WILMINGTON, N.C., June 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- In its
36th year of honoring the nation's most elite high
school athletes, Gatorade today announced Saniya Rivers of Eugene
Ashley High School in Wilmington,
N.C. is the 2020-21 Gatorade National Girls Basketball
Player of the Year. Rivers won the prestigious award for her
accomplishments on and off the court, joining an impressive group
of former Gatorade National Girls Basketball Player of the Year
winners who have combined for nine WNBA MVP awards, 49 All-Star
appearances, 14 WNBA championships, 14 WNBA first round draft picks
and two Hall of Famers.
WNBA MVP Elena Delle Donne virtually surprised Rivers with the
news, while her family, coaches and teammates showed up with the
trophy at school. Check out a video of the announcement here.
The award, which recognizes not only outstanding athletic
excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and
exemplary character demonstrated on and off the court,
distinguishes Rivers as the nation's best high school girls
basketball player. A national advisory panel comprised of
sport-specific experts and sports journalists helped select Rivers
from nearly half a million high school girls basketball players
nationwide.
Competition for the national award was fierce. Rivers topped the
list of state winners in girls basketball who collectively
boast an incredible list of accomplishments, including 11 repeat
Gatorade State Players of the Year, 35 with signed Letters of
Intent at Division I colleges and universities, and 17 with GPAs of
4.0 or higher.
"Saniya Rivers is one of the best
athletes to come out of high school in years," says Kevin Lynch, senior national talent evaluator
for BlueStar Basketball. "Her speed, quickness, size and leaping
ability makes her special from a matchup perspective. Her level of
intensity is second to none. Smart coaches recognize that a
player's position is who they can guard. Saniya is that rare player
who can not only play every position, but guard every position. Her
ceiling is, well, she has none."
The 6-foot-1 senior guard led the Screaming Eagles to a 15-2
record and the Class 4A semifinals this past season. The state's
two-time returning Gatorade Girls Basketball Player of the Year,
Rivers averaged 36.8 points, 11.5 rebounds, 5.3 steals and 5.1
assists per game. The North Carolina Basketball Coaches Association
Player of the year, she is a three-time All-State honoree and a
McDonald's All-American. Rivers was also selected to the WBCA High
School Coaches' All-America team and is ranked as the nation's No.
2 prospect in the Class of 2021 by Prospects
Nation.
Also a high-jumper for the track team, Rivers is a member of the
Ashley Leadership Council and a bible study group. She has
volunteered locally as an instructor and mentor for young players
at the MLK Center and the Brigade Boys and Girls Club. During the
pandemic, she regularly performed shopping duties for an elderly,
immunocompromised neighbor.
Rivers has maintained a 3.38 GPA in the classroom. She has
signed a National Letter of Intent to play basketball on
scholarship at the University of South
Carolina this fall.
"Saniya Rivers is an outstanding
high school basketball player, but she also has high standards for
academic achievement and gives back to her community," said
Gatorade Senior Vice President and General Manager Brett O'Brien. "This award is about more than
just sport and we look forward to seeing Saniya's continued
achievements on and off the court."
Each year a selection committee evaluates the nation's top
talent in the District of Columbia
and all 50 states, choosing national winners in 12 different
sports: football, girls volleyball, boys and girls cross country,
boys and girls basketball, baseball, softball, boys and girls
soccer, and boys and girls track and field.
Gatorade is dedicated to recognizing, supporting and keeping
athletes in the game because of the lifelong skills sports instill
on and off the field. Since the program's inception in 1985,
Gatorade Player of the Year award recipients have won hundreds of
professional and college championships, and many have also turned
into pillars in their communities, becoming coaches, business
owners and educators. Previous winners include a distinguished list
of athletes, such as Peyton Manning,
Abby Wambach, Jayson Tatum, Derek
Jeter, Elena Delle Donne and
many other sports icons.
To learn more about the Gatorade Player of the Year program,
check out past winners or to nominate student-athletes, visit
playeroftheyear.gatorade.com, on Facebook at
facebook.com/GatoradePOY or follow us on Twitter at
twitter.com/Gatorade.
PREVIOUS GATORADE
NATIONAL GIRLS BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE YEAR WINNERS
|
YEAR
|
NAME
|
HOMETOWN
|
STATUS
|
2019-20
|
Paige
Bueckers
|
Minnetonka,
MN
|
University of
Connecticut
|
2018-19
|
Azzi Fudd
|
Washington, D.
C.
|
High School
Senior
|
2017-18
|
Christyn
Williams
|
Little Rock,
AR
|
University of
Connecticut
|
2016-17
|
Megan
Walker
|
North Chesterfield,
VA
|
Phoenix
Mercury
|
2015-16
|
Erin Boley
|
Elizabethtown,
KY
|
Played for University
of Oregon
|
2014-15
|
Katie Lou
Samuelson
|
Santa Ana,
CA
|
Seattle
Storm
|
2013-14
|
Brianna
Turner
|
Manvel, TX
|
Phoenix
Mercury
|
2012-13
|
Mercedes
Russell
|
Springfield,
OR
|
Seattle
Storm
|
2011-12
|
Breanna
Stewart
|
Cicero, NY
|
Seattle
Storm
|
2010-11
|
Kaleena
Mosqueda-Lewis
|
Santa Ana,
CA
|
WNBA Free
Agent
|
2009-10
|
Chiney
Ogwumike
|
Cypress,
TX
|
Los Angeles
Sparks
|
2008-09
|
Skylar
Diggins-Smith
|
South Bend,
IN
|
Phoenix
Mercury
|
2007-08
|
Nneka
Ogwumike
|
Cypress,
TX
|
Los Angeles
Sparks
|
2006-07
|
Maya Moore
|
Suwanee,
GA
|
Minnesota
Lynx
|
2005-06
|
Tina
Charles
|
Middle Village,
NY
|
Washington
Mystics
|
2004-05
|
Abby Waner
|
Highlands Ranch,
CO
|
Retired from New York
Liberty
|
2003-04
|
Candace
Parker
|
Naperville,
IL
|
Chicago
Sky
|
2002-03
|
Candace
Parker
|
Naperville,
IL
|
Chicago
Sky
|
2001-02
|
Ann
Strother
|
Denver, CO
|
Retired from Atlanta
Dream
|
2000-01
|
Shyra Ely
|
Indianapolis,
IN
|
Retired from Indiana
Fever
|
1999-00
|
Shereka
Wright
|
Copperas Cove,
TX
|
Retired from Phoenix
Mercury
|
1998-99
|
Nicole
Kaczmarski
|
Lake Ronkonkoma,
NY
|
Retired from Los
Angeles Sparks
|
1997-98
|
Tamika
Williams
|
Dayton, OH
|
Retired from
Connecticut Sun
|
1996-97
|
Nikki
Teasley
|
Frederick,
MD
|
Retired from Detroit
Shock (now Dallas Wings)
|
1995-96
|
Jaime Walz
|
Ft. Thomas,
KY
|
Played for Western
Kentucky
|
1994-95
|
Stephanie
White
|
West Lebanon,
IN
|
Retired from Indiana
Fever
|
1993-94
|
Monick
Foote
|
Wilmington,
DE
|
Played for University
of Virginia
|
1992-93
|
La'Keshia
Frett
|
Hampton,
VA
|
Retired from New York
Liberty
|
1991-92
|
Katie
Smith
|
Logan, OH
|
Retired from New York
Liberty
|
1990-91
|
Michelle
Marciniak
|
Allentown,
PA
|
Retired from Seattle
Storm
|
1989-90
|
Lisa
Leslie
|
Inglewood,
CA
|
Retired from Los
Angeles Sparks
|
1988-89
|
Lisa
Harrison
|
Louisville,
KY
|
Retired from Phoenix
Mercury
|
1987-88
|
Vicki Hall
|
Indianapolis,
IN
|
Retired from Los
Angeles Sparks
|
1986-87
|
Kris
Durham
|
Scotch Plains,
NJ
|
Played for University
of Tennessee and Seton Hall
|
1985-86
|
Susan
Anderson
|
Deming, WA
|
Played for University
of Texas, Austin
|
About Gatorade
The Gatorade Company, a division of
PepsiCo (NASDAQ: PEP), meets the needs of consumers who participate
in Sports and Fitness, through brands that include Gatorade,
Propel, Muscle Milk, Evolve and Bolt24. The solutions they provide
are driven by a deep understanding of the unique needs and
occasions of different types of sports and fitness. Gatorade, their
marquee brand, is underpinned by more than 50-year history of
studying the best athletes in the world and sports-nutrition
research by the Gatorade Sport Science Institute, allowing it to
provide scientifically-formulated products that meet athletes'
needs both on and off the field. For more information and a full
list of products, please visit www.gatorade.com.
About PepsiCo
PepsiCo products are enjoyed by
consumers more than one billion times a day in more than 200
countries and territories around the world. PepsiCo generated more
than $70 billion in net revenue in
2020, driven by a complementary food and beverage portfolio that
includes Frito-Lay, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Quaker, Tropicana and
SodaStream. PepsiCo's product portfolio includes a wide range of
enjoyable foods and beverages, including 23 brands that generate
more than $1 billion each in
estimated annual retail sales.
Guiding PepsiCo is our vision to Be the Global Leader in
Convenient Foods and Beverages by Winning with Purpose. "Winning
with Purpose" reflects our ambition to win sustainably in the
marketplace and embed purpose into all aspects of our business
strategy and brands. For more information, visit
www.pepsico.com.
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SOURCE The Gatorade Company