On Thursday, the three finalists for the Gatorade National Boys Basketball Player of the Year were announced. The top two players in the USA TODAY High School Sports Top 10 were among the finalists.
Last year, class of 2026 forward Cameron Boozer Jr. of Christopher Columbus (Miami, Florida) won the national award.
The three finalists for this year’s Gatorade National Boys Basketball Player of the Year are:
- Airious ‘Ace’ Bailey: The No. 1 player in the nation in the USA TODAY High School Sports Top 10. A 6-foot-8 forward from McEachern (Powder Springs, Georgia), Bailey is committed to Rutgers.
- Cooper Flagg: A Duke commit, Flagg is a 6-foot-9 forward at Montverde (Montverde, Florida). Flagg is the second-highest-ranked player in the USA TODAY HSS top 10 and is the Naismith Player of the Year.
- VJ Edgecombe: Ranked as the ninth-best player in the nation by USA TODAY HSS, Edgecombe is a guard from Long Island Lutheran (Glen Head, New York). He is heading to Baylor this summer.
The three finalists will also be named their state’s Gatorade player of the year.
Last week, the finalists for the Gatorade National Girls Basketball Player of the Year Award were announced.