Making history is a surefire way to leave a mark.
And a pair of historymakers highlight the All-Stark County boys basketball honors.
Alliance senior JR Jackson is the 2026 Canton Repository Stark County Boys Basketball Player of the Year and Massillon’s Josh Hose is the Coach of the Year, as selected by the Repository’s sports staff.
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Stark County Boys Basketball Player of the Year | JR Jackson, Alliance
Jackson led the area in scoring at 19.7 points a game while helping Alliance to its first regional appearance in 43 years. The Aviators went 23-3 and won their second straight Eastern Buckeye Conference title.
In addition to the Repository’s Player of the Year, Jackson also earned POY awards from the EBC and the District 4 coaches association. The 6-foot lefty averaged 4.6 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.5 steals while shooting 48.5% from the floor, 34.5% from 3-point range and 87.3% from the foul line.
Jackson, a Walsh University recruit, scored 1,649 career points to rank second in Alliance history and fourth in Stark County history. Only 2014 Alliance grad J.J. Kukura (1,681), 1953 Waynesburg product LeRoy Thompson (1,746) and 1995 Jackson grad Jami Bosley (2,077) scored more points than Jackson in county boys basketball history.
Stark County Boys Basketball Coach of the Year | Josh Hose, Massillon
Hose guided Massillon to its first boys basketball state championship and just the 10th in county history. The Tigers went 27-1 overall and finished the season on a 24-game winning streak, capped by a 68-63 overtime win against defending state champion Westerville North in the Division II final.
Before this season, Massillon hadn’t reached the regional tournament since 2003, the state tournament since 1945 and the state final since 1937.
Hose, in his eighth season coaching his alma mater, is the state’s Division II Coach of the Year and the two-time Northeast Inland District Coach of the Year through the Ohio Prep Sports Media Association. Massillon is 46-6 the last two seasons.
Reach Josh at josh.weir@cantonrep.com
On X: @jweirREP
This article originally appeared on The Repository: 2026 Repository Stark County Boys Basketball Player, Coach of the Year
Reporting by Josh Weir, Canton Repository / The Repository
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