CHICAGO (March 24, 2009) – In its third decade of honoring the nation’s best high school athletes, The Gatorade Company, in partnership with ESPN RISE, today announced Perry Ellis of Wichita Heights High School as its 2008-09 Gatorade Kansas Boys Basketball Player of the Year. Ellis is the first Gatorade Kansas Boys Basketball Player of the Year to be chosen from Wichita Heights High School.
The award, which recognizes not only outstanding athletic excell ence, but also high standards of ac ademic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the court, distinguishes Ellis as Kansas’ best high school boys basketball player. Ellis is now a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade National Boys Basketball Player of the Year award to be announced in late March.
The freshman power forward and center led the Falcons to a 24-1 record and the Class 6A state championship this season, averaging 19.2 points, 11.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game. A 2008 Reebok Breakout Underclass Camp All-Tournament Team selection and a Reebok U All-American Camp invitee, the 6-foot-8, 210-pound Ellis recorded 20 rebounds, nine points, three assists and one block in a 73-58 victory against Southeast in the Class 6A state final. He shot 61 percent from the field and 65 percent from the free throw line this winter.
Ellis has maintained a 4.00 GPA in the classroom and ranks No. 1 in his class. He has volunteered as part of several community-cleanup service initiatives and as a motivational speaker to area youth athletes, addressing the importance of education and positive thinking.
“What Perry Ellis has done as a freshman is remarkable,” said Lonnie Lollar, head coach of rival Bishop Carroll High. “He has done truly goo d things. He’s an extremely intelligent young man. His sportsmanship is top-notch. He has done things the right way. He scores 20 points per game and averages double-digits in rebounding-which is phenomenal in our league for a freshman. He’s the missing piece that put that team over the top.”
Ellis will begin his sophomore year of high school this fall.
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. The selection process is administered by ESPN RISE, which works with top sport-specific experts and a media advisory board of accomplished, veteran prep sports journalists to determine the state winners in each s port.
Ellis joins recent Gatorade Kansas Boys Basketball Players of the Year Travis Releford (2007-08, Bishop Miege HS), Tyrel R eed (2006-07, Burlington HS), and Casey Crawford (2005-06, Blue Valley North 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 gatorade.com/playeroftheyear.
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