 | Kevin Love added Gatorate Player of the Year to his already impressive resume. Rise Magazine |
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By Chad Konecky, Special to SI.com, RISE
The University of Connecticut's incoming superstar Maya Moore and UCLA-bound blue-chipper Kevin Love were selected by a nationwide electorate of 350 sports experts and media advisory board members as the 2007 Gatorade Male and Female Athletes of the Year. The announcement came today at a Hollywood luncheon preceding the ESPY Awards at the Kodak Theater, where all 10 Gatorade National Player of the Year award-winners walked the red carpet as special guests.
For her part, Moore, from Collins Hill High (Suwanee, Ga.), wasn't overcome by the suspense of awaiting the announcement, which was made by WNBA legend Lisa Leslie at luncheon emcee and SportCenter anchor Stuart Scott's prompting. Moore was more nervous about having something presentable to wear. The 6-foot Moore's luggage failed to arrive with her flight, forcing her and her mother, Kathryn, to do some last-minute shopping. But Moore, who arrived in a striking red dress, could have donned a burlap sack and still would have sparkled in the wake of the honor.
"It's been so exciting just to meet these other athletes who are the best at their own sport," said Moore, who turned 18 on June 11. "We relate so well because we all know what each other is going through. I was just so happy when my name was called. I got to call all my family members and say, 'Hey, I won another one.' But this wasn't just any other one. This one is amazing."
The 6-foot-10, 260-pound Love, from Lake Oswego High (Ore.), was gracious in victory, urging his fellow winners to remain focused on family and friends in his acceptance speech.
"I had to pinch myself just to see if it was real even before the announcement--just walking into that luncheon was incredible," said Love, who turns 19 this September 7. "Knowing what kind of talent was in that room, just being mentioned in the same sentence as those other national winners was a tremendous honor. When I won, I was truly, truly shocked. To be in my position, you have to give most, if not all, of the credit to your family and friends."
Gatorade's 2006-07 National Boys' Basketball Player of the Year, Love earned similar honors from PARADE, USA Today and the Naismith Award. As a senior, the Lakers' center averaged 33.6 points, 17 rebounds, four assists and three blocks per game in leading Lake Oswego (26-2) to the Class 6A title game, where they fell to South Medford, who ended the season ranked No. 13 in the final USA TODAY Super 25 boys basketball rankings.
The returning Gatorade Oregon Player of the Year, Love was named a McDonald's All-American and was a three-time Oregonian state player of the year -- the first in boys' basketball. For his career, in which he broke a 50-year-old state record for points scored (finishing with 2,628), he averaged 26.8 points and 14.5 rebounds per game.
"In the high school track world this year, I've been the one a lot of people have had their eyes on, but you come to this event and you realize you're with a group of incredibly talented people," said National Boys Track & Field Athlete of the Year Bryshon Nellum of Long Beach Polytechnic High (Calif.). "Kevin is a very deserving winner."
The son of Stan Love, a former NBA player and Oregon Ducks standout, Kevin Love joins two-time NBA All-Star Baron Davis (1996-97) from Crossroads High, Calif., as a Bruin-to-be who has been named Gatorade National Boys' Basketball Player of the Year. Love has maintained a B-average in the classroom and shines as an active volunteer in his community, serving as a youth basketball coach as well as a visiting mentor for at-risk students at a local elementary school. As part of a school fundraiser, Love auctioned off his time by offering a private skills clinic to the highest bidder.
Moore averaged 27 points, 12 rebounds, five assists, five steals and two blocks this season on her way to being named the nation's Naismith award winner for the second consecutive season, joining University of Tennessee star and two-time Gatorade National Player of the Year Candace Parker (2002-03 & 2003-04, Naperville Central HS, Naperville, Ill.) as the only players to earn the award twice. She was also named WBCA Player of the Year, a McDonald's All-American and Miss Georgia Basketball.
Touted by prep basketball experts as perhaps the best girls' player ever, Moore led Collins Hill to an undefeated season, a third straight Class 5A state championship and the No. 1 spot in the season's final USA TODAY Super 25 girls' basketball rankings. She capped her career by helping Collins Hill to an ongoing, 53-game winning streak. Overall, she sparked the Screaming Eagles to a 125-3 record in her four year varsity career and posted totals of 2,664 points, 1,212 rebounds, 407 assists and 467 steals.
"You come here thinking, 'OK, I'm good' and then you meet these kids and realize they've experienced comparable or even more success than you," said National Volleyball Player of the Year Alix Klineman of Mira Costa High (Manhattan Beach, Calif.). "It's flattering to even be considered. Maya is a great choice."
Moore has maintained a 94 average in the classroom and serves as a volunteer mentor to eighth grade student-athletes at her alma mater, Creekland Middle School.
Moore will attend the University of Connecticut in the fall, joining United States Basketball Writers Association's National Freshman of the Year and 2005-06 Gatorade National Girls' Basketball Player of the Year Tina Charles (Christ the King) along with incoming recruit and 2006-07 Gatorade New York Girls' Basketball Player of the Year Loren Dixon (Christ the King).
The Gatorade Player of the Year program recognizes one winner in each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia that sanction high school football, girls' volleyball, boys' and girls' soccer, boys' and girls' basketball, baseball, softball, and boys' and girls' track & field. The selection process is administered by RISE Magazine, which works with top sport-specific experts and a media advisory board of accomplished, veteran prep sports journalists to determine the winners in each sport.
For more on the Gatorade Player of the Year program, including nomination information and lists of past winners and future announcement dates, visit www.gatorade.com/playeroftheyear.
