Three future Buffs hoopers earn Gatorade POY honors

Three soon-to-be Colorado Buffaloes men's basketball players were honored with Gatorade Player of the Year honors for their respective states and districts Friday.

Class of 2021 signees Julian Hammond III and Quincy Allen won for Colorado and Washington, D.C., respectively, while 2022 commit Joe Hurlburt won for his home state pf North Dakota.

The Gatorade Player of the Year, which has been handed out annually since 1985 to high school athletes competing in football, volleyball, boys & girls cross country, boys & girls basketball, boys & girls soccer, softball, baseball and boys & girls track and field, honors the top athletes in every state according to athletic excellence, academic achievement and exemplary character.

CU freshman guard and Colorado Springs native Dominique Clifford captured the award for his home state in 2020, with Cherry Creek's Hammond III following his example for 2021.

Hammond III averaged 22.4 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game in the Bruins' 17-1 2020-2021 campaign, which ended with a semifinals loss in the playoffs to Thunder Ridge.

At any rate, Hammond III's Gatorade Player of the Year award is a nice compliment to an already storied high school sports career; as Cherry Creek's starting quarterback, he led the Bruins to back-to-back CHSAA Class 5A state championships.

This past season, Allen led the Maret Frogs to a 7-5 record in their condensed COVID campaign, averaging 22.3 points and 10 boards per game in the process.

As for Hurlburt, the 2022 big man, ranked currently as the No. 107 prospect in the nation for his class, he averaged 22.6 points, 14.3 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game last season as a junior for the Enderlin Eagles.