ATLANTA - Dwight Howard of Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy and Candace Parker of Naperville Central High in Illinois are the winners of this year's Naismith Prep Basketball Players of the Year awards.
Gainesville High's Tasha Humphrey, who led the Lady Red Elephants to their third Class AAA title in four years, was one of the finalists for this year's girls award.
This is the second year in a row Parker has been selected. She was the 2003 Naismith winner, along with Lebron James.
Howard, a 6-foot-11 center, led his team to its first Georgia High School Association Class A state championship while averaging 25.5 points, 18.3 rebounds, eight blocks and 3.5 assists per game this season.
Parker assisted Naperville Central in its second straight Illinois Class AA State Championship season. The 6-3 center-forward averaged 24.3 points, 3.3 steals, 3.5 blocks and 11.5 rebounds. She finished her high school career with 2,758 points, and her team was 95-4 in the final 99 games she played.
The Naismith awards are presented by the Atlanta Tipoff Club. This year's recipients will be honored in an April 9 banquet.
Thursday
June 12th, 2025
5:14AM
