Incoming Duke basketball player Cameron Boozer and BYU cross country and track and field commit Jane Hedengren were recognized as the best high school athletes of the year Wednesday.<\/p>\n
Boozer and Hedengren took home the Gatorade Best Male and Female Players of the Year awards during the broadcast of the ESPYS on ESPN. Track star Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford announced the winners during the annual award show.<\/p>\n
Here is the full list of finalists who were up for the award:<\/p>\n
Boozer is a familiar name among sports fans, as he is the son of former Duke star and NBA player Carlos Boozer. He is following in his father’s footsteps and joining the Blue Devils, which is quite the legacy to live up to as he enters the college game.<\/p>\n
After all, his father was a national champion, All-American and ACC tournament MVP with Duke and then played with the Utah Jazz, Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Lakers over the course of 13 seasons.<\/p>\n
The younger Boozer is well on his way to building his own legacy, and Wednesday’s award is just his latest achievement. He was also the 2022-23 Gatorade National Player of the Year and was recently a member of the McDonald’s All-American team and Team USA’s Nike Hoop Summit squad.<\/p>\n
Boozer is a highly regarded recruit and could be Duke’s next star freshman after Cooper Flagg departed for the NBA. He is the No. 3 overall player and No. 1 power forward in the 2025 class, per 247Sports’<\/a> composite rankings.<\/p>\n