Future Bruin Kevin Love, out of Lake Oswego High School in Oregon, was named the Gatorade National Boys Basketball Player of the Year, it was announced Tuesday. The award is another accolade to add to the trophy case for Love, who was already named Naismith, Parade and McDonald’s Player of the Year.
The Gatorade award recognizes athletes for performance both on the court and in the classroom. A national advisory board of sportswriters and experts from around the nation singled out Love, who has maintained a B average, from a pool of over 546,000 high school boys basketball players. Love is now a finalist for the Gatorade Male High School Athlete of the Year Award, which will be presented in a ceremony preceding the ESPY awards in July.
As a senior, Love put up huge numbers, averaging 33.6 points, 17 rebounds and three blocks per game. For his career, he scored 2,628 points, enough to break a 50-year-old state record.
“His ability to dominate at both ends of the floor is pretty historic at the high school level,” Lake Oswego coach Mark Shoff told UCLABruins.com.
“This state has produced players like Richard Washington and Danny Ainge, who went on to great college and pro careers, but we’ve never had anyone of Kevin’s caliber at this point in his career.”
CHENEY TO REPRESENT U.S. SOCCER: UCLA freshman Lauren Cheney was named to the 18-player roster for the U.S. Women’s National Team’s match against Mexico this Saturday in Foxborough, Mass., it was announced Monday. Cheney is the youngest player on coach Greg Ryan’s roster as the national team begins its run to the 2007 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Ryan chose his roster from a field of 32 after a four-month Residency Training Camp held in Carson at The Home Depot Center.
Cheney has appeared only one time for the senior team, but was a member of the U-20 National team at the 2006 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Championship.
The U.S. women’s side will be playing its first game in the Boston area since a 1-0 win over Norway in 2003 during the 2003 FIFA Women’s World Cup quarterfinals.
Saturday, Cheney and the U.S. will be taking on a Mexican team that is coming off a loss in a two-game playoff against Japan. The Mexican squad is not without a strong arsenal, featuring Maribel Dominguez, Mexico’s most accomplished women’s player.
The match is the first of eight games the Americans are scheduled to play in the U.S. before heading to China.
The 19-year-old Cheney scored 19 goals in her first year at UCLA, helping the Bruins reach the Final Four.
Compiled by Bobby Gordon, Bruin Sports senior staff.