James River's Lanie Grant Named Gatorade VA Girls Basketball POY

CHICAGO (March 14, 2024) — In its 39th year of honoring the nation’s most elite High School athletes, Gatorade today announced Lanie Grant of James River High School is the 2023-24 Gatorade Virginia Girls Basketball Player of the Year.

Grant is the first Gatorade Virginia Girls Basketball Player of the Year to be chosen from James River High School.

The award, which celebrates the nation’s top High School athletes for excellence on the court, in the classroom and in the community, distinguishes Grant as Virginia’s best High School girls basketball player.

From CEO's and coaches to star athletes, Gatorade Player of the Year winners showcase the power of sport, touting an all-star group of alumni that includes Candace Parker (2003-04, 2002-03 & 2001-02, Naperville Central High School, Ill.), Paige Bueckers (2017-18, Hopkins High School, Minn.) and Juju Watkins (2022-23 & 2021-22, Sierra Canyon School, Calif.).

The 5-foot-10 junior guard averaged 28.1 points and 6.2 rebounds per game this past season, leading the Rapids (23-4) to the Class 5 State Championship game. Grant also averaged 4.0 assists and 1.7 steals and went off for 40 points and nine boards in James River’s 80-70 loss to Princess Anne High School in the State Final.

A two-time Class 5 First Team All-State selection, Grant won a gold medal at the 2023 FIBA U16 Americas Championships with the U.S. Women’s National Team. Ranked as the nation’s No. 22 recruit in the Class of 2025 by espnW, she concluded her junior year with 1,466 points, averaging 26.2 points per game, in her prep basketball career.

A member of her school’s Captains Council, Grant has volunteered locally on behalf of the Special Olympics and by offering Learn From Lanie basketball lessons. She has also donated her time as a mentor for rising James River High School freshmen.

“Lanie is the most consistent player I have ever seen as far as performing at a top elite level night in and night out,” said Ashley Brown, Head Coach of Midlothian High School. “Not only is she a remarkable athlete, player and competitor, but she is also a very humble and gracious player who truly makes her team and teammates better.”

In the classroom, Grant has maintained a weighted 4.47 GPA. She has made a verbal commitment to play basketball on scholarship at the University of North Carolina beginning in the fall of 2025.

The Gatorade Player of the Year program annually recognizes one winner in the District of Columbia and each of the 50 states that sanction High School 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.

Grant joins recent Gatorade Virginia Girls Basketball Players of the Year Kymora Johnson (2022-23 & 2021-22, St. Anne's-Belfield School), Isabella Perkins (2020-21, Paul VI Catholic High School) and Jasha Clinton (2019-20, Princess Anne 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, Gatorade Player of the Year winners’ grants have totaled more than $4.9 million across more than 1,600 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 Facebook at facebook.com/GatoradePOY, Instagram at instagram.com/Gatorade and Twitter at twitter.com/Gatorade. ***