Ashley High School basketball player Saniya Rivers named National Player of the Year
By Zach Solon | June 2, 2021 at 3:00 PM EDT – Updated June 2 at 8:41 PM
WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) – Ashley High School senior basketball player Saniya Rivers has been named the 2020-2021 Gatorade National Girls Basketball Player of the Year. The award is given each year to one student in the country for their accomplishments both on and off the court.
Two-time WNBA MVP and current Washington Mystics player Elena Delle Donne presented Rivers with the award virtually on Wednesday. Rivers is the first player from North Carolina to receive the national award in its 36-year history, having won the state player of the year award twice.
Rivers averaged 36.8 points, 11.5 rebounds, 5.3 steals and 5.1 assists per game during this past season as Ashley High School, helping the Screaming Eagles to a 15-2 record and a trip to the 4A state semifinals.
The Ashley High School standout was chosen for the award by a selection committee that evaluated the top players from across the country, in all 50 states and Washington, D.C.
Rivers is no stranger to the Wilmington community; she volunteers at the MLK Center and Brigade Boys and Girls Club serving as a mentor to younger players in the Cape Fear.
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