Junior power forward led his team to a runner-up finish in the state Class A tourney
SIOUX FALLS — Griffen Goodbary of Sioux Falls Christian School is the 2023-24 Gatorade South Dakota Boys Basketball Player of the Year.
The award, which celebrates the nation’s top high school athletes for excellence on the court, in the classroom and in the community, distinguishes Goodbary as South Dakota’s best high school boys basketball player.
The 6-foot-10, 200-pound junior power forward averaged 19.4 points, 7.1 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.7 blocks per game this past season, leading the Chargers (23-3) to a runner-up finish in the state Class A tournament last week in Rapid CIty.. Goodbary recorded 19 points and 11 rebounds in an overtime loss to Hamlin in the state final.
Goodbary, who was named to the state Class A all-tournament team, is ranked as the state’s No. 1 recruit in the Class of 2025 by PrepHoops.
Goodbary has volunteered locally on behalf of The Banquet, helping to feed the less fortunate. He has also donated his time to Feeding America and has both coached and served as a game referee for youth basketball players.
“Griffen is a young man of high moral character and has a servant’s heart when it comes to interactions with his teammates and others,” Sioux Falls Christian head coach Mike Schouten said. “You can see his intelligence on the floor as well — he often sees things that I don’t see or sees them before I do. His basketball IQ is very high. He’s a great person both on and off the court."
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Goodbary has maintained a 4.0 GPA in the classroom. He will begin his senior 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, and awards one National Player of the Year in each sport. The selection process is administered by the Gatorade Player of the Year Selection Committee, which leverages experts including coaches, scouts, media and others as sources to help evaluate and determine the state winners in each sport.
Follow Watertown Public Opinion sports reporter Roger Merriam on X (formerly known as Twitter) @PO_Sports or email: rmerriam@thepublicopinion.com
This article originally appeared on Watertown Public Opinion: Gatorade South Dakota Boys Basketball Player of the Year named
