Michael Porter Jr & Brandon Roy Named Naismith National HS Player of the Year & Coach of the Year
On Monday, the Atlanta Tip-Off Club named its Naismith National HS award winners and it was a sweep for the Nathan Hale Raiders out of Seattle, whose star player Michael Porter Jr and coach Brandon Roy claimed the Player of the Year and Coach of the Year awards, respectively. Porter, who many consider the top prospects in the Class of 2017, committed to Washington last summer. But after the firing of Lorenzo Romar last week it appears that he will now be headed elsewhere. Meanwhile Roy, the former three-time NBA All-Star and sixth overall pick of the 2006 NBA Draft, was just in his first year as a head coach this past season when he led Nathan Hale to a perfect 29-0 record, the state title and the No. 1 spot on national rankings.
See below for official announcement from the Atlanta Tip-Off Club:
Michael Porter Jr., a 6’9” forward at Seattle’s Nathan Hale High School, and his head coach, Brandon Roy, have been named the 2017 Naismith National High School Player and Coach of the Year, the Atlanta Tipoff Club today announced today. This marks the third time that a player and his coach share top honors, following Jared and Satch Sullinger (Northland High School, Columbus, Ohio) in 2010, and last year’s combo of Lonzo Ball and Steve Baik (Chino Hills High School, Chino, Calif.)
Porter Jr., a University of Washington commit, scored 28 points and hauled down 17 rebound in the Raiders 68-51 victory over Roy’s alma mater, Garfield, in the Washington 3A state championship. He averaged 34.8 points and 13.8 rebounds per game this season.
Roy, a former NBA player, was hired in June 2016, taking over a program that won three games the previous season, and led the Raiders to a perfect season (29-0).
“Michael was the leader of a talented team which worked hard and never lost sight of their end goal – a perfect season and winning a state title,” said Eric Oberman, executive director of the Atlanta Tipoff Club. “Coach Roy was the steady guidance who motivated this team to improve every single game and ultimately they both were rewarded by winning Naismith awards.”
“It’s a dream come true,” Porter Jr. said of winning the Naismith Trophy. “This is the biggest individual accomplishment of my basketball career so far and I feel blessed.”
