St. Francis junior guard Kameron Ng, who led the Saints to their second consecutive boys basketball state championship in Division II last month, was named the Gatorade Hawaii player of the year on Thursday.
Ng averaged 25.5 points, 3.6 assists, 3.3 steals and 3.1 rebounds per game according to the Gatorade press release. Earlier this week, he was named the ILH most valuable player in Division II.
Per the press release, “as a Gatorade Player of the Year, Kameron will be able to select a national or local youth sports organization to receive a grant as part of the Gatorade Play It Forward program. Every Gatorade Player of the Year state winner receives a $1,000 grant to donate and will have the opportunity to enter for an additional $10,000 spotlight grant by writing a brief essay explaining why their selected organization deserves additional support. 12 spotlight grants — one for each sport — will be announced throughout the year.”
Ng is the first boys basketball player from St. Francis to win the award and joins a list of recent winners that includes Kahuku’s Jessiya Villa (2016-17), ‘Iolani’s Hugh Hogland (2015-16) and Ikaika Phillip (2013-14), Kalaheo’s Kupa’a Harrison (2014-15) and Joshua Ko (2012-13) and Punahou’s DeForest Buckner (2011-12) and Kameron Steinhoff (2007-08).
Ng has a chance next year to become the first back-to-back winner of the Gatorade award since Kamehameha’s Micah Christenson in 2010 and ’11.
The kid is good but you should have to be in D1
To win state Gatorade player of the year!
“ JMO”
I wonder how the D1 players who were deserving of this award feel about this. I cant recall any Gatorade POY not coming from the highest level of competition in Hawai’i.
Wow! Is there any other state that would allow Gatorade to select a player from a lower division to win their state’s highest basketball award? What a slap in the face to the many players that play in the division they should play in, don’t play with a Dad on the bench, don’t play all game long, and don’t take 30 shots per game. The Hawaii Media is responsible for this award, since they make every Saint Francis win such a huge deal. Now you moving up because Joan of Arc said so…..please!!! You moving up because all the tough players from the last two years are gone!! That’s why you moving up…..
Well I guess if you have to Pick between a first year,6-10 dominating player in Tolu Smith or the local 5-8 undeclassman guard from a D2 ,school then go for the weaker one. Will the saints go D1 next year? I guess it paid off for dad to keep him in on blow out games. Pad that stats.
Agreed. This kid is a great player and played well against tough teams, but it’s a different story when you play those teams on a nightly basis. I thought the GOY award looked at academics too. I am pretty sure other kids across the state in D1 were way more deserving of this award. What a way to discredit the past awardees. Unreal, media does it again.
Totally. I’m sure he’s an awesome player, but he’s DII. If he competed against other D1 teams and players his stats wouldn’t have been anywhere near where they were (and don’t reference any pre-season games, cus we know pre-season is just pre-season). Can you imagine if Zayne Chong or Tolu Smith (or any number of DI players across the state) played DII?? Their stats would’ve been off the charts too. But go get ’em next year. If he’s able to kick everyone’s okole playing against other DI school’s next year then he can prove people wrong. But I do think for this year, he shouldn’t have gotten the award.
This move will set Hawaii basketball back for a long time. It’s hard enough getting respect from the Mainland teams and coaches. This move makes us look weak. The boy can play no doubt. I congratulate him and his family, just wish the media would have considered the long term effects of this decision. For Hawaii it gives kids who aren’t DI hope and will help them strive for more which is awesome. BUT it hurts them in the same breath when they try to get a scholarship for the sport they love as coaches around the nation won’t take Hawaii seriously.