Sandy Creek’s Jabari Smith, the AJC’s all-classification player of the year for the 2020-21 season, has been named one of three finalists for the Gatorade National Boys Basketball Player of the Year Award.
The 6-foot-10 senior forward averaged 24 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and three blocks per game for a team that went 28-5 and reached the state finals for the first time.
Smith, who has signed with Auburn, is the consensus No. 4 recruit and No. 2 power forward nationally. He was the Gatorade Georgia Player of the Year, a McDonald’s All-American Game selection and one of 10 semifinalists for the Naismith High School Trophy.
The other candidates for the Gatorade national award are Chet Holmgren, a senior center from Minneapolis who has committed to Gonzaga, and Donovan Clingan, a junior center from Bristol, Conn. The winner of the award will be announced next week.
