In its 32nd year of honoring the nation's best high school athletes, The Gatorade Company announced Megan Walker of Monacan High School (North Chesterfield, Va.) as its 2016-17 Gatorade National Girls Basketball Player of the Year. Walker was surprised with the news by 2015 WNBA MVP Elena Delle Donne.
"It was exciting for me to be able to surprise Megan with the Gatorade National Girls Basketball Player of the Year award, especially because she is such a deserving student-athlete," said Delle Donne. "Megan is a well-rounded individual who has already accomplished so much on and off the court, so it's an honor for me to welcome her into the prestigious Gatorade Player of the Year family, and I'm looking forward to following her career at UConn and beyond."
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 Walker as the nation's best high school girls basketball player. A national advisory panel comprised of sport-specific experts and sports journalists helped select Walker from nearly 429,000 high school girls basketball players nationwide. Walker is now a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade Female High School Athlete of the Year award, to be presented at a special ceremony prior to The ESPY Awards in July.
The 6-foot-1 senior guard led the Monacan High Chiefs to a 30-0 record and a third straight Group 4A state championship this past season. Walker – who is Virginia's returning Gatorade Player of the Year – averaged 25.9 points, 7.6 rebounds, 3.2 steals, 1.2 assists per game and 1.1 blocks per game, and she capped off her year with 35 points, 11 rebounds, six blocks and five steals in a 60-59 win over King's Fork High in the state final.
A McDonald's High School All-American Game selection and a two-time Group 4A Player of the Year, Walker was a member of the USA Basketball Women's National Team that won the 2016 FIBA Americas U18 Women's Championship. Rated as the No. 1 recruit in the Class of 2017 by Blue Star Basketball Report, she concluded her prep basketball career with 2,062 points.
A member of the Monacan High Healthy Allies, a booster group that supports the school's Health and Physical Therapy Specialty Center, Walker has volunteered locally at a daycare center and as a youth basketball coach. She has also donated her time as part of multiple community-service initiatives through her church youth group and has maintained a 3.83 GPA in the classroom.
"Megan Walker possesses a college-ready frame and she can create for herself and others everywhere on the floor – off the dribble, around the rim and beyond the arc," says Chris Menning, National Evaluator for BlueStar Basketball. "Her hard work makes it all look effortless. She represents everything that Gatorade Player of the Year has always stood for – a high quality student-athlete both on and off the court – and she's very deserving of this honor."
Walker has signed a National Letter of Intent to compete in women's basketball on scholarship at the University of Connecticut this fall.
"Megan is an excellent student-athlete who has earned recognition as the nation's best high school girls basketball player while also excelling in the classroom and making a difference in her community," said Gatorade Senior Vice President and General Manager Brett O'Brien. "Megan's statistics on the court speak for themselves, but even more impressive is the example she sets for younger student-athletes and impact she has had on her teammates. Megan represents everything we look to celebrate in a Gatorade Player of the Year recipient."
As a part of Gatorade's cause marketing platform "Play it Forward," Walker also has the opportunity to award a $1,000 grant to a local or national youth sports organization of her choosing. She is also eligible to win one of twelve $10,000 spotlight grants for her organization of choice, which will be announced throughout the year.
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 high school sports leadership team in partnership with the Gatorade Player of the Year Selection Committee, which work with top sport-specific experts and a media advisory board of accomplished, veteran prep sports journalists to determine the state winners in each sport.
Former notable Gatorade National Players of the Year include:
* Super Bowl Most Valuable Player Peyton Manning
* 2015 NBA first overall pick Karl-Anthony Towns
* Three-time WNBA champion Maya Moore
* Four-time track & field gold medalist Allyson Felix
* Three-time beach volleyball gold medalist Kerri Walsh
* Three-time Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw
For more information on the Gatorade Player of the Year program, including nomination information, a complete list of former winners, and future announcement dates, visit the Gatorade Player of the Year Web site at http://www.gatorade.com/poy, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GatoradePOY or follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/Gatorade.
ALL-TIME GATORADE NATIONAL GIRLS BASKETBALL PLAYERS OF THE YEAR
YEAR
NAME
HIGH SCHOOL
STATUS
2016-17
Megan Walker
Monacan, North Chesterfield, VA
High School Senior
2015-16
Erin Boley
Elizabethtown, Elizabethtown, KY
Notre Dame
2014-15
Katie Lou Samuelson
Mater Dei, Santa Ana, CA
University of Connecticut
2013-14
Brianna Turner
Manvel, Manvel, TX
Notre Dame
2012-13
Mercedes Russell
Springfield, Springfield, OR
University of Tennessee
2011-12
Breanna Stewart
Cicero-North Syracuse, Cicero, NY
Seattle Storm
2010-11
Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis
Mater Dei, Santa Ana, CA
Seattle Storm
2009-10
Chiney Ogwumike
Cy-Fair, Cypress, TX
Connecticut Sun
2008-09
Skylar Diggins
Washington, South Bend, IN
Dallas Wings
2007-08
Nneka Ogwumike
Cy-Fair, Cypress, TX
Los Angeles Sparks
2006-07
Maya Moore
Collins Hill, Suwanee, GA
Minnesota Lynx
2005-06
Tina Charles
Christ the King, Middle Village, NY
New York Liberty
2004-05
Abby Waner
ThunderRidge HS, Highlands Ranch, CO
Retired from WNBA
2003-04
Candace Parker
Naperville Central HS, Naperville, IL
Los Angeles Sparks
2002-03
Candace Parker
Naperville Central HS, Naperville, IL
Los Angeles Sparks
2001-02
Ann Strother
Highlands Ranch, Denver, CO
Retired from WNBA
2000-01
Shyra Ely
Ben Davis, Indianapolis, IN
WNBA Free Agent
1999-00
Shereka Wright
Copperas Cove, Copperas Cove, TX
Univ. of Alabama Staff
1998-99
Nicole Kaczmarski
Sachem North, Lake Ronkonkoma, NY
Retired from WNBA
1997-98
Tamika Williams
Chaminade-Julienne, Dayton, OH
Univ. of Kentucky Staff
1996-97
Nikki Teasley
St. John's at Prospect Hall, Frederick, MD
Retired from WNBA
1995-96
Jaime Walz
Highlands, Ft. Thomas, KY
Highlands (Ky.) H.S. Coach
1994-95
Stephanie White
Seeger, West Lebanon, IN
Vanderbilt Univ. Coach
1993-94
Monick Foote
Samford, Wilmington, DE
Retired Pro
1992-93
La'Keshia Frett
Phoebus, Hampton, VA
Univ. of Virginia Coach Staff
1991-92
Katie Smith
Logan, Logan, OH
Retired from WNBA
1990-91
Michelle Marciniak
Central Catholic, Allentown, PA
Retired from WNBA
1989-90
Lisa Leslie
Morningside, Inglewood, CA
Retired from WNBA
1988-89
Lisa Harrison
Southern, Louisville, KY
Retired from WNBA
1987-88
Vicki Hall
Brebeuf Prep, Indianapolis, IN
Univ. of Toledo Coach Staff
1986-87
Kris Durham
Union Catholic, Scotch Plains, NJ
Seton Hall Univ. Grad
1985-86
Susan Anderson
Mt. Baker, Deming, WA
Univ. of Texas Grad
