Tag: Gatorade

Joyce Edwards named 2023-24 Gatorade National Girls Basketball Player of the Year

Joyce Edwards, a three-sport all-state player on Camden, has been named the 2023-24 Gatorade National Girls Basketball Player of the Year.

Last year, Joyce Edwards averaged 28.5 points and 13.6 rebounds per game in a 29-2 championship season while being named all-state in three sports and posting a 5.04 GPA. This year, she averaged an otherworldly 31.3 points as she led Camden (S.C.) girls basketball to another championship — and has been named the 2023-24 Gatorade National Girls Basketball Player of the Year for her performance.

WNBA All-Star Satou Sabally presented Edwards with the trophy on Thursday, the culmination of a dominant high school career for the South Carolina commit.

(Gatorade Player of the Year/Joe Greer)

Edwards isn’t simply one of the best scorers in the country. She is a true creator, also averaging 4.0 assists per game. She grabs boards as well as anyone, averaging 13.3 rebounds per game as a senior. And she’s a top-tier defender, averaging a whopping 4.5 blocks and 3.3 steals per game, leading a team that outscored opponents by an average margin of 39.6 points per game.

She’s nearly as dominant on the soccer pitch. Through just 10 games this season, Edwards has 26 goals and 13 assists, according to MaxPreps — more than three times as many points as her next-highest teammate. On the 26-5 volleyball team that fell in the championship to Wren (Piedmont, S.C.), Edwards had a team-high 215 kills.

Edwards got back at Wren in the basketball championship, posting 27 points as she outscored the entire Wren team in a 44-22 title victory.

The 6-foot-2 forward is listed as the No. 2 player in ESPN’s 2024 high school recruit ranking. She has averaged at least 20 points every season since the eighth grade, according to MaxPreps. Edwards committed to South Carolina in November, telling Just Women’s Sports that the decision was about both championships and academics.

“I knew I wanted to win as many national championships as possible, and Dawn really convinced me she can get me to that level,” Edwards told the outlet.

She also said Dawn Staley worked with the honors college at South Carolina to help Edwards be placed in the right program.

“She tried her hardest and found ways to do it so I can get both experiences for my academics and athletics,” Edwards said to Just Women’s Sports. “It was just how hard she worked to not give up (on me).”

(Gatorade Player of the Year/Joe Greer)

Paolo Banchero makes trip to deliver Gatorade NPOY award to Duke signee and projected No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg

Cooper Flagg joins prestigious club as he was named Gatorade National Player of the Year, and Duke great Paolo Banchero was there to give him the trophy.

The Brotherhood is genuine. People may not believe it, but Duke’s basketball brotherhood is authentic, and at this point, Duke has infiltrated basketball at all levels.

Former Blue Devil Paolo Banchero is in the midst of his second NBA season, and it’s been an exceptional year. He was named an All-Star for the first time and he’s led his Orlando Magic team into the playoff picture with a 42-29 record.

Before his days as the face of the Magic franchise, he spent a tremendous year in Durham as the face of Duke’s program during Coach K’s last season as head coach of the Blue Devils. While Duke came up short, losing to UNC in the Final Four, Banchero brought Duke to the national semifinals for the first time since 2015.

The mesmerizing, do-it-all power forward averaged 17.2 points and 7.8 rebounds as the focal point of their offensive attack. So it only makes sense that Banchero would pass that torch to the next do-it-all forward with a chance to be a No. 1 NBA draft pick.

Duke signee, the Class of 2024’s top overall recruit, and projected No. 1 draft pick in the 2025 NBA draft Cooper Flagg was named Gatorade Player of the Year on Wednesday, and Banchero was there to deliver the good news and the trophy to him.

It’s a full circle moment for Flagg, who grew up a Duke fan and is now months away from heading to Durham to write his chapter in the same way Banchero did.

Flagg, who was also named the Naismith High School Boys’ Player of the Year, led the No.1-ranked Montverde Academy to a 30-0 regular season record.

Like Banchero, Flagg is a dynamic forward capable of doing anything on the floor. The two differ mainly in the scoring department, where Banchero probably had a little more diversity in his ability to score the ball. Still, Flagg can pass, shoot, and dribble, and he is a better defender than Banchero was at this stage of his career.

Either way, Duke’s 2025 season will center on the newly minted Gatorade National Player of the Year’s ability to dominate on the basketball court. A Final Four trip like Banchero’s would be an incredible accomplishment for his likely one-year college career.

Duke commit Cooper Flagg named 2023-24 Gatorade National Boys Basketball Player of the Year

Cooper Flagg, the top prospect in high school, has been named the Gatorade National Boys Basketball Player of the Year.

Cooper Flagg, one of the best high school prospects of the decade and leader of the 31-0 Montverde Academy (Fla.) Eagles, was named the 2023-24 Gatorade National Boys Basketball Player of the Year on Wednesday.

The Duke commit received the award from former Blue Devil Paolo Banchero, a star on the Orlando Magic.

(Credit: Joe Greer)

“It’s just an incredible honor to be included in this list of players,” Flagg said to Yahoo Sports of the award that has been given to stars like LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and Jayson Tatum. “Just seeing how all the hard work is paying off and it just motivates me to keep getting better and better.”

Flagg is a 6-foot-9, 195-pound do-it-all wing who can score at all three levels, plus play elite defense with the size and speed to guard one through five and strength to block shots. He’s also a good passer, showing off his modern-day skill set at Montverde with averages of 16.1 points, 7.6 rebounds,3.9 assists, 2.7 blocks and 1.6 steals per game his senior season.

“I’ve gotten to know Cooper a little bit at Jayson’s camp,” Banchero said to the Orlando Sentinel. “It’s just been awesome following his journey, and to present him with an award like this, it’s dope for him and also myself.”

Montverde has been the clear-cut No. 1 team in the Super 25 all season long behind Flagg and a bevy of five-star talent around him. The Eagles are undefeated heading into the Chipotle tournament in early April, having taken down several of the next-best teams in the country.

Flagg reclassified from 2025 to 2024 in August, shortly after he dominated at the Nike EYBL Peach Jam, in which he averaged 25.4 points, 13.0 rebounds, 6.9 blocks, and 5.7 assists per game while posting a double-double in all seven games and recording three triple-doubles, all with points, rebounds, and blocks.

As the projected top pick of the 2025 class, he committed to Duke over UConn and Kansas. In an interview with SLAM Magazine, he talked about the decision:

“I think after I got on campus at Duke, I really started to feel it, to be honest,” he says. “That’s something the coaches definitely stressed to me, that once you get to campus, it’s something you have to feel. And [I knew then] I wanted to go to Duke and that’s where I wanted to play college basketball. What went into the decision, I mean, I was just looking for a coaching staff I was really comfortable with, but [also] a coach and staff that was really going to hold me accountable. Being on the visit, I got to see them in practice, and see how they were holding their guys accountable, and really pushing them to be better.

Montverde is prepping for the Chipotle Nationals basketball tournament, formerly known as the GEICO Nationals, but Flagg has one more trophy for his mantle before that begins:

He is the 2023-24 Gatorade National Boys Basketball Player of the Year.

(Credit: Joe Greer)

Daniel Simmons wins Gatorade National Boys Cross Country POY for 2nd year in a row

Daniel Simmons became just the third boys racer in high school to win the Gatorade National Cross Country Player of the Year award twice.

Daniel Simmons, who followed last year’s illustrious accolades with 10 victories and six course records this year, was named the 2023-24 Gatorade National Boys Cross Country Player of the Year on Monday, the second year in a row he took home the title.

Fellow two-time Gatorade National Player of the Year Grant Fisher came to American Fork High School High School (Utah) to surprise Simmons with the announcement.

“The Gatorade Player of the Year Program celebrates the nation’s top high school athletes for the impact they make on the field of play, as well as in the classroom and within their communities,” said Gatorade president and general manager Michael Del Pozzo. “Daniel has demonstrated that he has what it takes to serve as a role model for future generations in sport and beyond.”

This season, Simmons won 10 straight races, including the Utah Class 6A championship and the Nike Cross Southwest Regional Championship. In the Nike regional, he won by 10 seconds with a time of 14:41.13 in the three-mile time, the fastest in the nation, according to Gatorade.

He broke the 14:50 barrier five times and recorded the fastest three-mile time in the nation at the NXR and had the fastest 5K at 14:44.0. He broke the record of six different courses throughout the season.

Photo: Joe Greer via Gatorade

“Only the third two-time Gatorade National Boys Cross Country winner in program history, Simmons owns an amazing aerobic engine and the race-day tenacity that produced convincing victories against the nation’s top harriers last fall. Compiling a season’s racing resume like his in what many consider to be a Golden Age of interscholastic distance running is both rare and highly impressive.”

His only blemish was finishing 13th in the Nike Cross Nationals. After being ranked No. 1 on MileSplits rankings for the entire season, he finished below Nike champion Drew Griffith.

“I think it was a balanced season to have that,” Simmons said to MileSplit, “not perfect.”

Simmons, a BYU signee, has a 3.93 GPA entering the final semester of high school. He has volunteered at the local public library and reads to children during the weekly story hour. He also participates in community service initiatives through his church’s youth group.

He plans to run in his first semester at the university and then go on a mission with the LDS church, according to MileSplit.

Simmons is only the third runner to win two Gatorade National Boys Cross Country Player of the Year awards, according to the company. The others are Fisher, who won in 2013 and 2014, and Lukas Verzbicas, who won in 2009 and 2010, per MileSplit.

Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa donates equipment to Miami high school

Tua also played QB for a while as the team went through drills.

One of the rising stars in the NFL is Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who is coming off a breakout 2022 season. Despite having missed several games due to concussions, Tagovailoa still managed to total 3,548 passing yards, 25 touchdowns, and a league-best 105.5 passer rating.

Tua also led the league in touchdown percentage (6.3%) and yards per attempt (8.9) and posted some very impressive advanced stats, as well.

Even as he excels on the field, Tua is paying it forward off of it. Earlier this week Tagovailoa surprised students at Miami Edison High School (Fla.) by donating $65,000 worth of equipment and uniforms in partnership with Gatorade and their Equity in Sports initiative.

Tua also played QB for a while as the team went through drills. Afterward, he shared some wisdom with the young athletes, per the Palm Beach Post.

“The hardest thing is to be out here when everyone else isn’t… To do the hard, grind work. Do the things it takes to be great. Dream big. Work on your dream… Listen to the people that matter… Your grandparents. Your parents. Your uncles. Your aunties. Your big brother. Big sister. Do something big for your family.”

Here’s a video of Tagovailoa surprising the team.

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Miami (FL) gets surprise commitment from 5-star WR

Florida HS football star charged as adult in double shooting

Ransford Gyan named 2022-23 Gatorade National Boys Soccer Player of the Year

Gyan scored 20 goals and added 14 assists.

St. Benedict’s (NJ) junior middle fielder Ransford Gyan has been named the Gatorade National Boys Soccer Player of the Year for the 2022-23 season.

Gyan scored 20 goals total (including in 16 of his team’s 17 games) and added 14 assists, helping lead the Gray Bees to a 17-0 record and a Non-Public Prep A state championship.

J.R. Eskilson at PrepSoccer.com calls Gyan a brilliant attacker:

“With a dynamic burst and an unreal ability to keep the ball glued to his feet even while surrounded by defenders, he proved nearly uncontainable in leading his team to a perfect season. His humility enabled him to take his game to another level as a junior. A brilliant attacking talent, he’s already staked a claim as one of the most dangerous offensive players in high school soccer in recent memory.”

Off the field, Gyan has volunteered at a local food pantry and worked as a camp counselor and youth soccer coach while earning a 3.64 GPA.

Heading into his senior year, Prep Soccer has Gyan ranked as the No. 12 national prospect in the class of 2024.

Ransford, who is from Ghana, has not seen his family in over a year while competing in the U.S. He was surprised with the news while on a Zoom call with his mother, and his teammates and coaches showed up with the trophy at school.

Watch the full video:

https://youtube.com/shorts/LyWiqiCsM1g?feature=share

More Gatorade Player of the Year winners

Ava Brown wins Gatorade Softball Player of the Year

Max Clark wins Gatorade Baseball Player of the Year

Ava Brown wins 2022-23 Gatorade National Softball Player of the Year

As a pitcher, Brown went 27-0 this past season and posted a ludicrous 0.53 earned run average.

The winner of the 2022-23 Gatorade National Softball Player of the Year award is Ava Brown from Lake Creek High School (Texas). Brown was presented with the trophy in a surprise ceremony at her school with friends, family and teammates present.

After Brown led her team to a second-consecutive Conference 5A state championship, Gatorade says she won the honor over half a million other softball players across the nation.

“Brown beat out nearly half a million other student-athletes who play softball nationwide, topping the list of state winners in softball who collectively boast an incredible list of accomplishments, including 30 with signed National Letters of Intent to play softball at Division I colleges/universities and 27 with a GPA of 4.0 and above.”

As a pitcher, Brown went 27-0 this past season and posted a ludicrous 0.53 earned run average. She also struck out 292 hitters and gave up just 30 walks. Brown also plays first base and does wonders at the plate. In 2022 she hit .462 with nine home runs, 65 RBI and an a .888 slugging percentage. Through her entire high school career, Brown never lost a start as a pitcher, going 81-0 and totaling 830 strikeouts.

In the classroom, Brown posted a 3.55 GPA and she volunteers as a youth softball coach and works with the local Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

Extra Inning Softball has Brown ranked third in the 2023 class. She has signed her letter of intent for the Florida Gators.

Watch the full surprise video:

https://youtube.com/shorts/OeeW1Olgg6c?feature=share

More softball stories

USA TODAY Sports Super 25 softball rankings: Week 15

Watch: Outfielder saves home run, takes a mean fence shot

WATCH: Texans argue which Gatorade flavor is the best at OTAs

Some Houston Texans players past and present weighed in on which Gatorade flavor was the best at OTAs.

The Houston Texans got to the bottom of a fundamental issue during the third week of organized team activities.

Which flavor of Gatorade is the best?

The Texans’ media team released a video on its social media accounts getting the players’ responses.

Rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud answered with “lime green,” which could be either Lemon-Lime or Lime Cucumber.

Defensive end Jerry Hughes declared that the best flavor was “red,” which is known as Fruit Punch.

Texans Ring of Honor receiver Andre Johnson stated his favorite flavor was “orange,” which is actually Orange.

Michael Jordan’s favorite Gatorade flavor in the 1990s was “Citrus Cooler.”

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Max Clark named 2023 Gatorade National Baseball Player of the Year

Clark is ranked the No. 1 overall prospect in the country

Franklin Community High School (Ind.) center fielder Max Clark has been named the Gatorade National Baseball Player of the Year for the 2022-23 season. He was surprised with the award at school by family, teammates and coaches.

Clark won the honor despite facing some stiff competition both on the field and in the classroom, per a press release from Gatorade.

“Clark beat out nearly half a million other student-athletes who play baseball nationwide, topping the list of state winners in baseball who collectively boast an incredible list of accomplishments, including 39 with signed National Letters of Intent to play baseball at Division I colleges/universities and 35 with a GPA of 3.5 and above.”

(Courtesy of Gatorade)

The incredible numbers that Clark put up this season speak for themselves. He batted .646, hit six home runs, drove in 33 RBI and scored 45 runs himself. He also stole 35 bases and posted a ridiculous 1.215 slugging percentage, leading his team to the Indiana Class 4A sectional semifinals. Meanwhile, off the field Clark has a 3.97 GPA and has given his time to his church youth group and worked as a youth baseball coach.

According to Prep Baseball Report, Clark is ranked the No. 1 overall prospect in the country in the class of 2023. He is committed to playing for Vanderbilt at the college level.

Watch the full surprise video:

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/uSAufGnyHrw

More baseball stories

18 year-old baseball star may have been attacked by shark

Oregon HS softball team wins state title game without a hit

Alabama Softball’s Montana Fouts emotionally recaps her collegiate career

After WCWS elimination, Montana Fouts says, “I couldn’t have asked for a better place to spend my dream.”

The Alabama softball program has seen a lot of really extraordinary talents and players walk through their doors, but Montana Fouts stands alone as the greatest player in program history. Coming out of high school, Fouts was a three-time Gatorade Player of the Year winner in Kentucky. During college, she was the SEC Freshman of the Year, two-time second-team All-American (2019, 2022), and First-Team All-American (2021).

Heading into the Super Regionals and Women’s College World Series Fouts has been a bit dinged up with an injury she suffered during the SEC Tournament. However, Alabama lost their first game of the double-elimination WCWS to Tennessee and absolutely had to rely on their best player.

She delivered and pitched incredibly well on Friday as she threw 7.0 innings and surrendered only five hits and two runs. She gave the Tide a real chance to win, but her offense let her down as they were shut out in a 2-0 loss to Stanford.  This is the second year in a row Stanford has ended Alabama’s season.

After the game, which marked the conclusion of her collegiate journey, Fouts was understandably emotional reflecting on her career. Through the tears, she managed to respond back saying, “These people are my everything. I couldn’t have asked for a better place to spend my dream.”

It’s unfortunate she was never able to get the desired national championship career, but that doesn’t take anything away from a magical career for someone who inspired and was beloved by so many.

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