Megan Walker wins Gatorade National Girls Basketball Player of the Year

A week of honors continued Wednesday night and Thursday for Megan Walker of Monacan High (Richmond, Va.).

Walker was surprised with the Gatorade National Girls Basketball Player of the Year Award from Elena Della Donne of the Washington Mystic during the Washington Wizards game on Wednesday night. After the game, she posed for a photo with John Wall, a former Gatorade winner.

Walker was not told that the award was coming. Her parents told her that she would be named the fan of the game and appear on the video board. Then Della Donne emerged with the trophy.

On Thursday, her school celebrated the honor with the official ceremony. She is now eligible to the Gatorade Female Athlete of the Year, which is selected from among the nationals players of the year in each sport.

The Gatorade honors follow her winning the Naismith Trophy Girls Basketball Player o the Year on Tuesday.

A 6-foot-1 guard, Walker averaged 26 points, eight rebounds and three steals per game as a senior in leading Monacan to a perfect 30-0 record and a third consecutive 4A state title. During the postseason, she surpassed 2,000 career points and finished with 2,067.

Walker, a UConn signee, is ranked as the No. 1 recruit in the Class of 2017.  She has been selected for the McDonald’s All American Game on March 29 in Chicago and the Jordan Brand Classic on April 14 in Brooklyn.

The Gatorade honor also includes a scholastic and community service component. Walker has a 3.83 grade point average and volunteers as a youth coach at a daycare center, according to a news release.

“This week has been one of the best ever,” Walker told the Richmond Times-Dispatch. “Hitting that shot, coming through for my teammates when they needed me the most was exciting. Winning these awards just means a lot, to be able to achieve this award not just for basketball, but for my work in the classroom and the community.”