Press release
Kiki Rice Named 2021-22 Gatorade National Girls Basketball Player Of The Year
Seattle Storm Point Guard Sue Bird Surprises Winner with Honor WASHINGTON, March 17, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- In its 37th year of honoring the nation's most elite
About this update from Pepsico, Inc.
[{"type":"text","content":"Seattle Storm Point Guard Sue Bird Surprises Winner with Honor\nWASHINGTON, March 17, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- In its 37th year of honoring the nation's most elite high school athletes, Gatorade today announced Kiki Rice of Sidwell Friends School in Washington, D.C. is the 2021-22 Gatorade National Girls Basketball Player of the Year. Rice won the prestigious award for her accomplishments on and off the court, joining an impressive group of former Gatorade National Girls Basketball Players of the Year who have combined for nine WNBA MVP awards, 53 All-Star appearances, 15 WNBA championships, 15 WNBA first round draft picks and two became Hall of Famers.\nSeattle Storm point guard Sue Bird virtually surprised Rice with the news, while her family, coaches and teammates showed up with the trophy at school. Check out a video of the announcement here.\nThe 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 Rice as the nation's best high school girls basketball player. The Gatorade Player of the Year Selection Committee, which leverages experts including coaches, scouts, media and others to evaluate candidates, selected Rice from nearly half a million other student-athletes who play girls basketball nationwide.\nCompetition for the national award was fierce. Rice topped the list of state winners in girls basketball who collectively boast an incredible list of accomplishments, including six returning state Gatorade Players of the Year, 31 with a GPA of 3.75 and above and 33 with signed National Letters of Intent or verbal commitments to play basketball at Division I colleges/universities.\n\"Kiki is a do-it-all guard who brings a dynamic combo-guard presence to the floor that allows for versatility within offensive schemes,\" says Shane Laflin of Premier Basketball/ESPN HoopGurlz. \"She excels in the transition game and creates well off the dribble. Sidwell Friends lined up an impressively competitive schedule this season and Rice has led them to an undefeated season in dominant fashion.\"\nThe state's 2019-20 Gatorade Player of the Year, the 6-foot senior guard had led the Quakers to a 28-0 record and the DCSAA Tournament title this past season, earning her squad the nation's No. 1 national ranking by Max...