MINNEAPOLIS, June 9, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- In its
36th year of honoring the nation's most elite high
school athletes, Gatorade today announced Chet Holmgren of Minnehaha Academy in
Minneapolis, Minn. is the 2020-21
Gatorade National Boys Basketball Player of the Year. Holmgren won
the prestigious award for his accomplishments on and off the court,
joining an impressive group of former Gatorade National Boys
Basketball Player of the Year winners who have combined for five
NBA MVPs awards, 76 All-Star appearances, 13 NBA championships, 27
NBA first round draft picks and two became Hall of Famers.
Jalen Suggs virtually surprised
Holmgren with the news, while his 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 Holmgren as the nation's best high school boys
basketball player. A national advisory panel comprised of
sport-specific experts and sports journalists helped select
Holmgren from nearly half a million high school basketball players
nationwide.
Competition for the national award was fierce. Holmgren topped
the list of state winners in boys basketball who collectively boast
an incredible list of accomplishments, including five returning
state Gatorade Players of the Year, 30 with signed National Letters
of Intent to play basketball at Division I colleges/universities
and 26 with a GPA of 3.5 and above.
"Chet Holmgren was the greatest
mismatch in the high school game this past season because of his
outside shooting, inside game and physical measurables," says ESPN
National Recruiting Director Paul
Biancardi. "At 7-foot-1 and owning an enormous wingspan,
he's a world-class shot blocker. He displays uncommon versatility
with his scoring ability, ball-handling, court mobility and
footwork. He's a tremendous teammate and a young man who is humble
and respectful, while still playing with an edge. His time at
Gonzaga should put him in contention to
be the No. 1 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft."
The 7-foot, 175-pound senior center led the Redhawks to a 20-1
record and the Class AAA state championship this past season.
Holmgren averaged 20.8 points, 12.6 rebounds, 4.7 blocks and 4.4
assists while connecting on 68.2 percent of his field-goal
attempts. A McDonald's All-American Game selection, Holmgren is the
2021 Naismith High School Trophy Player of the Year and the
nation's consensus No. 1 recruit in the Class of 2021, including in
the ESPN 100. He concluded his prep basketball career with 1,567
points, 964 rebounds and 456 blocked
shots.
A member of his school's Leadership Institute, a three-year
discipleship and leadership-training program, Holmgren has donated
his time to week-long tutoring and classroom-assistant duties at
local elementary schools as part of Minnehaha Academy's Cultural
Field Experience. He has also volunteered on behalf of the Frog
Town Boys and Girls Club and as a youth basketball instructor in
addition to participating in goodwill/mentorship visits to lower
school classrooms at his school.
Holmgren has maintained a 3.46 GPA in the classroom. He has
signed a national letter of intent to play basketball on
scholarship at Gonzaga University this
fall.
"We are recognizing Chet as the best high school boys basketball
player in the nation because of his dedication to performing on the
court, in the classroom and in the community," said Gatorade Senior
Vice President and General Manager Brett
O'Brien. "We take pride in looking at the whole athlete, not
just the stats, and Chet is a role model for all of us."
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 BOYS BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE YEAR WINNERS
|
|
YEAR
|
NAME
|
HOMETOWN
|
STATUS
|
|
2020-21
|
Chet
Holmgren
|
Minneapolis,
MN
|
Gonzaga
University
|
|
2019-20
|
Emoni
Bates
|
Ypsilanti,
MI
|
High School
Junior
|
|
2018-19
|
James
Wiseman
|
Memphis,
TN
|
Golden State
Warriors
|
|
2017-18
|
RJ Barrett
|
Mississauga,
ON, Canada
|
New York
Knicks
|
|
2016-17
|
Michael Porter
Jr.
|
Columbia,
MO
|
Denver
Nuggets
|
|
2015-16
|
Jayson
Tatum
|
St. Louis,
MO
|
Boston
Celtics
|
|
2014-15
|
Ben
Simmons
|
Melbourne, Australia
|
Philadelphia
76ers
|
|
2013-14
|
Karl-Anthony
Towns
|
Metuchen,
NJ
|
Minnesota
Timberwolves
|
|
2012-13
|
Andrew
Wiggins
|
Thornhill,
ON, Canada
|
Golden State
Warriors
|
|
2011-12
|
Jabari
Parker
|
Chicago,
IL
|
Boston
Celtics
|
|
2010-11
|
Bradley
Beal
|
St. Louis,
MO
|
Washington
Wizards
|
|
2009-10
|
Brandon
Knight
|
Fort Lauderdale,
FL
|
NBA Free
Agent
|
|
2008-09
|
Brandon
Knight
|
Fort Lauderdale,
FL
|
NBA Free
Agent
|
|
2007-08
|
Jrue
Holiday
|
North Hollywood,
CA
|
Milwaukee
Bucks
|
|
2006-07
|
Kevin Love
|
Lake Oswego,
OR
|
Cleveland
Cavaliers
|
|
2005-06
|
Greg Oden
|
Indianapolis,
IN
|
Retired from Miami
Heat
|
|
2004-05
|
Greg Oden
|
Indianapolis,
IN
|
Retired from Miami
Heat
|
|
2003-04
|
Dwight
Howard
|
Atlanta,
GA
|
Philadelphia
76ers
|
|
2002-03
|
LeBron
James
|
Akron, OH
|
Los Angeles
Lakers
|
|
2001-02
|
LeBron
James
|
Akron, OH
|
Los Angeles
Lakers
|
|
2000-01
|
Kelvin
Torbert
|
Flint, MI
|
Retired from French
Pro A league
|
|
1999-00
|
Jared
Jeffries
|
Bloomington,
IN
|
Retired from Portland
Trail Blazers
|
|
1998-99
|
LaVell
Blanchard
|
Ann Arbor,
MI
|
Retired from French
Pro A league
|
|
1997-98
|
Al
Harrington
|
Elizabeth,
NJ
|
Retired from
Washington Wizards
|
|
1996-97
|
Baron
Davis
|
Santa Monica,
CA
|
Retired from New York
Knicks
|
|
1995-96
|
Kobe
Bryant
|
Ardmore,
PA
|
Deceased
|
|
1994-95
|
Stephon
Marbury
|
Brooklyn,
NY
|
Retired from Boston
Celtics
|
|
1993-94
|
Felipe
López
|
New York,
NY
|
Retired from
Minnesota Timberwolves
|
|
1992-93
|
Randy
Livingston
|
New Orleans,
LA
|
Retired from Seattle
Supersonics
|
|
1991-92
|
Corliss
Williamson
|
Russellville,
AR
|
Retired from
Sacramento Kings
|
|
1990-91
|
Chris
Webber
|
Detroit,
MI
|
Retired from Golden
State Warriors
|
|
1989-90
|
Damon
Bailey
|
Bedford,
IN
|
Retired from
Cleveland Cavaliers
|
|
1988-89
|
Kenny
Anderson
|
Jamaica,
NY
|
Retired from Los
Angeles Clippers
|
|
1987-88
|
Alonzo
Mourning
|
Chesapeake,
VA
|
Retired from Miami
Heat
|
|
1986-87
|
LaBradford
Smith
|
Bay City,
TX
|
Retired from
Sacramento Kings
|
|
1985-86
|
J.R. Reid
|
Virginia Beach,
VA
|
Retired from
Cleveland Cavaliers
|
|
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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