The following release was sent out today regarding Kevin Love and Maya Moore being named the Gatorade High School Athletes of the Year:

LOS ANGELES (July 11, 2007) – The biggest names in high school and professional sports convened in Hollywood today as Gatorade honored the top prep male and female athletes with the fifth annual Gatorade High School Athlete of the Year awards. Gatorade National Boys Basketball Player of the Year Kevin Love (Lake Oswego High School / Lake Oswego) was named Gatorade High School Male Athlete of the Year, while Gatorade National Girls Basketball Player of the Year Maya Moore (Collins Hill High School / Suwanee) received Gatorade High School Female Athlete of the Year honors.

Love and Moore received their awards at a luncheon emceed by ESPN’s Stuart Scott and attended by former Gatorade award winners Vince Carter of the New Jersey Nets (1993-94 Gatorade National Basketball Player of the Year), Greg Oden of the Portland Trailblazers (2004-05, 2005-06 Gatorade National Basketball Player of the Year & 2006 Gatorade Athlete of the Year), Chris Paul of the New Orleans Hornets (2002-03 Gatorade North Carolina Boys Basketball Player of the Year), and Lisa Leslie of the Los Angeles Sparks (1995-96 Gatorade National Girls Basketball Player of the Year).

Introduced in 1985, the Gatorade Player of the Year award was one of the first national awards to honor high school athletes for their athletic excellence, academic achievement and exceptional character. In 2003, the Gatorade High School Athlete of the Year awards were established to identify and honor the nation’s top overall male and female high school athlete from among the 10 Gatorade National Players of the Year honored during the high school athletic season.

All Gatorade High School Athlete of the Year nominees will walk the ESPY red carpet and be featured as special guests during The ESPY Awards Show. The show will take place this evening and air on ESPN on Sunday, July 15, at 9:00 p.m. EDT.

"The ESPY Awards honor the best in sports, so it is only fitting that we celebrate the best in high school sports on the same day," said Jeff Urban, Gatorade senior vice president of sports marketing. “The Gatorade Player of the Year award has built an incredible legacy in its 22 years. The Gatorade High School Athlete of the Year awards have built on to that legacy, helping to increase the prestige of the program, and achieve a reputation among young athletes as the premier honor in high school sports.”

2007 GATORADE HIGH SCHOOL
ATHLETE OF THE YEAR AWARD WINNERS

Kevin Love: With his low-post scoring, rebounding and crisp passing, Kevin helped put Oregon on the national high school basketball map. He led Lake Oswego to their third straight state championship game appearance and the No. 13 USA Today Boys’ Super 25 national rankings. The only player ever named a three-time Oregon Player of the Year, Kevin broke Oregon’s 50 year-old career scoring record (2,628) as a senior despite missing a large portion of his sophomore season. The son of former University of Oregon star and NBA player, Stan Love, Kevin will play for UCLA in the fall.

» Averaged 33.6 points, 17 rebounds, four assists and three blocks in 2006-07
» Naismith, USA Today, PARADE, National High School Coaches Association and Co-Oregon Player of the Year
» McDonald’s All-American
» Career high school averages of 26.8 points and 14.5 rebounds per game
» Broke 50-year-old Oregon record for points scored (2,628)
» Four-year varsity starter and 92-21 career record
» Scored 21 points and 16 rebounds to be named MVP; led the West team to a 144-123 victory in the Roundball Classic

Maya Moore: Touted by prep basketball experts as one of the best players in recent memory, Maya led Collins Hill to an undefeated season, their third straight Georgia Class 5A state championship and the No. 1 spot in the season's final USA Today Super 25 girls basketball rankings. The 6-foot senior forward led Collins Hill to a 125-3 record in her four-year varsity career - with two loses coming to the nation's No. 1 ranked team - Christ the King HS (Queens, NY) - in 2004-05 and 2005-06. Maya will play for the University of Connecticut and Hall of Fame Coach Geno Auriemma this fall.

» Averaged 25.5 points, 12.1 rebounds, four assists, 4.3 steals and 2.3 blocks in 2006-07
» Naismith, Women’s Basketball Coach Association (WBCA), National High School Coaches Association, USA Today and PARADE National Player of the Year
» McDonald’s All-American (Morgan Wooten Award winner)
» 2007 Georgia Miss Basketball
» Named Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Gwinnett Daily Post and Gwinnett County Tip-Off Club Player of the Year
» 2006 Nike Tournament of Champions MVP
» Career stats include 2,664 points, 1,212 rebounds, 407 assists and 467 steals
» 125-3 record as a four-year varsity starter

2007 GATORADE HIGH SCHOOL
ATHLETE OF THE YEAR AWARD NOMINEES
The 2006-07 Gatorade National Players of the Year (see below) representing five male and five female sports were nominees for the Gatorade High School Athlete of the Year awards.

FEMALE
Alix Klineman - Mira Costa High School (Manhattan Beach, CA)
Sport: Volleyball Bound for: Standford University

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Melissa Henderson - Berkner High School (Richardson, TX)
Sport: Soccer Bound for: Junior in High School

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Maya Moore - Collins Hill High School (Suwanee, GA)
Sport: Basketball Bound for: University of Connecticut

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Ashley Brignac - John Curtis Christian School (River Ridge, LA)
Sport: Softball Bound for: University of Louisiana-Lafayette

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Emily Pendleton - Woodmore High School (Elmore, OH)
Sport: Track & Field Bound for: University of Michigan

MALE
John Brantley - Trinity Catholic High School (Ocala, FL)
Sport: Football Bound for: University of Florida

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Brayan Martinez - West Orange High School (West Orange, NJ)
Sport: Soccer Bound for: Seton Hall University

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Kevin Love - Lake Oswego High School (Lake Oswego, OR)
Sport: Basketball Bound for: UCLA

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Rick Porcello - Seton Hall Prep (West Orange, NJ)
Sport: Baseball Bound for: Detroit Tigers Organization

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Bryshon Nellum - Long Beach Poly High School (Long Beach, CA)
Sport: Track & Field Bound for: USC

PAST GATORADE HIGH SCHOOL
ATHLETE OF THE YEAR AWARD WINNERS

Former winners of Gatorade High School Male
and Female Athlete of the Year honors include:

2003
Male: LeBron James / Basketball (Arkron, OH / Cleveland Cavaliers)
Female: Allyson Felix / Track & Field (Los Angeles, CA / USA Track & Field)

2004
Male: Dwight Howard / Basketball (Atlanta, GA / Orlando Magic)
Female: Candace Parker / Basketball (Naperville, IL / University of Tennessee)

2005
Male: Greg Paulus / Football (Syracuse, NY / Duke University)
Female: Cynthia Barboza / Volleyball (Long Beach, CA / Stanford University)


2006
Male: Greg Oden / Basketball (Indianapolis, IN / Portland Trailblazers)
Female: Tina Charles / Basketball (New York, NY / University of Connecticut)

For more information on the Gatorade High School Athlete of the Year awards and the Gatorade Player of the Year program, visit www.gatorade.com/playeroftheyear.