CHICAGO (March 8, 2023) — In its 38th year of honoring the nation’s best High School athletes, Gatorade today announced Kymora Johnson of St. Anne's-Belfield School is the 2022-23 Gatorade Virginia Girls Basketball Player of the Year. Johnson is the first Gatorade Virginia Girls Basketball Player of the Year to be chosen from St. Anne's-Belfield School.
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 Johnson as Virginia’s best High School girls basketball player. Johnson joins an elite alumni association of state award-winners in 12 sports, including Kiki Rice (2021-22, Sidwell Friends School, Washington, D.C.), Paige Bueckers (2019-20, Hopkins High School, Minn.), Nneka Ogwumike (2007-08, CyFair High School, Texas), and Candace Parker (2003-04 & 2002-03, Naperville Central High School, Ill.).
The state’s returning Gatorade Player of the Year, the 5-foot-8 senior point guard had led the Saints to a 25-1 record and a berth in the Virginia Independent School Athletic Association Division I state tournament semifinals at the time of her selection. Johnson averaged 22.5 points, 7.8 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 4.4 steals per game through 26 contests. A three-time VISAA Division I All-State selection, Johnson is a 2023 McDonald’s All-American Game selection and she’s ranked as the nation’s No. 24 recruit in the Class of 2023 by ESPN.com.
Johnson has volunteered locally at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Virginia, and she has donated her time as a youth basketball coach.
“Kymora really has a major impact on the court for them—it all goes through her,” said Rives Fleming, Head Coach of the Collegiate School. “She is equally comfortable as the go-to scorer or as a distributor. I think what distinguishes her is [that] she’s the one who will take the big shot despite everyone knowing she’s going to.”
In the classroom, Johnson has maintained a 3.47 GPA. She has signed a national letter of intent to play basketball on scholarship at the University of Virginia this fall.
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.
Two-time winner Johnson joins recent Gatorade Virginia Girls Basketball Players of the Year Isabella Perkins (2020-21, Paul VI Catholic High School), Jasha Clinton (2019-20, Princess Anne High School), and Ashley Owusu (2018-19, Paul VI Catholic High School), among the state’s list of former award winners.
Being a Gatorade Player of the Year means paying it forward for the next generation. Through Gatorade’s Play it Forward initiative, every Player of the Year receives a grant to give to one of Gatorade’s social impact partners, supporting Gatorade’s ambition to fuel the future of sport. To date, Gatorade Player of the Year winners’ grants have totaled more than $3.5 million across more than 1,300 organizations.
For nearly 40 years, Gatorade has honored high school athletes at the top of their game as teammates, supporting their communities and achieving academic success. From CEOs and coaches to star athletes and community leaders, Gatorade Player of the Year winners showcase the power of sport.
*** 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. ***
