Connor Devine Named Gatorade Alaska 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 Connor Devine of Wasilla High School as its 2011-12 Gatorade Alaska Boys Basketball Player of the Year.  Devine is the third Gatorade Alaska Boys Basketball Player of the Year to be chosen from Wasilla 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 Devine as Alaska’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, Devine 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-9 senior center led the Warriors to a 23-4 record and third place in the Class 4A state tournament this past season. Devine averaged 20.1 points, 14.6 rebounds and 8.0 blocks per game. The Class 4A Player of the Year, he is also a two-time First Team All-State selection, and recorded eight triple-doubles this season.

Devine has maintained a 3.77 GPA in the classroom. A devoted member of his church community, he has served as a youth  mentor and has volunteered locally on behalf of an area food bank.

“Devine has great court awareness and he’s a presence in every aspect of the game,” said Eric Stockhausen, head coach at Ketchikan High. “He’s not flashy, he’s not boastful. He’s very controlled and very consistent.”

Devine has signed a National Letter of Intent to play basketball on scholarship at South Dakota State University 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 selectionprocess 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.
 
Devine joins recent Gatorade Alaska Boys Basketball Players of the Year Devon Bookert (2010-11, West Anchorage High School), Kyle Fossman (2009-10, Haines), Ryan Hanley (2008-09, Dimond High School), Kevin Winford (2007-08, Bartlett High School), and Jesse Bean (2006–07, Wasilla) 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.