Favorites for the Gatorade Player of the Year

<p>The 2021 season has been full of surprises, and the race for the No.1 player in the state for the season is no different. There were huge numbers, team success, and players from the smaller classes that truly made it impossible to ignore. The race for player of the year is a heated one, and we find out in a couple of days who is crowned as the Gatorade Player of the Year. Here is a list of favorites.</p> <h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="608058" first="Julian" last="Hammond"] – Cherry Creek</strong></span></h3> <p>Hammond would be my pick for the Gatorade Player of the Year as the Senior guard led the Cherry Creek team to an undefeated regular season and went into the 5A state playoffs as the No.1 overall seed in the state. The senior combo-guard will stay in-state and be attending the University of Colorado next season. Hammond scored 1439 total points in his career and picked up right where he left off junior year and took it into his senior season, dominating. Hammond did not take long to get through his championship football vibes and got right back into being one of the most dangerous offensive players in the state. Hammond put up a career-best 22.4 points a game as he shot 44% from beyond the arc and also put up 5.5 rebounds and a career-high 3.8 assists a contest. Hammond was one of the team’s best facilitators and two-way options this season as he stepped up on the defensive end of the floor and showcased himself as an alpha dog despite his quiet and reserved mannerisms. Hammond had one of the most impressive high school careers of anybody in the state and is a nightmare matchup for opposing teams; he deserves to win it on his way out.  </p> <h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="759207" first="Ben" last="Bowen"] – Mountain Vista</strong></span></h3> <p>Bowen was the player that I feel silenced the most doubters in his senior year, and it started with a  summer in which he took over. Bowen was playing through injuries and a few setbacks, and although his team was not as talented as these other teams in the state, he helped carry them over the edge nightly with no excuses and gave his team a chance to win. Bowen saw some of the most insane looks as opposing teams were able to double-team, face-guard as well as implement box and 1’s and other options, and he still managed to dominate on a nightly basis. Every team that he faced had one consistent game plan: to stop [player_tooltip player_id="759207" first="Ben" last="Bowen"]. He still exploded for an impressive 20.3  points, 5.9 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 1.8 steals a game, which was all career-highs. Bowen had the ultimate green-light and the trust from the coaching staff to do whatever it is he wanted on the floor, and instead of taking every single shot every game, he made it a point to get others involved and his trust in teammates. The most impressive aspect of Bowen’s year is the grueling schedule that the team went through. Mountain Vista did not duck any team in the state and was up against Top-10 teams almost nightly, with sometimes on B2B sets. He did whatever he wanted on the floor and got to his spots, and that was while making teammates better. The University of Wyoming is getting the ultimate leader and a competitor that wants nothing more than to win. He’s certainly in the running for POY.</p> <h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="921100" first="Baye" last="Fall"] – Lutheran</strong></span></h3> <p>We have not had a player as highly ranked in the country as Fall is in half a decade and not many before that. The 6’11 sophomore is highly regarded as a Top-5 shot-blocker in the county no matter the class, and when you see Fall take over a game, it is easy to see why he is picking up all of the accolades. Fall was already named the MaxPreps player of the year earlier in the week after the 3A state champion put up a mouth-dropping line in the state championship while showcasing the ability to defend on the perimeter for a full game, perfectly run the floor in transition for open dunks as well as protect the rim better than any other player in the state. The 5-star big man put up 22.1 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 3.2 blocks a game while leading his team to a 17-1 overall record and coming home with the state championship. He was named the CHSAA 3A state playoff MVP and will likely be the 3A player of the year, and has a very good chance at being named the Gatorade Player of the Year. Many around the state are breathing a sigh of relief as it appears that the No.4 overall player in the 2023 class has likely played his late-game for CHSAA. It would be fitting for the sophomore to go out on top with a clean sweep.</p> <h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="965778" first="Assane" last="Diop"] – Belleview Christian</strong></span></h3> <p>One quadruple-double was ever recorded in CHSAA Boys Basketball state history, and that was by Robert Williams of Sheridan high school in the 2016-17 season. That was until [player_tooltip player_id="965778" first="Assane" last="Diop"] came along and recorded three quadruple-doubles in this season alone. The 6’10 sophomore who is listed on Maxpreps.com as a PG certainly put up the best stats of any player in the state in his sophomore campaign. Diop out up video game numbers as he averaged 16.1 points, 7.2 assists, 19.1 rebounds and 6.8 blocks a game as he led Belleview Christian to being crowned the state champs and has one of the most unique styles of play from any player that has ever come across the CHSAA platform. To possess that skill at 6’10 as a point-forward in only his second season has some claiming that he is the best 1A prospect of all time. Diop moves elegantly, has otherworldy vision and court awareness, and also protects the rim as well as anybody in the state. He elevated his game in the playoffs as his 81 rebounds in the state tournament, which is the new state record and he also became the overall state leader in triple-doubles in only two seasons. Unsure if we will ever see another season as dominant as the one we just saw from Diop. Despite being in 1A, he had a season that is hard to overlook, and he should EASILY be named the 1A player of the year, with consideration as the Gatorade Player of the Year.</p> <h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="918901" first="Sam" last="Howery"] – St. Mary’s</strong></span></h3> <p>The state record for triple-doubles for a career is six by Justin Engesser from Colorado Springs Christian from the 2013-17 season, which is no easy feat whatsoever. Howery did it five times -- in his junior season alone. Howery averaged 21.4 points and 7.9 rebounds a game which is spectacular considering that those numbers are coming from the state-leader in assists at 10.2 dishes a game. Howery is arguably the top passing guard in the state and is a player that controls and pushes the pace. He knows where teammates will be, sets up his guys for open looks, and is just as liable to score the ball on his own. Howery led St.Mary’s to an undefeated record during the regular season, and St. Mary’s went in as the No.1 overall seed in the playoffs. The Pirate’s only loss came in the state championship, and that was against a Top-5 player in the country, with Howery doing all that he could to keep his team in the game. All-in-all, Howery had a remarkable season and will go down as a 3A All-Time great. He deserves some recognition.</p>