SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Santa Clara men's basketball signee Allen Graves has been named the 2023-24 Gatorade Louisiana Boys Basketball Player of the Year, as announced on Thursday.
 
The award, which celebrates the nation's top high school athletes for excellence on the court, in the classroom and in the community, was awarded to Graves for the state of Louisiana after a sensational senior campaign for Ponchatoula High School.
 
A 6-foot-10 forward, Graves led his team to a 30-4 record this season and a second-consecutive Non-Select Division I state championship title. A native of Ponchatoula, La., the big man averaged a double-double of 20.9 points and 12.1 rebounds, while also averaging 2.8 assists, 2.6 blocks and 1.6 steals per game.
 
In his final game with the Green Wave, Graves logged 19 points, 20 rebounds and eight blocks in Ponchatoula's 75-60 win in the state championship game, and earned Most Outstanding Player honors for the second-straight season.
 
Graves, who officially signed with Santa Clara last November, was also named a Louisiana Class 5A First Team All-State selection, and capped his prep basketball career with 1,492 points. 
 
Also sporting a 3.74 GPA academically, Graves is the first student-athlete in Ponchatoula High School history to earn Gatorade Men's Basketball Player of the Year honors. He is the third Santa Clara signee to earn Gatorade Player of the Year honors for his respective state over the last four years (Carlos Stewart – Louisiana and Brandin Podziemski – Wisconsin).
 
Graves will join the Broncos as a true freshman for the 2024-25 season.
 
About the Gatorade Player of the Year Award
The Gatorade Player of the Year program annually recognizes one winner in the District of Columbia and each of the 50 states that sanction high school football, girls volleyball, boys and girls cross country, boys and girls basketball, boys and girls soccer, baseball, softball, and boy's and girls track and field honors, and awards one National Player of the Year in each sport. The selection process is administered by the Gatorade Player of the Year Selection Committee, which leverages experts including coaches, scouts, media and others as sources to help evaluate and determine the state winners in each sport.