BATON ROUGE – LSU signee Ben Simmons of Montverde Academy in Florida was named the 2014-15 Gatorade National Boys Basketball Player of the Year during a press conference held at the school on Tuesday.
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. In addition to athletic excellence, the award recognizes academic achievement and exemplary character on and off the field.
Simmons was presented the award by nine-time NBA All-Star and former Atlanta Hawks forward Dominque Wilkins. Wilkins was the No. 3overall pick and the Utah Jazz in 1982 and earned two NBA Dunk Contest titles during his career.
“It was exciting for me to be able to surprise Ben with the Gatorade National Basketball Player of the Year award, especially because he is such a deserving winner,” Wilkins said. “Ben is a well-rounded individual who has already accomplished so much on and off the court, so it’s an honor for me to welcome him into the prestigious Gatorade Player of the Year family.”
The senior has averaged 28 points and 11.9 rebounds while shooting 70.7 percent from inside the arc through 29 games. He is rated as the nation’s No. 1 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. During his senior year, Simmons has registered 24 double-doubles on the season and after his McDonald’s game appearance in Chicago on April 1, then it’s quickly to New York as he rejoins his Montverde teammates as they try to defend their National High School Championship.
“Ben Simmons is an electrifying player,” said Montverde Academy head coach Kevin Boyle. “He’s a great rebounder and he has the ability to help teammates get better. I think he’s the best high school player in the country and the scary thing is I think he can get a lot better. He’s improved each year because he recognizes he can keep getting better.”
Simmons has maintained a 3.48 GPA in the classroom and has volunteered on behalf of Basketball Buddies literacy-outreach and as part of a study skills initiative for Montverde elementary students.
“It’s been kind of crazy, all these awards, and then on top of it getting ready for the national tournament,” said Simmons in the Orlando Sentinel. “It’s kind of hard to live in the moment and take it in. Being from Australia and coming to American and being able to accomplish that is big to me,” he said.
This year celebrates the program’s 30th anniversary. In that time, Gatorade has honored more than 13,000 State Players of the Year and 270 National Players of the Year, including many of today’s top professional athletes, such as Peyton Manning, Lisa Leslie, Candace Parker, Kerri Walsh, Derek Jeter, and Emmitt Smith. For more information, visit www.playeroftheyear.gatorade.com.
Simmons, who was named to the McDonald’s All-America Team, has already won the Naismith High School Basketball Player of the Year award.
Male Basketball Player of the Year
Year, Winner, Hometown, College
1987, J.R. Reid, Virginia Beach, VA, North Carolina
1988, Alonzo Mourning, Chesapeake, VA, Georgetown
1989, Kenny Anderson, Jamaica, NY, Georgia Tech
1990, Damon Bailey, Bedford, IN, Indiana
1991, Chris Webber, Beverly Hills, MI, Michigan
1992, Corliss Williamson, Russellville, AR, Arkansas
1993, Randy Livingston, New Orleans, LA, LSU
1994, Felipe López, New York, NY, St. John’s
1995, Stephon Marbury, Brooklyn, NY, Georgia Tech
1996, Kobe Bryant, Ardmore, PA, Did not attend
1997, Baron Davis, Santa Monica, CA, UCLA
1998, Al Harrington, Elizabeth, NJ, Did not attend
1999, LaVell Blanchard, Ann Arbor, MI, Michigan
2000, Jared Jeffries, Bloomington, IN, Indiana
2001, Kelvin Torbert, Flint, MI, Michigan State
2002, LeBron James, Akron, OH, Did not attend
2003, LeBron James, Akron, OH, Did not attend
2004, Dwight Howard, Atlanta, GA, Did not attend
2005, Greg Oden, Indianapolis, IN, Ohio State
2006, Greg Oden, Indianapolis, IN, Ohio State
2007, Kevin Love, Lake Oswego, OR, UCLA
2008, Jrue Holiday, North Hollywood, CA, UCLA
2009, Brandon Knight, Fort Lauderdale, FL, Kentucky
2010, Brandon Knight, Fort Lauderdale, FL, Kentucky
2011, Bradley Beal, St. Louis, MO, Florida
2012, Jabari Parker, Chicago, IL, Duke
2013, Andrew Wiggins, Thornhill, ON, Canada, Kansas
2014, Karl Towns, Metuchen, NJ, Kentucky
2015, Ben Simmons, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, LSU