Ryan Spangler Named Gatorade Player of the Year

Bridge Creek High School STANDOUT NAMED
GATORADE® Oklahoma BOYS BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE YEAR
 

CHICAGO (March 17, 2011) — In its 26th year of honoring the nation’s best high school athletes, The Gatorade Company, in collaboration with ESPN RISE, today announced Ryan Spangler of Bridge Creek High School as its 2010-11 Gatorade Oklahoma Boys Basketball Player of the Year.  Spangler is the first Gatorade Oklahoma Boys Basketball Player of the Year to be chosen from Bridge Creek High School. 

The award, which recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the court, distinguishes Spangler as Oklahoma’s best high school boys basketball player.  Now a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade National Boys Basketball Player of the Year award to be announced in March, Spangler joins an elite alumni association of past state boys basketball award winners, including Dwight Howard (2003-04, SW Atlanta Christian Academy, Ga.), Chauncey Billups (1993-94 & 1994-95, George Washington HS, Colo.), Jason Kidd (1991-92, St. Joseph Notre Dame HS, Calif.), Paul Pierce (1994-95, Inglewood HS, Calif.) and Chris Bosh (2001-02, Lincoln HS, Texas).
 
The 6-foot-8, 225-pound senior forward averaged 29.8 points, 17.4 rebounds, six blocks and 4.5 assists this past season, leading the Bobcats (26-2) to the Class 4A state final. A two-time First Team All-State selection, he recorded five triple-doubles this season, including a quadruple-double in a win over Anadarko High in late February.
 
Spangler has maintained a 3.83 GPA in the classroom. A devoted parishioner in his church community, he has volunteered locally on behalf of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, the Special Olympics and as an elementary school mentor.
 
“Ryan Spangler is the best player in the state, bar none,” said Corey Miller, head coach of rival Woodward High. “He is an absolute force on both ends of the court. I haven’t seen anyone better than him this year.”
 
Spangler has signed a National Letter of Intent to play basketball on scholarship at Gonzaga University this fall.
 
The Gatorade Player of the Year program annually recognizes one winner in the District of Columbia and each of the 50 states that sanction high school football, girls volleyball, boys and girls cross country, boys and girls basketball, boys and girls soccer, baseball, softball, and boys and girls track & field, and awards one National Player of the Year in each sport. The selection process is administered by ESPN RISE and the Gatorade high school sports leadership team, which work with top sport-specific experts and a media advisory board of accomplished, veteran prep sports journalists to determine the state winners in each sport.
 
Spangler joins recent Gatorade Oklahoma Boys Basketball Players of the Year Tyler Neal (2009-10, Putnam City West) and Xavier Henry (2007-08 & 2008-09, Putnam City), among the state’s list of former award winners.
 
To keep up to date on the latest happenings, become a fan of Gatorade Player of the Year on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. For more on the Gatorade Player of the Year program, including nomination information, a complete list of past winners, and the announcement of the Gatorade National Player of the Year, visit playeroftheyear.gatorade.com <http://playeroftheyear.gatorade.com> .