CHICAGO (March 21, 2024) — In its 39th year of honoring the nation’s most elite high school athletes, Gatorade today announced Koa Peat of Perry High School is the 2023-24 Gatorade Arizona Boys Basketball Player of the Year. Peat is the second Gatorade Arizona Boys Basketball Player of the Year to be chosen from Perry High School.

The award, which celebrates the nation’s top high school athletes for excellence on the court, in the classroom and in the community, distinguishes Peat as Arizona’s best high school boys basketball player. From CEOs and coaches to star athletes, Gatorade Player of the Year winners showcase the power of sport, touting an all-star group of alumni that includes LeBron James (2002-03 & 2001-02, St. Vincent – St. Mary High School, Ohio), KarlAnthony Towns (2013-14 & 2012-13, St. Joseph High School, N.J.) and Jayson Tatum (2015-16, 2014-15 & 2013-14, Chaminade College Preparatory School, Mo.).

The state’s returning Gatorade Player of the Year, the 6-foot-8, 225-pound junior forward led the Pumas to a 24-6 record and a second-straight Open State Tournament championship this past season. Peat averaged 20.5 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 2.2 blocks and 1.0 steals per game, recording 21 points, 15 boards and five assists in Perry’s 71-67 win over Millennium High School in the state final. Ranked as the nation’s No. 4 recruit in the Class of 2025 by 247Sports, he concluded his junior year with 1,649 points in his prep basketball career.

Peat has volunteered locally on the Gila River Indian Community reservation with the Komatke Branch of the Boys and Girls Club. He has also donated his time as a youth basketball and football coach in addition to sponsoring multiple families for Christmas tree and toy drives.

“Koa has a chance to be in the same conversation as [Arizona high school greats and NBA standouts] Mike Bibby and Richard Jefferson one day,” said Justin Collard, head coach of Boulder Creek High School. “As of right now, I believe he’s on course to have the greatest high school career of anybody in the history of the state.”

Peat has maintained a weighted 3.59 GPA in the classroom. He will begin his senior year of high school this fall.

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 boys and girls track & field, 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.

Two-time winner Peat joins recent Gatorade Arizona Boys Basketball Players of the Year Dylan Anderson (2021-22 & 2020-21, Perry High School) and DaRon Holmes (2019-20, Millennium High School), among the state’s list of former award winners.

As part of Gatorade’s commitment to breaking down barriers in sport, every Player of the Year also receives a grant to donate to a social impact partner. To date, Gatorade Player of the Year winners’ grants have totaled more than $4.9 million across more than 1,600 organizations.

To learn more about the Gatorade Player of the Year program, check out past winners or to nominate studentathletes, visit playeroftheyear.gatorade.com or follow us on social media on Facebook at facebook.com/GatoradePOY, Instagram at instagram.com/Gatorade and Twitter at twitter.com/Gatorade.