Top honor ... again

CAC’S Williams repeats as Gatorade Player of the Year

Christyn Williams, a junior at Central Arkansas Christian, drives to the basket during action against Lonoke in January. For the second consecutive season, Williams is the Gatorade Arkansas Girls Basketball Player of the Year.
Christyn Williams, a junior at Central Arkansas Christian, drives to the basket during action against Lonoke in January. For the second consecutive season, Williams is the Gatorade Arkansas Girls Basketball Player of the Year.

Central Arkansas Christian’s Christyn Williams has repeated as the Gatorade Arkansas Girls Basketball Player of the Year for 2016-17.

Williams, a 5-11 junior, could become the first Arkansas player to win the award three times.

“That’s been one of her goals — to be a three-time Player of the Year,” CAC coach Steve Quattlebaum said. “She also has a goal of being the national Gatorade Player of the Year.”

According to a Gatorade press release, the award “distinguishes Williams as Arkansas’ best high school girls basketball player.”

Williams will now join 49 other state winners and one from the District of Columbia as finalists for the prestigious Gatorade National Girls Basketball Player of the Year award, which will be announced later this month.

Other previous state winners who went on to stellar careers include Maya Moore of Georgia (2005-06), Candace Parker of Illinois (2001-02), Diana Taurasi

of California (1999-2000 and 1998-99) and Lisa Leslie of California (1988-89).

Other two-time Arkansas winners include Jordan Danberry of Conway (2014-15 and 2013-14); Tyler Scaife of Little Rock Hall (2012-13 and 2011-12); and Morgan Hook of Rogers (2009-10 and 2008-09). Williams is CAC’s second winner, following Whitney Zachariason in 2006-07.

Williams was also recently named to the third team of the Naismith Trophy High School Girls All-America team. She joined Charli Collier of Crosby, Texas, as the only two juniors on the three teams. Three juniors were listed on the honorable-mention list.

Williams, who has narrowed her scads of scholarship offers to Baylor, Notre Dame, Tennessee, the University of Connecticut

and the University of California, Los Angeles, led the USA team to a bronze medal in the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) U17 World Championship in Spain last summer, a year after being named an alternate for the U16 team. She is a three-time all-state player and is ranked the No. 2 recruit in the class of 2018 by Blue Star Basketball.

As a junior, the 5-foot-11 guard averaged 26.6 points, 8.6 rebounds, 2.4 steals and 2.1assists per game in leading the Lady Mustangs to a 29-5, Class 4A state quarterfinal finish this season.

“She carried our team again this year,” Quattlebaum said. “We gave her a little more help. Her scoring average was down a few points, which was actually good, but all those other stats were up from a year ago.

“So as good as she was last year, she was even better this year. And I expect her to be even better next year because she’s not going to stop working, and she’s going to play all summer with the [junior] Olympic team, more than likely, and she’ll be better.”

But the Gatorade award is about much more than athletic excellence.

According to www.gatorade.com, nominees are also judged in the categories of academic excellence and exemplary character. Williams holds a 3.59 grade-point average. According to the website, she has worked to raise money for the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure and has also volunteered for the Arkansas Dream Center and youth basketball camps

Opposing coaches sing her praises.

“Christyn Williams is one of the best players I’ve ever seen,” Baptist Prep coach Ann Ferguson said in the Gatorade press

release. “Even more impressive than her ability to score is her ability to make every one of her teammates better. She makes big plays on defense, too, and she is constantly hustling.”

According to the release, the Gatorade State Player of the Year award was established in 1985 to recognize the nation’s most outstanding high school student-athletes for their athletic excellence, academic achievement and exemplary character. One winner per state is chosen for football, girls volleyball, boys and girls cross country, boys and girls basketball, boys and girls soccer, baseball, softball, and boys and girls track and field.

One National Player of the Year is named in each sport. The selection process is administered by the Gatorade Player of the Year Selection Committee, which works with top sport-specific experts and a media advisory board of accomplished, veteran prep sports journalists to determine the state winners in each sport.

As part of Gatorade’s Play It Forward program, Williams will select a national or local youth sports organization to receive a $1,000 grant. According to the release, she can try for an additional $10,000 spotlight grant by writing an essay explaining why her selected organization deserves additional support. One of those nationwide grants will be given for basketball.

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