Matt St. Amour Named Gatorade Vermont Boys Basketball Player of the Year

CHICAGO (March 22, 2012) — In its 27th year of honoring the nation's best high school athletes, The Gatorade Company, in collaboration with ESPNHS, today announced Matt. St. Amour of Missisquoi Valley (Swanton, Vt.) as its 2011-12 Gatorade Vermont Boys Basketball Player of the Year. St. Amour is the first Gatorade Vermont Boys Basketball Player of the Year to be chosen from Missisquoi Valley Union High School.

The 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 St. Amour as Vermont's best high school boys basketball player. Now a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade National Boys Basketball Player of the Year award to be announced in March, St. Amour joins an elite alumni association of past state boys basketball award winners, including Dwight Howard (2003-04, SW Atlanta Christian Academy, Ga.), Chauncey Billups (1993-94 & 1994-95, George Washington HS, Colo.), Jason Kidd (1991-92, St. Joseph Notre Dame HS, Calif.), Paul Pierce (1994-95, Inglewood HS, Calif.) and Chris Bosh (2001-02, Lincoln HS, Texas).

The 6-foot-3 junior guard averaged 26.6 points, 12.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.7 steals per game this past season, leading the Thunderbirds (11-10) to the Division I state tournament. The two-time Lake Division Player of the Year, St. Amour is a member of the Vermont Basketball Coaches Association Dream Dozen and already holds the school career record for points, with 1,388.

St. Amour has maintained 4.13 GPA in the classroom. Also a soccer standout, he has volunteered locally on behalf of youth sports programs and has raised funds to benefit the American Cancer Society.

"He plays under control and can finish on either side of the basket, and he's also got great range," said Peter Quinn, head coach at Vergennes High. "You have to defend him as soon as he gets one or two dribbles over half-court."
St. Amour 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 ESPNHS and the Gatorade high school sports leadership team, which work with top sport-specific experts and a media advisory board of accomplished, veteran prep sports journalists to determine the state winners in each sport.

St. Amour joins recent Gatorade Vermont Boys Basketball Players of the Year Ben Ferris (2010-11, Essex High School), Joe O'Shea (2009-10, Burlington), Clancy Rugg (2008-09, Burlington High School), Matt Joslin (2007-08, North Country Union High School), and Pat Bergmann (2006–07, Rice Memorial) among the state's list of former award winners.

To keep up to date on the latest happenings, become a fan of Gatorade Player of the Year on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. For more on the Gatorade Player of the Year program, including nomination information, a complete list of past winners, and the announcement of the Gatorade National Player of the Year, visit playeroftheyear.gatorade.com.