Oklahoma State University Athletics
Smart Named Gatorade Player of the Year
March 23, 2012 | Cowboy Basketball
March 23, 2012
Stillwater, Okla. — Oklahoma State signee Marcus Smart has been named the Gatorade Player of the Year for boys basketball in the state of Texas for the second-consecutive year, it was announced Thursday.
The Gatorade POY in 2011 as a junior, Smart led the Flower Mound Marcus High School Marauders to their second-consecutive Class 5A state championship this past season. He averaged 15.1 points, 9.2 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 2.8 steals and 1.3 blocks per game in leading Marcus to a 39-2 record. He was also named the 2011 Texas Association of Basketball Coaches Class 5A Player of the Year.
"Marcus Smart is a leader on and off the court and has one of the best attitudes I've ever seen in a high school player," said Henry Thomas, head coach at rival Flower Mound High School. "What makes him so good to me is the fact that he seems to always be involved in every play, offensive or defensive. He seems to always be around the ball."
The Gatorade Player of the Year award recognizes the top student-athlete in all 50 states based on the program's three pillars: athletic production and impact, high academic achievement, and exemplary personal character.
Smart has maintained a B average in the classroom. He is a member of the Black History Club, and has volunteered locally as an elementary school mentor and tutor and as a youth basketball coach.
