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Gatorade® National Boys Basketball Player of the Year: Bradley Beal

ST. LOUIS, April 4, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- In its 26th year of honoring the nation's best high school athletes, The Gatorade Company, in collaboration with ESPN RISE, today announced Bradley Beal of Chaminade College Preparatory (St. Louis, Mo.) as its 2010-11 Gatorade National Boys Basketball Player of the Year. Beal was surprised with the news in his global issues class by former NBA Champion Alonzo Mourning, who earned Gatorade National Boys Basketball Player of the Year honors in 1987-88.

"When I received the award in 1988, it was such a pivotal moment for me as an athlete. I'm grateful to be a part of this moment for Bradley, who is truly a phenomenal student-athlete on and off the court," said Mourning, a Gold Medalist, seven-time NBA All-Star, and two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year. "Gatorade has been on the sidelines fueling athletic performance for years, so to be recognized by a brand that understands the game and truly helps athletes perform is a huge honor for these kids."

As the recipient of the 228th Gatorade National Player of the Year trophy to be awarded since 1985, Beal becomes the first student-athlete from the state of Missouri to earn Gatorade National Boys Basketball Player of the Year honors. Only two other Missourians have earned Gatorade National Player of the Year recognition in any sport--former Olympian and retired MLS midfielder Matt McKeon of De Smet Jesuit (1991-92) and retired Major Indoor Soccer League defender Kevin Hundelt of Aquinas-Mercy (1985-86).

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 Beal as the nation's best high school boys basketball player. A national advisory panel comprised of sport-specific experts and sports journalists helped select Beal from more than 540,000 boys basketball players nationwide. Beal is now a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade Male High School Athlete of the Year award, to be presented at a special ceremony prior to The ESPY Awards in July.

The 6-foot-4, 205-pound senior shooting guard averaged 32.4 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 2.7 steals per game this past season, shooting 73 percent from the field and leading the Red Devils (27-1) to the Class 5 quarterfinals. The state's returning Gatorade Boys Basketball Player of the Year, Beal concluded his prep career with 2,634 points, the fourth-highest scoring total in greater St. Louis history.

Beal was named the MVP of the 2010 FIBA U17 World Championship after leading Team USA to an 8-0 record and the gold medal, averaging a team-best 18.3 points along with 3.5 rebounds, two assists and 2.3 steals per game. A 2011 McDonald's High School All-American, he is also a 2011 Jordan Brand Classic selection and is ranks as the nation's No. 7 recruit in the ESPNU Top 100. He helped Chaminade Prep to a state title as a sophomore in 2009.

Beal has maintained a 91.7 average in the classroom. He has volunteered on behalf of the St. Patrick Center, Missouri's largest homeless services provider, and the St. Augustine Wellston Center for the needy, in addition to visiting the Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital as a goodwill ambassador to patients. Beal has also donated his time as a youth basketball camp and clinic instructor in addition to participating in Focus St. Louis, a diversity and multicultural initiative.

"This was a year full of outstanding candidates for Gatorade Player of the Year, so Bradley Beal winning says a lot about how perfectly he exemplifies everything the award is about," said ESPN's National Director of Recruiting for basketball, Paul Biancardi. "As a player, he's one of the best shooters in all of high school basketball, and beyond that, he's improved his game so he can use dribble-penetration to shake defenders, he's rebounding at a high margin, his passing is improved and, as a result, he's become one of the best all-around guards in the country. When you look at his makeup, he has a unique ability to help his team win. There's not a greater complement than that."

Beal has signed a National Letter of Intent to play basketball on scholarship at the University of Florida this fall.

"Without question, Bradley is deserving of recognition as the nation's best high school boys basketball player based on his statistics on the court and the impact his accomplishments have had on Chaminade's success," said Gatorade Senior Vice President of Sports Marketing Jennifer Storms. "But he is also a shining example to peers and aspiring young athletes of what a leader and a student-athlete should be. He represents everything we hope for in a Gatorade Player of the Year recipient."

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 ESPN RISE 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.

For more information on the Gatorade Player of the Year program, including nomination information, a complete list of former winners, and future announcement dates, visit the Gatorade Player of the Year web site at http://playeroftheyear.gatorade.com, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GatoradePOY or follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/Gatorade.

             ALL-TIME GATORADE NATIONAL BOYS BASKETBALL PLAYERS OF THE YEAR

      YEAR          NAME                  HIGH SCHOOL
                                 Chaminade College Preparatory/
    2010-11     Bradley Beal              St. Louis, MO
                                     Pine Crest School/Fort
    2009-10   Brandon Knight             Lauderdale, FL
                                     Pine Crest School/Fort
    2008-09   Brandon Knight             Lauderdale, FL
    2007-08     Jrue Holiday   Campbell Hall/North Hollywood, CA
    2006-07      Kevin Love       Lake Oswego/Lake Oswego, OR
    2005-06      Greg Oden      Lawrence North/Indianapolis, IN
    2004-05      Greg Oden      Lawrence North/Indianapolis, IN
                                  SW Atlanta Christian Academy/
    2003-04    Dwight Howard               Atlanta, GA
    2002-03     LeBron James     St. Vincent-St. Mary/Akron, OH
    2001-02     LeBron James     St. Vincent-St. Mary/Akron, OH
    2000-01   Kelvin Torbert     Northwestern Edison/Flint, MI
    1999-00   Jared Jeffries         North/Bloomington, IN
                   LaVell
    1998-99       Blanchard          Pioneer/Ann Arbor, MI
    1997-98    Al Harrington       St. Patrick/Elizabeth, NJ
    1996-97     Baron Davis       Crossroads/Santa Monica, CA
    1995-96     Kobe Bryant         Lower Merion/Ardmore, PA
    1994-95   Stephon Marbury     Abraham Lincoln/Brooklyn, NY
    1993-94     Felipe Lopez           Rice/New York, NY
                    Randy           Isidore Newman School/New
    1992-93      Livingston                Orleans, LA
                   Corliss
    1991-92      Williamson      Russellville/Russellville, AR
    1990-91     Chris Webber   Detroit County Day/Birmingham, MI
                                Bedford North Lawrence/Bedford,
    1989-90     Damon Bailey                   IN
    1988-89   Kenny Anderson     Archbishop Molloy/Jamaica, NY
    1987-88   Alonzo Mourning     Indian River/Chesapeake, VA
                 LaBradford
    1986-87         Smith            Bay City/Bay City, TX
    1985-86      J.R. Reid       Kempsville/Virginia Beach, VA

      YEAR          NAME                STATUS
    2010-11     Bradley Beal      High School Senior
    2009-10   Brandon Knight   University of Kentucky
    2008-09   Brandon Knight   University of Kentucky
    2007-08     Jrue Holiday      Philadelphia 76ers
    2006-07      Kevin Love    Minnesota Timberwolves
    2005-06      Greg Oden     Portland Trail Blazers
    2004-05      Greg Oden     Portland Trail Blazers
    2003-04    Dwight Howard        Orlando Magic
    2002-03     LeBron James          Miami Heat
    2001-02     LeBron James          Miami Heat
    2000-01   Kelvin Torbert      Dexia Mons-Hainaut
    1999-00   Jared Jeffries       New York Knicks
                   LaVell
    1998-99       Blanchard          Torpan Pojat
    1997-98    Al Harrington        Denver Nuggets
    1996-97     Baron Davis      Cleveland Cavaliers
    1995-96     Kobe Bryant       Los Angeles Lakers
    1994-95   Stephon Marbury    Foshan Dragon Lions
    1993-94     Felipe Lopez       Retired from NBA
                    Randy
    1992-93      Livingston        Retired from NBA
                   Corliss
    1991-92      Williamson    Central Arkansas Coach
    1990-91     Chris Webber       Retired from NBA
    1989-90     Damon Bailey       Retired from NBA
    1988-89   Kenny Anderson       Retired from NBA
    1987-88   Alonzo Mourning      Retired from NBA
                 LaBradford
    1986-87         Smith          Retired from NBA
    1985-86      J.R. Reid         Retired from NBA

SOURCE Gatorade