Kansas commit Gradey Dick wins Gatorade National Boys Basketball Player of the Year
Kansas commit Gradey Dick won the 2022 Gatorade National Boys Basketball Player of the Year, one of the most prestigious high school basketball awards.
He joins the ranks of Jayson Tatum, Karl-Anthony Towns, Kobe Bryant and LeBron James, who all won the award as high school seniors. Past winners have combined for five NBA MVPs awards, 76 All-Star appearances, 14 NBA championships, 27 NBA first-round draft picks and three Hall of Famers.
Tatum surprised Dick virtually on Tuesday while his family, coaches and teammates showed up with the trophy at school.
"Our coach called a meeting, and there was a projector screen like we were going to watch film and all the sudden Jayson Tatum pops up and we were like, mind-blown," Dick told Yahoo Sports. "When Jayson announced I was the Gatorade National Player of the Year, I was at a loss for words. When I got the huge trophy and saw all the past names on it, my eyes went straight to LeBron because that's someone I've looked up to my whole life. So to be included on the same list as him is crazy."
The 6-foot-7 wing out of Sunrise Christian Academy (Kansas) beat out more than half a million basketball players nationwide for the top award. He’s an elite wing who is extremely bouncy and averaged 17.9 points per game on one of the best high school basketball teams in the country.
“When you look at the stats Gradey Dick has achieved on the court, it’s undeniable that he’s worthy of joining a long line of past Gatorade Players of the Year,” said Gatorade senior vice president and general manager Brett O’Brien. “There is a ton of talent among the nearly half a million student-athletes across the nation who compete in boys basketball, but no one lights it up quite like Dick, while also excelling in the classroom and making a difference in his community.”
Tatum won the award in 2016 and has been impressed with Dick’s game after watching him this past season.
"He's definitely athletic and can jump out the gym," Tatum told Yahoo Sports. "The thing that I love the most is being apart of this and surprising him with the award. It really kind of took me back because I've been in the league five years, but I was just in high school seven years ago so I'm not that much older and I vividly remember it. We talked about Kansas a little bit and what he's preparing for at the next level, and I have no doubt he's going to be successful. Obviously, he's worked this hard to get to this point."
Dick’s dream school has been Kansas since he was young and three of his siblings went to Kansas. He remembers going to games at Allen Fieldhouse as a kid, and he can’t wait to get on campus.
"There's going to be a lot of adrenaline that first game," Dick said. "When I run through that tunnel and see a sold-out arena every night, it's going to be a feeling I never forget."
He’s been watching the NCAA tournament closely and thinks No. 1-seeded Kansas has all the tools to go the distance.
"They play so well together, and there's definitely a sense of a family atmosphere," Dick said. "When I go to the locker room after some of the home games and just seeing how well everyone gets along, I'm not surprised that it's spilling out onto the court and they're still playing in the tournament."
You can catch Dick in the McDonald’s All-American Game on March 29 at 9 p.m. ET (ESPN) along with some of the other top high school players: Dereck Lively, Keyonte George, Dariq Whitehead, Amari Bailey and Nick Smith.
