Brandon Knight
Photo by Lisa Yen
guard
Brandon Knight has been named the 2009-10 Gatorade National Boys Basketball Player of the Year, earning the distinction for the second time in as many years.
Knight joins 2009 NBA MVP LeBron James and 2007 No. 1 overall pick Greg Oden as the only two-time winners. As a senior, the 6-foot-3, 190-pound guard averaged 32.5 points, 8.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 2.5 steals per game. Pine Crest went 25-5 and reached Florida’s 3A state title game for the third year in a row, but came up short in its bid for a three-peat.
Knight, who is expected to pick between Connecticut, Florida, Kansas, Kentucky and Syracuse in the coming weeks, finished second on Florida’s all-time career scoring list with 3,515 points.
Former Miami Heat center and 1988 Gatorade POY Alonzo Mourning surprised Knight by presenting him with the award at school.
Knight has maintained a 4.30 weighted grade point average in the classroom. An active member of his church community, he has volunteered locally as a youth basketball coach and peer tutor.
Brandon Knight and 1998 Gatorade POY winner Alonzo Mourning.
<center>Photo courtesy of Gatorade</center>
