CHICAGO — In its 30th year of honoring the nation’s best high school athletes, The Gatorade Company, in collaboration with USA TODAY High School Sports, has announced Jaylen Brown of Wheeler High School as its 2014-15 Gatorade Georgia Boys Basketball Player of the Year. Brown is the fourth Gatorade Georgia Boys Basketball Player of the Year to be chosen from Wheeler High 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 Brown as Georgia’s best high school boys basketball player. Now a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade National Boys Basketball Player of the Year award to be announced in March, Brown joins an elite alumni association of past state boys basketball award winners, including Dwight Howard (2003-04, SW Atlanta Christian Academy, Ga.), Chauncey Billups (1993-94 & 1994-95, George Washington HS, Colo.), Jason Kidd (1991-92, St. Joseph Notre Dame HS, Calif.), Paul Pierce (1994-95, Inglewood HS, Calif.) and Chris Bosh (2001-02, Lincoln HS, Texas).
The 6-foot-7, 220-pound senior wing led the Wildcats to a 30-2 record and the Class AAAAAA state championship this past season. Brown averaged 28 points and 12 rebounds while shooting about 64 percent from inside the arc. He is rated the nation’s No. 2 recruit in the Class of 2015 by ESPN and is a 2015 McDonald’s All-American Game selection as well as a 2015 Jordan Brand Classic game invitee. Brown also captured MVP honors at the City of Palms Classic in December when he scored 25 points to go with 12 rebounds, shooting a perfect 12-for-12 from the free throw line in a 72-65 win over Montverde Academy.
Brown has maintained a B average in the classroom. A devoted parishioner in his church community, he is a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes as well as Men and Women of Distinction humanitarian service organization.
“Jaylen Brown is an outstanding player,” said Hollis Bethea, head coach at Douglas County High. “He has a really good perimeter game and can attack the rim off the dribble. He reminds me of LeBron James when he gets the rebound and goes coast-to-coast and finish on the other end of the floor”
Brown remains undecided upon a collegiate destination.
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 USA TODAY High School Sports, 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.
Brown joins recent Gatorade Georgia Boys Basketball Players of the Year Isaiah Wilkins (2013-14, Greater Atlanta Christian School), Brannen Greene (2012-13, Tift County High School), Tony Parker (2011-12, Miller Grove High School), Shannon Scott (2010-11, Milton High School), Ryan Harrow (2009-10, Walton High School), Derrick Favors (2008-09 & 2007-08, South Atlanta High School), and Gani Lawal (2006–07, Norcross High School) among the state’s list of former award winners.
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