Greg Oden and Tina Charles Named Gatorade High School Athletes of the Year – Ohio State Buckeyes
7/13/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
July 13, 2006
LOS ANGELES – The biggest names in high school and professional sports convened in Hollywood today as Gatorade honored the top prep male and female athletes with the fourth annual Gatorade High School Athlete of the Year Awards. National Boys Basketball Player of the Year Greg Oden (Lawrence North High School / Indianapolis) was named Gatorade High School Male Athlete of the Year, while National Girls Basketball Player of the Year Tina Charles (Christ the King High School / New York) received Gatorade High School Female Athlete of the Year honors.
Oden and Charles received their awards at a luncheon emceed by ESPN’s Stuart Scott and attended by former Gatorade award winners Matt Leinart of the Arizona Cardinals (2000-01 California Football Player of the Year, Alonzo Mourning of the Miami Heat (1987-88 National Boys Basketball Player of the Year), and former Stanford University and USA Volleyball teammates Logan Tom (1998-99 National Volleyball Player of the Year) and Ogonna Nnamani (2000-01 National Volleyball Player of the Year).
Introduced in 1985, the Gatorade Player of the Year award was one of the first national awards to honor high school athletes for their accomplishments on and off the field in a variety of sports. In 2003, the Gatorade High School Athlete of the Year Awards were established to identify and honor the nation’s top overall male and female high school athlete from among the 10 Gatorade National Players of the Year honored during the high school athletic season.
All Gatorade High School Athlete of the Year nominees will walk the ESPY red carpet and be featured as special guests during The ESPY Awards Show. The show will take place this evening and air on ESPN on Sunday, July 16 at 9 p.m. EDT.
“The ESPY Awards honor the best in sports, so it is only fitting that we celebrate the best in high school sports on the same day,” said Tom Fox, Gatorade senior vice president of sports marketing. “The Gatorade Player of the Year award has built an incredible legacy in its 21 years. The Gatorade High School Athlete of the Year awards have built on to that legacy, helping to increase the prestige of the program and achieve a reputation among young athletes as the premier honor in high school sports.”
2006 GATORADE HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETE OF THE YEAR AWARD WINNERS
Greg Oden: Heralded as the country’s top player and one of the best big men to come out of high school in years, Greg’s rebounding, shot blocking, and offensive dominance helped lead Lawrence North to a historic season, a top national ranking, and its third straight Indiana Class 4A state championship. Oden will join Coach Thad Matta and one of the nation’s best recruiting classes at The Ohio State University this fall.
Averaged 22.0 points, 10.5 rebounds, 2.8 blocks and shot 74percent from the field in 2005-06 Naismith , USA Today, PARADE, EASports Player of the Year Associated Press Indiana All-State(leading vote getter for third straight season) Indiana Mr.Basketball 2006 Career high school totals of 1,873 points, 1,058rebounds and 341 blocks shots 104-7 overall record (34-0 at home)in four varsity seasons Third school in Indiana state history towin three consecutive state titles 45 consecutive wins equalsIndiana state record ( Crispus Attucks High School / OscarRobertson) Invited to train with the USA Men’s Senior National Teamin summer 2006
Tina Charles: Tina’s dominance in the paint and overall leadership propelled perennial powerhouse Christ the King to its second straight undefeated season, New York State Federation Class AA championship and No. 1 national ranking by USA Today. Charles led Christ the King to victories over five nationally ranked teams this season, including two wins over intracity rival Murray Bergtraum. Tina will play for the University of Connecticut and Hall of Fame Coach Geno Auriemma this fall.
Points of Interest
Averaged 26.5 points, 14.8 rebounds and 5.2 blocked shots pergame in 2005-06 National Player of the Year – Gatorade, Women’sBasketball Coaches Association, USA Today, PARADE McDonald’sAll-American (Morgan Wooten Award winner) 2006 Miss Basketball NewYork State Named New York City Player of the Year by Newsday, theDaily News and the New York Post 2005 Nike Tournament of ChampionsMVP Career stats include 1,750 points 1,224 rebounds, and 438blocks 82-2 record as a varsity player Led the U.S. to the goldmedal at the 2006 FIBA Americas Under-18 Championship for Women2006 GATORADE HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETE OF THE YEAR AWARD NOMINEES
The 2005-06 Gatorade National Players of the Year (see below) representing five male and five female sports were nominees for the Gatorade High School Athlete of the Year Awards.
| SPORT | NAME | HIGH SCHOOL | BOUND FOR… |
| GIRLS | |||
| Volleyball | Megan Hodge | Riverside High School (Durham, NC) | Penn State University |
| Soccer | Lauren Cheney | Ben Davis High School (Indianapolis, IN) | UCLA |
| Basketball | Tina Charles | Christ the King Regional High School (Queens, NY) | University of Connecticut |
| Softball | Kirsten Shortridge | Keller High School (Keller, TX) | Baylor University |
| Track & Field | Bianca Knight | Ridgeland High School (Ridgeland, MS) | Ridgeland HS (Sr.) |
| BOYS | |||
| Football | Mitch Mustain | Springdale High School (Springdale, AR) | University of Arkansas |
| Soccer | Eric Alexander | Portage Central High School (Portage, MI) | Indiana University |
| Basketball | Greg Oden | Lawrence North High School (Indianapolis, IN) | The Ohio State University |
| Baseball | Clayton Kershaw | Highland Park High School (Dallas, TX) | Los Angeles Dodgers Org. |
| Track & Field | David Klech | California High School (San Ramon, CA) | UCLA |
PAST GATORADE HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETE OF THE YEAR AWARD WINNERS
Former winners of Gatorade High School Male and Female Athlete of the Year honors include:
2003
Male: LeBron James / Basketball (Arkron, OH / Cleveland Cavaliers)
Female: Allyson Felix / Track & Field (Los Angeles, CA / USA Track & Field)
2004
Male: Dwight Howard / Basketball (Atlanta, GA / Orlando Magic)
Female: Candace Parker / Basketball (Naperville, IL / University of Tennessee)
2005
Male: Greg Paulus / Football (Syracuse, NY / Duke University)
Female: Cynthia Barboza / Volleyball (Long Beach, CA / Stanford University)
