The Gatorade player of the year award is seen as the most prestigious individual award in girls basketball. This award considers not only on the court achievements but also academic and character off the court. As the basketball season is under way I wanted to throw a few names out their to get a way to early conversation started for the 2020-2021 season.
Jeriah Warren - Florida Signee from LaGrange High School
Jeriah lead her team to its first ever state championship last year and she'll look to defend that title again this year! Standing 5'11 playing at the point guard position she stands out on the court with her elite decision making as she always seems to make the right play. She's also our top prospect in the 2021 classification and a signee to Florida so we know she can get it done on the court. But what about off the court? She excels in the classroom with a 3.8GPA and 27ACT so she checks that box as well. After asking her high school coach (Coach Holmes) about her character off the court he referenced the unfortunate hurricanes that hit Lake Charles earlier this year. Her and her teammates helped do their part in the clean up efforts while trying to get Lake Charles and the community back on its feet.
Amoura Graves - LSU Signee from Ponchatoula High School
Amoura is a versatile wing with great size and mobility. She's the type of player after the game you thought she only had 8pts against you but she really had 28pts trust me I know from experience last weekend! She's our number two ranked prospect but can easily be argued as the top prospect in the state. While I don't know Amoura or her family personally everyone that I've spoken to has always spoken highly of both her and her family. So it's with out any surprise she also shines in the classroom with a 3.95GPA as well as in her community! She comes from a family of faith and is always giving back to her church. When asking her high school coach about her Coach Landaiche said "She always says any award she gets, they all get...She's a total team player who just wants to win doing whatever it takes."
Addison Martin - Abilene Christian Signee - Captain Shreve
Addison has impressed me every time I watch her play. Going into each game I know she's good, I know she'll play well but I still would leave each game thinking maybe she is better than I thought. That's a true testament to her continued growth and development as a player on the basketball court. In my opinion ACU got an absolute steal and she'll be an all conference player in the Southland! She can defend multiple positions and her offensive skill set will fit in perfectly with what ACU does from the day she steps on campus. What about off the court? She has a 4.3GPA a member of the National Honors Society as well as FCA. If Captain Shreve finds a way to win the 5A state championship it'll be with a lot of help from Addison Martin and will give her a great case of being the Louisiana Gatorade Player of the Year!
Who else to watch for? While the three girls listed above may have a jump start on winning the Gatorade player of the year award one thing always translates.....winning! The Gatorade award is an individual award but if you help your team to a state championship you'll drastically improve your stock and chances of winning this award! So here's a list of players that could jump into the conversation with a state championship trophy in hand:
Jaylyn James - Mandeville
Aasia Sam - LaGrange
Vici Woods - Elton
Katlyn Manuel - Northwest
Tyrielle Williams - Ursuline Academy
Deonna Brister - Lake Arthur
Soniyah Reed - Northshore
Jada Anderson - Benton
Taylor Wilkin - MCA
Jade Brumfield - STA