For a list of the other Gatorade State Girls Basketball POYs, click here.

THE WINNER: Alaina Coates

THE BASICS

School: Dutch Fork (Irmo, S.C.)
Grade: Senior
Position: Center
Height: 6-foot-5

Athletic achievement: Coates led the Silver Foxes to a 29-0 record and a second consecutive Class AAAA state championship this past season. A McDonald’s High School All-American Game selection, Coates averaged 21.4 points, 11.6 rebounds, 3.8 blocks, 2.6 steals and 1.4 assists per game. The South Carolina Basketball Coaches Association’s Class 4A Player of the Year, she shot 69 percent from the field. Coates recorded 10 points, 16 rebounds, four assists, four blocks and three steals in the 46-43, title-clinching win over Dorman (Roebuck, S.C.). She participated in the USA Basketball Women’s U16 National Team Trials in 2011.

Academic excellence: Coates has maintained a 3.04 GPA.

Exemplary character: An active member of the Young Women organization and Distributive Education Clubs of America, Coates has volunteered locally on behalf of a soup kitchen, a holiday gift-giving campaign and her church’s youth group and nursery.

THE PRAISE

“She was the most dominant player we faced this year,” said Aubrey Pompey, head coach of rival Aiken (S.C.). “We had the pleasure of facing her three times. Each time, she was the difference in each of our contests. She exhibited good sportsmanship as well as leadership for her team.”

THE FUTURE: Coates will attend South Carolina.