Gatorade State Girls Basketball Player of the Year for 2005-2006
Collins Hill High School Standout Named Gatorade State Girls Basketball Player of the Year
CHICAGO (March 21, 2006) — Entering its third decade of honoring the nation's best high school athletes, Gatorade® Thirst Quencher today announced Maya Moore of Collins Hill High School in Suwanee as its 2005-06 Georgia Girls Basketball Player of the Year.
Gatorade, in partnership with Scholastic Coach & Athletic Director magazine, named State Girls Basketball Player of the Year award winners representing all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Moore, along with her fellow State Players of the Year, is now a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade National Girls Basketball Player of the Year award to be announced in early April.
At the time of her selection, Moore, a 6-foot junior forward, was averaging a double-double (22.2 points and 10.6 rebounds per game), while contributing 3.0 blocked shots and 6.0 steals per contest, and shooting 53 percent from the field and 73 percent from the foul line. She is the all-time leading scorer in Collins Hill history (both girls and boys), and tied the record for most rebounds in one game (20). A first-team All-State selection since her freshman campaign, Maya has been tabbed an All-American by Street & Smith's, USA Today and Nike.
Moore's standard of excellence extends to the classroom, where she maintains a 3.6 GPA and scored 1110 on the SAT. A versatile athlete, she is an All-County high jumper on the track team. In addition, Maya volunteers for the Special Olympics program and is an active member of her church.
"Maya is without a doubt the best player and person that I've had the privilege of coaching," says Collins Hill head coach Tracey Tipton. "She is the epitome of a team player with the best attitude and work ethic on the team. And as talented as she is, she is still the most coachable player on the court. She constantly strives to improve on the court, in the classroom and in all aspects of her life."
The Gatorade Player of the Year program recognizes one winner in each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia in football and baseball (boys), volleyball and softball (girls), as well as soccer, basketball, and track & field (boys and girls). Each state winner, selected by a panel of sport-specific experts in conjunction with a national media advisory board, is chosen based on his or her outstanding accomplishments on and off the field of play. In addition to athletic performance, award criteria include the achievement in the classroom and overall character.
Moore joins recent Georgia Girls Basketball Players of the Year Angel Robinson (2004-05, Marietta HS) and Natasha Humphrey (2002-03 & 2003-04, Gainesville HS) among the state's list of former award winners.
For more on the Gatorade Player of the Year program, including nomination information, a list of past winners, and the announcement of the Gatorade National Player of the Year, visit www.gatorade.com/playeroftheyear.
