CHICAGO (March 13, 2025) — In its 40th year of honoring the nation’s most elite High School athletes, Gatorade today announced Nyla Brooks of Bishop Ireton High School is the 2024-25 Gatorade Virginia Girls Basketball Player of the Year.

Brooks is the first Gatorade Virginia Girls Basketball Player of the Year to be chosen from Bishop Ireton High School.

Gatorade Player of the Year is the top honor in High School sports, celebrating the nation’s best High School athletes for their success on the court, in the classroom and in the community.

The award distinguishes Brooks as Virginia's best High School girls basketball player and she joins an impressive group of alumni that spans CEO's, coaches and star athletes such as Candace Parker (2002-03 & 2003-04, Naperville Central High School, Illinois), Paige Bueckers (2019-20, Hopkins High School, Minnesota) and Joyce Edwards (2023-24, Camden High School, South Carolina).

The 6-foot-2 senior guard led the Cardinals to a 27-6 record and the Virginia Independent School Athletic Association Division I State Campionship this past season. The Washington Catholic Athletic Conference Player of the Year, Brooks averaged 18.3 points, 7.6 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.0 blocks per game and she tallied 23 points and 12 boards in a 58-51 win over Paul VI High Catholic High School in the state final.

A McDonald’s All-American Game selection and a Naismith Award Midseason Team member, Brooks is ranked as the nation’s No. 20 recruit in the Class of 2025 by ESPN. She concluded her prep basketball career with 2,097 points.

Brooks has volunteered locally with the Lioness Project, making blankets for people in need. She has also donated her time as a mentor through the Big Sister Little Sister mentoring program and as a youth basketball coach.

“Nyla Brooks displays outstanding work on the court,” said Ron James, Head Coach of Bishop McNamara High School. “Her skill set and basketball IQ are truly impressive. The way she reads the game and makes decisions is a testament to her hard work and dedication.”

In the classroom, Brooks has maintained a 3.81 GPA. She has signed a written letter of athletic aid to play basketball at the University of North Carolina this fall.

The Gatorade Player of the Year program annually recognizes one winner in the District of Columbia and each of the 50 states across 12 different High School sports – football, girls volleyball, boys and girls cross country, boys and girls basketball, boys and girls soccer, baseball, softball, and boys and girls track & field – and awards one National Player of the Year in each sport.

The selection process is administered by the Gatorade Player of the Year Selection Committee, which leverages experts including coaches, scouts, media and others as sources to help evaluate and determine the state winners in each sport.

Brooks joins recent Gatorade Virginia Girls Basketball Players of the Year Lanie Grant (2023-24, James River High School), Kymora Johnson (2022-23 & 2021-22, St. Anne's-Belfield School) and Isabella Perkins (2020-21, Paul VI Catholic High School), among the state’s list of former award winners.

As part of Gatorade’s commitment to breaking down barriers in sport, every Player of the Year also receives a grant to donate to a social impact partner. To date, the Gatorade Player of the Year program has provided more than $5.6 million in grants to winners across more than 2,000 organizations.

*** To learn more about the Gatorade Player of the Year program, check out past winners or to nominate student-athletes, visit playeroftheyear.gatorade.com or follow us on social media on Instagram at instagram.com/Gatorade, Facebook at facebook.com/GatoradePOY and X(Twitter) at x.com/Gatorade. ***