Kevin Love, Ben Simmons and Lonzo Ball are a few of the high school basketball stars to earn MaxPreps National Player of the Year since the award was instituted in 2006. The list of candidates for the 2020-21 honor has been narrowed to five based on team success and individual excellence throughout the season.
Kennedy Chandler of Sunrise Christian Academy (Bel Aire, Kan.), Daimion Collins of Atlanta (Texas), Jalen Duren of Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.), Chet Holmgren of Minnehaha Academy (Minnetonka, Minn.) and TyTy Washington of AZ Compass Prep (Chandler, Ariz.) are the five finalists for 2020-21 MaxPreps National Player of the Year.
Three of those players — Chandler, Duren and Washington — will be trying to lead their respective teams to a title this week at GEICO Nationals. Holmgren is in the hunt for a state title in Minnesota while Collins' season is already in the books in Texas.
MaxPreps National Player of the Year will be announced April 13 in conjunction with the release of the MaxPreps All-America Team.
Read on for a look at each candidate's resume this season.
MaxPreps National Player of the Year finalists
Height: 6-foot-1 | Class: Senior | Position: Guard | Status: Signed with Tennessee
Stats: 14.8 points, 6.4 assists, 4.2 rebounds and 3.3 steals per game in NIBC play
Team MaxPreps Top 25 ranking: No. 3
Chandler is shooting 57 percent from the
field, 50 percent from beyond the arc and 94 percent from the free throw
line. Along with his incredible efficiency, Chandler is the catalyst for the Buffaloes as the five-star guard has displayed his elite playmaking ability throughout the season. Chandler has an opportunity to put a bow on his senior season at GEICO Nationals.
Kennedy Chandler, Sunrise Christian Academy
Photo by Annette Wilkerson
Height: 6-9 | Class: Senior | Position: Forward | Status: Signed with Kentucky
Stats: 35.2 points, 14.4 rebounds, 7.0 assists and 6.2 blocked shots per game
Team MaxPreps Top 25 ranking: Not ranked
Regarded as the No. 11 prospect overall in the Class of 2021 by 247Sports, Collins is the only player among the finalists who will not have an opportunity to bolster his resume as Atlanta has already completed its season.
Daimion Collins, Atlanta
Photo by Wayne Grubbs
Height: 6-10 | Class: Junior | Position: Center | Status: Uncommitted
Stats: 15.5 points, 10.6 rebounds and 2.4 blocked shots per game in NIBC play
Team MaxPreps Top 25 ranking: No. 1
Regarded as the No. 2 prospect in the Class of 2022, Duren is shooting 63 percent from the field and helped Montverde Academy go 21-1 leading up to this week's GEICO Nationals.
Jalen Duren, Montverde Academy
Photo by Annette Wilkerson
Height: 7-0 | Class: Senior | Position: Center | Status: Uncommitted
Stats: 20.7 points, 12.6 rebounds, 5.2 blocked shots and 4.5 assists per game
Team MaxPreps Top 25 ranking: No. 9
The top-ranked senior prospect continues to blossom offensively and is the most dominant shot blocker at this level in many years. Friday in a 73-60 playoff victory over Totino-Grace, Holmgren finished with 24 points, 16 rebounds, seven assists and three blocked shots.
Chet Holmgren, Minnehaha Academy
Photo by Josh Johnson
Height: 6-3 | Class: Senior | Position: Guard | Status: Uncommitted
Stats: 24.5 points, 6.2 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 2.3 steals per game
Team MaxPreps Top 25 ranking: No. 2
Has helped put AZ Compass Prep on the national map this year. The four-star senior put together a
number of strong performances in big games, including averaging 18.5
points, 5.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists per contest in three games at the
Montverde Academy Invitational. The Dragons open play at GEICO Nationals on Thursday against No. 11 Wasatch Academy (Mt. Pleasant, Utah.).
TyTy Washington, AZ Compass Prep
Photo by Mark Jones
2020 — Cade Cunningham, Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.)
2019 — Sharife Cooper, McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.)
2018 — R.J. Barrett, Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.)
2017 — Michael Porter Jr., Nathan Hale (Seattle)
2016 — Lonzo Ball, Chino Hills (Calif.)
2015 — Ben Simmons, Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.)
2014 — Stanley Johnson, Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.)
2013 — Jabari Parker, Simeon (Chicago)
2012 — Kyle Anderson, St. Anthony (Jersey City, N.J.)
2011 — Austin Rivers, Winter Park (Fla.)
2010 — Harrison Barnes, Ames (Iowa)
2009 — Derrick Favors, South Atlanta (Atlanta)
2008 — Brandon Jennings, Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.)
2007 — Kevin Love, Lake Oswego (Lake Oswego, Ore.)
2006 — Greg Oden, Lawrence North (Indianapolis)
