A dedicated ESPNHS team managed the Gatorade Boys Basketball Player of the Year selection process, resulting in winners based on the program's three pillars: athletic production and impact in the 2011 season, high academic achievement and exemplary personal character.
For his 50 fellow Gatorade State Boys Basketball Player of the Year winners, click here.
THE WINNER: Shabazz Muhammad
THE BASICS
School: Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.)
Grade: Senior
Position: Shooting guard
Height: 6-foot-6
Weight: 205 pounds
THE PILLARS
Athletic achievement: Muhammad led the Gaels to a 28-4 record and the Class 4A state championship this past season. He averaged 30.2 points, 10.4 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.2 steals per game while shooting at 63.1 percent from the floor. A 2012 McDonald’s All-American Game selection and a 2012 Jordan Brand Classic game invitee, Muhammad was named the 2012 Naismith High School Player of the Year and the 2012 Morgan Wooten Player of the Year. He is the No. 2 ranked recruit in the Class of 2012 as rated by ESPNU.
Academic excellence: Muhammad has maintained a B average in the classroom.
Exemplary character: An athletics department office aide at Bishop Gorman, he has volunteered as a youth coach and mentor in association with his summer AAU team and is part of a new Gaels service initiative on behalf of the TRENDZ Youth Center in Las Vegas.
THE PRAISE
“Shabazz Muhammad has always been one of the hardest workers I have ever been around, ever since he was a little kid,” said Jermone Riley, head coach at Palo Verde (Las Vegas, Nev.). “He took a businesslike approach to the game at a very young age and it has paid off for him. He’s a man against boys on the court.”
THE FUTURE: Muhammad remains undecided upon a collegiate destination.