nominates the boys and girls, with coaches from across the state, media members, and fans voting for players.
Last season both awards went to local talent in Westtown’s Dereck Lively, who entered this year’s NBA draft after one season at Duke, and Ryanne Allen of Archbishop Wood, now playing for Vanderbilt. Other local boys’ basketball players who have won the award include Chicago Bulls’ Derrick Jones Jr., a graduate of Archbishop Carroll, in 2015, former Roman Catholic guard Tony Carr , now plays in the Israeli Basketball Premier League, and Portland Trail Blazers’ Cam Reddish , a Norristown grad. Villanova’s Eric Dixon also won the award in 2019.Imhotep Charter’s Justin Edwards is Philly’s top high school player in 30 years. His mom worked two jobs to keep his dream alive.
The first area girls’ player to win the award was Plymouth Whitemarsh’s Taylor O’Brien in 2018. Diamond Johnson, a Neumann Goretti standout who recently transferred to Norfolk State, received the honor in 2020. Villanova’s Lucy Olsen, a former Spring-Ford guard, won the award in 2021.