Sarah Strong’s a dawg in the paint with the lightest touch around the three-point line. She helped lead the USA basketball women’s 3×3 team to the gold in the 2022 and 2023 FIBA 3×3 U18 World Cup, won 2024 Naismith High School Player of the Year and led her high school team to a perfect 30-0 record this past season.

Joyce Edwards’ insane versatility on both ends of the court led to her being named 2023-24 Gatorade National Girls Basketball Player of the Year. She also led the Bulldogs to the Class AAA state championship and was named a 2024 McDonald’s All-American. Not only is Edwards a menace on the court, she has maintained a 5.08 weighted GPA in the classroom. 

With crazy court vision, Jaloni Cambridge plays with passion and a quickness that doesn’t go unnoticed. She’s a McDonald’s All-American and played in the 2022 FIBA U17 World Cup All-Star Five. But will never forget her run at the SLAM Summer Classic Vol. 5 in 2023. 

Kateryna Koval’s competitiveness and dominance helped her claim 2022-23 Gatorade New York Girls Basketball Player of the Year. She has represented her home country of Ukraine for almost six years, and at the FIBA U16 Women’s European Challengers in 2021, she averaged a smooth double-double of 26 points and 14.2 rebounds per game. 

Kiyomi McMiller is making waves both on and off the court. The McDonald’s All-American nominee and Jordan Brand Classic All-American can drop buckets with her flashy, smooth-style of play. McMiller made history as the first high school athlete to sign an NIL deal with Jordan Brand. 

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The distinguished honor, which was announced on Thursday, was presented to her by two-time WNBA All-Star and Dallas Wings forward Satou Sabally, who surprised her in Camden HS’s gym alongside her parents, teammates and her coach, Natalie Funderburk, who won Gatorade South Carolina Girls Basketball Player of the Year in ’92.

“I’m just honored and grateful just to be in a position,” Edwards told WSLAM’s Madison Firle. “I mean, even to be considered for this title is an achievement in itself. But for Gatorade to consider me the best girls basketball player in my class is it’s just crazy. I have no words for it. I’m just happy that other people see the work that I’ve put into the game.”

Edwards is a standout forward who can knock down shots and put up big time numbers. As she gets ready for the next level, stars like Sabally already can tell her future is bright:

“She’s gonna make an impact on women’s basketball, inspiring the next generation and really, you know, giving young women [something to look up to],” Sabally says, later adding: “We always look at stats, but South Carolina obviously has a winning culture. And, you know, adding an asset like [Joyce] will drive that winning culture forward. I mean, Dawn Staley doesn’t recruit lightly. And she will definitely select players that are worth of the legacy that they’re building. So I’m just super excited about that.”

All images can be credited to: Gatorade Player of the Year / Joe Greer

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