The five best Candidates for Virginia Gatorade Player of the Year
In this article:
One of the highest individual awards a high school basketball player can win is being named the Gatorade Player of the Year in their state. Last Year, Kymora Johnson became the 4th girl since 2000 to win her second in…
Access all of Prep Girls Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingOne of the highest individual awards a high school basketball player can win is being named the Gatorade Player of the Year in their state. Last Year, Kymora Johnson became the 4th girl since 2000 to win her second in a row. With Kymora graduating, we’ll have a new winner in Virginia. There’s a short list of girls I think have a real chance, and I want to break down which girls have the best shot.
Sanai Green Sanai Green 6’0″ | SF Steward School | 2026 State VA is an exceptional talent and undoubtedly one of the best players in the state. Sanai is powerful, skilled, and just an offensive machine. Because Sanai Green Sanai Green 6’0″ | SF Steward School | 2026 State VA is a sophomore, the path for her to win Gatorade Player of the Year is difficult. It is incredibly rare for underclassmen to win the Gatorade Player of the Year in their state, but if anyone can do it, Sanai Green Sanai Green 6’0″ | SF Steward School | 2026 State VA can. Sanai has played Varsity basketball since the 7th grade and surpassed 1000 points before even hitting high school. Sanai’s numbers will be there, and Steward should be excellent this year, returning most of their team from last year.
Bishop Ireton is loaded with talent; if they’re healthy, they’ll be terrific. The head of the snake is Tennessee Commit Nyla Brooks Nyla Brooks 6’2″ | SF Bishop Ireton | 2025 State VA . Nyla is one of the most naturally gifted players I’ve seen. Nyla’s a top 25 player in the nation for the class of 2025. She is almost impossible to guard at this level, being above 6 feet and supremely skilled. Even though she missed time due to injury last year, her numbers were better. Bishop Ireton won 16 games last year; they will win a lot more this year.
Laura Williams Laura Williams 6’2″ | PF Paul VI | 2024 State VA is one of the safer picks for this award. PVI has had two Virginia Gatorade Player of the Year award winners in the last five years. A big reason for this is that PVI will always be one of the best teams in the state. They play great competition in the WCAC, and Laura being one of the best players in one of the best conferences on the East Coast goes a long way. Laura is nationally ranked and a monster on both ends. She will average a double-double, and her impact on games is unique. Laura has also improved drastically on offense, and I think PVI will play through her out the post a lot more. You will see Laura put up huge 20 points and 20 rebounds in games with a handful of blocks added.
Lanie Grant Lanie Grant 5’9″ | PG James River HS | 2024 State VA is the second player I have in the top 3, and this whole list is close, but the top is incredibly tight. Lanie Grant Lanie Grant 5’9″ | PG James River HS | 2024 State VA is one spot behind Nyla Brooks Nyla Brooks 6’2″ | SF Bishop Ireton | 2025 State VA in the national rankings, so they are pretty close together. I have Lanie here because James River Midlothian is a good team. They went 18-4 last year and lost their playoff game to Manchester. Manchester is a phenomenal team, and there’s no shame in losing to them. But if Lanie is to have a real shot, James River will need to be one of the best teams in the state. Since 2000, almost every girl to win the award has made it to states, many of them winning it. Lanie is a gold medalist already, and she is an offensive juggernaut. She will average 30+ a game, most likely, and if James River makes a deep run, she will be the biggest reason.
Mia Woolfolk Mia Woolfolk 6’2″ | PF Manchester HS | 2024 State VA is the highest-ranked player from Vrignia in 2024 on ESPN, eight spots ahead of Laura Williams Laura Williams 6’2″ | PF Paul VI | 2024 State VA . Mia Woolfolk Mia Woolfolk 6’2″ | PF Manchester HS | 2024 State VA averaged 19 points and 11 rebounds last Year on a state runner-up Manchester team. Manchester is returning so many high-level players; they’re my pick to win states this Year. Mia is physical and competes on both ends. Mia isn’t versatile as a scorer in terms of where on the court she will score because she does almost all her work in the paint. But she is versatile in how she gets it done in the paint. She’s so strong she can play bully ball or face up and get by defenders. She has a lot of moves with her back to the basket and is a very efficient scorer. If Manchester wins a state title and Mia puts in a 20 and 10 season, she will be in the Gatorade Player of the Year conversation.