’s praise for his star sophomore wasn’t limited to his physical abilities. The Tigers’ head coach said Luster plays with a focus and maturity beyond his years.

“Khalil does a great job of really locking in,” he said. “It seems to me, when I watch him play, he does a really good job of handling pressure and controlling his nerves, which for younger kids can be very challenging.

“He’s very level-headed,” Torisky added. “There’s a difference in him from a lot of other 16-year-olds that I see play, and a lot of that has to do with his maturity. I think that’s what makes him so tough out there on the court because he just doesn’t get rattled like a lot of other players do.”

As a freshman during the 2024-25 season, Luster’s star was already on the rise. In addition to aiding his team to another area title and regional berth, he finished that season averaging a double-double with 17 points-per-game and 12 rebounds-per-game and was tapped for the ASWA Class 2A All-State Second Team.

This past campaign, Luster took his game to an even higher level. Scoring 25 or more points in a game nine times during the regular season, the forward finished with an average of 22 points- and 11 rebounds-per-game. The big man was also proficient from beyond the arch, hitting over 40 three-pointers. Luster’s production earned him another All-State selection, this time on the First Team.

Luster’s individual effort during the 2025-26 season helped his team achieve a lot of its preseason goals: the Tigers secured an eighth-straight area title, won a Northwest Regional championship, and clinched a berth in the AHSAA Class 2A Final Four. Unfortunately for the Tigers, they ultimately fell short in their pursuit for a Blue Map, losing to LaFayette late in the semifinals, 34-32.

Only a little while after winning one of the top individual prizes in the state, Luster’s thoughts began to drift back to that other prize—the team trophy that has thus far alluded him and the RBHS boys’ basketball program.

“After we got done (at the awards banquet) we started talking about the next thing and the first words out of his mouth were about winning a state championship,” Torisky said. “That just goes to show what a team player he is and where his priorities are. I think he’d trade 2A Player of the Year for a state championship, to be honest with you. But now that he’s got that, I know his main goal is to help Red Bay win a state championship and whatever individual accolades that come with that, he’ll take.”

But what’s better than one championship, Coach? How about two?

“I hope to win a state championship the next two years,” Luster said. “I’d take one, for sure, but our goal is to win two, and I think we can do it.”

“We have great players, great coaches, and I think as long as we keep growing as a team, we’ll be fine and I believe we can get there,” he added.

As Torisky once told this reporter, “basketball is a crazy game,” so we’ll hold off on any title predictions here. But if we are making predictions, this one seems a safe bet: Khalil Luster, with two years remaining in his Red Bay career, has got a lot left to show us.

“Khalil is a tremendous player,” Torisky said. “I truly don’t know what his ceiling is, but I know that as long as his priorities are in line with the team and the program, which they are, and as long as he keeps working as hard as he does, he’s going to achieve a lot more and receive all the recognition he deserves.”