Alyssa Brown's historic season has yielded national attention.
Sahuaro High School's junior forward was named Arizona's Gatorade Girls Basketball Player of the Year on Friday, less than a week after the Cougars' season ended with a loss in the Class 4A state title game. She is the first local winner since 2003, when Salpointe Catholic's Sybil Dosty — who went on to play at Tennessee and Arizona State — brought it home. a
“I am very grateful to have received this award and it is an honor to be selected," Brown said.
As a junior, Brown averaged 31.1 points, 9.7 rebounds and 3.9 steals per game, setting the Arizona single-season scoring record of 932 points in the process. Brown also broke Sahuaro's all-time scoring record, passing her sister Sydney Harden; in February, she scored her 2000th career point. Out of all the accolades and records, Brown said being named the Arizona Gatorade Player of the Year "is by far the most surprising."
Brown led the Cougars to the program's first state championship appearance since 2001, where they fell to top-seeded Chandler Seton Catholic. Brown scored 21 points in the final as Sahuaro finished its season 28-2.
The Gatorade award recognizes athletics, academics and character. Brown has volunteered locally for an animal rescue center and local youth basketball programs. She carries 3.8 GPA, and has sacholarship offers from St. John's, Grand Canyon, NAU, Elon, Hampton, Bethune-Cookman, Maryland-Baltimore County and others.
“Alyssa Brown was by far the most dominant player we saw all year,” Sue Darling, Catalina Foothills' coach, said in a news release.
Brown joins recent Gatorade Arizona Girls Basketball Players of the Year winners, including: Dominique Phillips (2018-19, Goodyear Millennium), Taylor Chavez (2017-18, Surprise Valley Vista), Shaylee Gonzales (2016-17, Gilbert Mesquite), Najiyyah Pack (2015- 16, Phoenix South Mountain), Kristine Anigwe (2014-15, Phoenix Desert Vista), and Julia Barcello (2013-14, Chandler Seton Catholic) as athletes who have won the award since its inception.
