Andrew Wiggins Named Naismith Player of the Year; Quincy Lewis Named Coach of the Year

Earlier today, the 2013 Naismith Awards—given annually to the top high school players and coaches in America—were announced. Huntington Prep (WV) senior swingman Andrew Wiggins was awarded Player of the Year, and Lone Peak (UT) head coach Quincy Lewis was named Coach of the Year. Past winners include LeBron James, Dwight Howard, Kevin Love and Shabazz Muhammad. The women’s award will be announced tomorrow, and a formal banquet dinner will be held in Atlanta, GA, on March 19.

And here is the official announcement from the Atlanta Tipoff Club:

Forward Andrew Wiggins of Huntington Prep in Huntington, W. Va., has been named the 2013 Naismith Trophy winner for Boy’s High School Player of the Year Award, the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced today. Quincy Lewis of Lone Peak High School in Highland, Utah, was selected as the Naismith Boy’s High School Coach of the Year. Both winners will be recognized at the Atlanta Tipoff Club’s Naismith Awards Banquet on Tuesday, March 19, 2013, in Atlanta.

Averaging 23.6 points, 11.7 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 3.4 steals and 2.1 blocks per game, Wiggins was chosen from a field that included finalists Aaron Gordon and Jabari Parker. Wiggins remains undecided as to where he plans to attend college, with many of college basketball’s traditional powers still vying for a commitment from him.

Lewis has led his Lone Peak High School Knights team to a 21-1 record and will play West Jordan High School in the first round of the Utah state playoffs tonight, Feb. 25. The team has been ranked in the Top 5 nationally throughout the season.

The winners were selected by basketball journalists from around the country who form the Naismith Awards national high school voting academy. The selections were based on outstanding player and coach performances during the 2013 high school basketball season.

“The strong performances of Andrew and Quincy this season stood out for our voters among the thousands of players and coaches throughout the country,” said Eric Oberman, Executive Director of the Atlanta Tipoff Club. “The two are very deserving of the Naismith Awards, demonstrating the talent and will to succeed that we’ve come to expect from past award winners.”

The Naismith Boy’s High School Player of the Year award was first presented in 1987 to Dennis Scott of Flint Hill Prep (Oakton, Va.), who later starred at Georgia Tech and with the Orlando Magic in the NBA. Other notable winners include Jason Kidd (1992, St. Joseph Notre Dame High School, Alameda, Calif.), Kobe Bryant (1996, Lower Merion High School, Ardmore, Pa.), LeBron James (2003, St. Vincent-St. Mary, Akron, Ohio) and Derrick Favors (2009, South Atlanta High School in Atlanta, Ga.). Last year’s boy’s winner was Shabazz Muhammad (Bishop Gorman High School, Las Vegas, Nev.), a freshman at UCLA whose performance thus far in the 2013 season has earned him a spot among the top 30 candidates under consideration for the 2013 Naismith Men’s College Player of the Year Award Presented by AT&T.

The Naismith Boy’s High School Coach of the Year Award has been presented since 2008. Last year, Steve Smith of Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, Va. was honored with his second Naismith Boy’s High School Coach of the Year Award. Smith also was the 2009 Award recipient.

For more information, visit www.naismithawards.com.