St. Francis senior Kameron Ng won the Gatorade Hawaii Boys Basketball Player of the Year award for the second straight year on Friday.
Ng, who finished second to Kahuku’s Tolu Smith in the Star-Advertiser player of the year voting as a junior, is up for the award again this year. The All-State team will be released on Sunday, March 24.
The 5-foot-9 shooting guard averaged 24.4 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals per game this season. He got the Saints within one game of advancing to the Division I state tournament after winning back-to-back state titles in Division II.
Recently named the most valuable player in the Geremy Robinson Senior Classic, Ng is a finalist for the Gatorade National Boys Basketball Player of the Year award to be announced in March.
“Kameron Ng is a terrific offensive player,” said Larry Park, head coach at Kamehameha, in a press release. “I think he’s the best shooter in the state. Every time we missed a defensive assignment, he made us pay by making a three.”
According to the release, Ng holds a 3.39 GPA in the classroom and is undecided on a collegiate destination.
Ng is the first repeat winner of the award since Kamehameha’s Micah Christenson in 2010 and ’11. Kalaheo’s Alika Smith won the honor in 1993 and ’94 and ‘Iolani’s Derrick Low is the only three-time winner of the honor (2002-04).
Nothing but Congratulations to this kid is expected, but how the heck did Tolu Smith not get the award last year?
Has a Gatorade Player Of The Year ever not made the state tournament before? I can’t recall that ever happening.
I don’t know who votes for HPW POY?
This kid is good but he missed a good portion of the season and his team didn’t make states!
IMO, I think there are other kids that could/should have won this award just like Tolu Smith should have won last year.
Well deserved. I think if you look at it from the perspective of, “Who would you not want to play against this year?” or “Who is the toughest player to guard this year?”, then the answer is probably Kameron Ng. It may not be unanimous, but I’d bet his name would come up most as the answer to those questions
Sorry not sorry but this award was mishandled the past two seasons. There should be 2 automatic criteria that should serve as the baseline for who is awarded as arguably the most prestigious individual award, the Gatorade POY: 1) The player played in Division 1 and 2) The player led his or her team to the state tournament that season. We need to get this award back to the tradition of going to a D1 player who led his or her team to at least the opening round of the state tournament. Smith, Low, and Christensen were repeat GOY awardees, yes, but they played at the highest division and played in the state tournament each year they got it.
Call it hating or whatever you need to. This award has been watered down immensely. At least the girls seemed to have gotten it right.