Duke basketball recruit Austin Rivers of Winter Park High in Florida won his state’s Gatorade player of the year award on Thursday, the first step in what many believe will end in the national player of the year honor for the senior.
Duke Signee Austin Rivers Leads List Of 50 State Gatorade Players Of The Year
Winter Park (Fla.) guard Austin Rivers, who has signed with Duke, is the Florida Gatorade Player of the Year. He’s the frontrunner to win the national award, which will be announced next week.
The Gatorade Company, in collaboration with ESPN RISE, announced its 50 state players of the year today.
Rivers, a 6-foot-4, 190-pound shooting guard, is the consensus No. 1 recruit in the country. He averaged 28.8 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.2 assists and two steals per game and led Winter Park (28-5) to its second straight Class 6A championship.
Other state players of the year that could challenge Rivers for the national award include:
Brad Beal, Chaminade (Missouri): Beal is a 6-4 guard who averaged 32.4 points and 5.7 rebounds for a team that reached Missouri’s Clas 5 quarterfinals and won his state’s Gatorade award as a junior. Beal has signed with Florida.
Michael Carter-Wilson, St. Andrews (Rhode Island): Carter-Wilson is a 6-5 guard who averaged 23.9 points, 8.3 rebounds and 5.0 assists for a team that reached the Class B semifinals of the New England Prep School Athletic Council. Carter-Wilson has signed with Syracuse.
Mike Gilchrist, St. Patrick (New Jersey): Gilchrest is a 6-7 forward who aveaged 19.4 points and 14.3 rebounds for St. Patrick (26-1), which is ranked No. 2 in most national polls despite its runner-up finish to No. 1 St. Anthony in the New Jersey Non-Public B final last week. Gilchrest has signed with Kentucky.
Rodney Hood, Meridian (Mississippi): Hood is a 6-8 wing player who led his team to the Class 6A championship. He averaged 24.8 points and 8.6 rebounds and 6.4 assists. Hood has signed with Mississippi State.
James McAdoo, Norfolk Christian (Virginia): McAdoo is a 6-8 senior who averaged 23 points and 8.7 rebounds for a team that won Virginia’s Indendent Schools Athletic Association Division II title for the second year in a row. It also was the second straight state Gatorade award for McAdoo, who has signed with North Carolina. McAdoo is a nephew of NBA Hall of Famer Bob McAdoo.
Levi Randolph, Bob Jones (Alabama): Randolph, a 6-5 senior guard, averaged 19.5 points and 5.9 rebounds for a team that reached the Class 6A regional finals. Randolph has signed with Alabama.
Adonis Thomas, Melrose (Tennessee): Thomas is a 6-6 forward who averaged 21.8 points and 11.2 rebounds for a team that reached the Class AAA sub-sectionals in Tennessee. Thomas has signed with Memphis.
Kyle Wiltjer, Jesuit (Oregon): Wiltjer is a 6-9 forward who averaged 19.6 points and 7.8 rebounds in leading his team to a third straight Class 6A championship in Oregon. Wiltjer has signed with Kentucky.
Cody Zeller, Washington (Indiana): Zeller is a 6-11 center who averaged 23.7 points and 13 rebounds for a team that reached the Class 3A semifinals. Zeller has signed with Indiana.
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