R.J. Davis named Gatorade NY Player of the Year

CHICAGO (March 26, 2020) — In its 35th year of honoring the nation’s best high school athletes, The Gatorade Company, today announced R.J. Davis of Archbishop Stepinac High School as its 2019-20 Gatorade New York Boys Basketball Player of the Year. Davis is the first Gatorade New York Boys Basketball Player of the Year to be chosen from Archbishop Stepinac 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 field, distinguishes Davis as New York’s best high school boys basketball player. Now a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade National Boys Basketball Player of the Year award, Davis joins an elite alumni association of past state boys basketball award winners, including Karl-Anthony Towns (2012-13 & 2013-14, St. Joseph High School, N.J.), Dwight Howard (2003-04, Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy, Ga.), Chris Bosh (2001-02, Lincoln High School, Texas), Paul Pierce (1994-95, Inglewood High School, Calif.), Chauncey Billups (1993-94 & 1994-95, George Washington High School, Colo.) and Jason Kidd (1991-92, St. Joseph Notre Dame High School, Calif.).

The 6-foot-1, 163-pound senior guard led the Crusaders to an 18-9 record and the quarterfinals of the Catholic High School Athletic Association tournament at the time of his selection. Davis averaged 26.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 2.1 steals through 27 games. A three-time All-State honoree, he is the leading scorer in Westchester County history and is a finalist for New York’s Mr. Basketball award.

Davis is ranked as the nation’s No. 39 recruit in the Class of 2020 by ESPN and has been selected to play in the McDonald’s All-American Game.

Davis has served as a school ambassador and has volunteered locally on behalf of the ALS Association and youth basketball camps. “R.J. Davis is an exceptional basketball player,” said Dwayne Mitchell, head coach at Monsignor Scanlan High. “He’s great at getting to the basket and either getting a layup or drawing a foul, and he’s also a really good 3-point shooter. He’s a great student-athlete and his teammates love him.”

Davis has maintained an A-minus average in the classroom. He has signed a National Letter of Intent to play basketball on scholarship at the University of North Carolina this fall.

Davis joins Gatorade New York Boys Basketball Players of the Year Joe Girard III (2018-19 & 2017-18, Glens Falls High School), Hameir Wright (2016-17, Albany Academy), Kevin Huerter (2015-16, Shenendehowa High School), and Cheick Diallo (2014-15, Our Savior New American School) among the state’s list of former award winners.

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 the Gatorade Player of the Year Selection Committee, 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.

The 2019-2020 Gatorade National Boys Basketball Player of the Year announcement has been temporarily postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. To ensure the safety of everyone involved, The Gatorade Company will follow the guidance of experts and health officials as it determines the appropriate time to announce this year’s winner.

As a part of Gatorade’s cause marketing platform “Play it Forward,” Davis also has the opportunity to award a $1,000 grant to a local or national youth sports organization of his choosing. He is also eligible to submit an essay to win one of twelve $10,000 spotlight grants for the organization of choice, which will be announced throughout the year.

Since the program’s inception in 1985, Gatorade Player of the Year award recipients have won hundreds of professional and college championships, and many have also turned into pillars in their communities, becoming coaches, business owners and educators.