June 9 (UPI) -- Gonzaga Bulldogs men's basketball signee Chet Holmgren was named the 2020-21 Gatorade National Player of the Year on Wednesday.
The 7-foot Holmgren averaged 20.8 points, 12.6 rebounds, 4.7 blocks and 4.4 assists last season for Minnehaha Academy in Minneapolis, Minn. ESPN and 247Sports rank him as the No. 1 prospect in the 2021 recruiting class.
Former Gonzaga star guard Jalen Suggs, who was Holmgren's high school teammate, presented the award to Holmgren during a surprise virtual announcement. After winning the award, Holmgren said he's happy Gatorade will make a donation to a local organization in Minnesota on his behalf.
"It's definitely a huge honor to win such a prestigious award and it's even more of an honor to me, personally, because of the charity work that they'll do on my behalf by donating to a sports program close to home that's helped a lot of people I know," Holmgren said.
Past winners of the award include LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Ben Simmons, R.J. Barrett, Jayson Tatum and Karl-Anthony Towns.
With Holmgren's expected arrival at Gonzaga, the Bulldogs could enter next season as the favorite to win the national championship after finishing as the runner-up to Baylor in April.