MaxPreps.com National Player of the Year: Austin Rivers

Austin Rivers saw his high school basketball career come to an end last Thursday with a loss in the quarterfinals of the National High School Invitational.

It wasn't the storybook ending Rivers was looking for, but in some ways illustrated how high he helped a school that had never won a state title before his arrival climb.

During the future Duke Blue Devil's final three years at Winter Park (Fla.), the Wildcats won 81 games, played in three FHSAA Class 6A Final Fours and won two state titles. The Orlando-area public school was invited to ESPN's season-ending national tournament in 2010 and 2011, an event dominated by independent powerhouses like Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.), Montrose Christian (Rockville, Md.) and Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.).

Rivers helped the program become a nationwide attraction, appearing in events in Alabama, Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts and Wisconsin during that span against teams from nine different states and the District of Columbia. Thanks to the 6-foot-4 guard's appeal and notoriety, the Wildcats played on national television six times over the past two seasons.

He was the star of stars in high school basketball's most prestigious tournament – the City of Palms Classic in Fort Myers. He registered 40-point games in the event as a sophomore, junior and senior, including a 42-point gem against nationally-ranked Dwyer (Palm Beach Gardens) this season. In 2009, Rivers poured in 45 points against St. Benedict's Prep (Newark, N.J.), almost single-handedly giving the Gray Bees their only loss in a season where they finished ranked No. 2 in MaxPreps.com's Xcellent 25.

Rivers averaged 28.8 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 2.0 steals per game as a senior, leading Winter Park to its second-straight state title and helping him earn MaxPreps.com's National Player of the Year honor. He joins a star-studded list of past winners;

MaxPreps.com's National Players of the Year – 2006 through 2011
2011 – Austin Rivers, Winter Park (Fla.)
2010 – Harrison Barnes, Ames (Iowa)
2009 – Derrick Favors, South Atlanta (Atlanta, Ga.)
2008 – Brandon Jennings, Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.)
2007 – Kevin Love, Lake Oswego (Ore.)
2006 – Greg Oden, Lawrence North (Indianapolis, Ind.)

A photographic look at the career of Austin Rivers