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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
JYARE DAVIS, STUDENT-ATHLETE AWARDS BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF DELAWARE GRANT THROUGH GATORADE
WILMINGTON (April 23, 2019) — Boys & Girls Club kid, Newark native and Sanford School junior Jyara Davis named Delaware Basketball Gatorade State Player of the Year. Jyare awarded Boys & Girls Clubs of Delaware with a $1,000 grant to help accomplish our mission to inspire and enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, responsible, and caring citizens.
The award, which recognizes outstanding athletic excellence, high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the field, distinguishes Davis as Delaware’s best high school boys basketball player. As finalist for the prestigious Gatorade National Boys Basketball Player of the Year award, Davis joins an elite alumni association of past state boys basketball award winners, including Dwight Howard, Chris Bosh, Paul Pierce, Chauncey Billups, and Jason Kidd.
The 6-foot-7, 205-pound junior guard and forward led the Sanford Warriors to a 20–4 record and the 2019 State Championship. Davis averaged 17.1 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game. A two-time First Team All-State honoree, he also played on the gold medal squad at the USA Basketball 3×3 U18 National Championship in 2018.
A member of his school’s Diversity Alliance, Davis has volunteered locally on behalf of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. “Jyare Davis is the most talented all-around player in the state,” said Chris Loeffler, head coach at Wilmington Friends School. “What’s most impressive about his game is how mature he plays. He doesn’t force shots, he works within the team structure, allowing everyone to play their role—but he steps up when necessary. ”
Davis maintains a B average in the classroom and will begin his senior year of high school in fall 2019.
Sports have seen a double-digit decline over the past decade, largely due to tighter budgets in communities, but young people that participate in sports are found to be happier, healthier and better students. Gatorade Play It Forward empowers Gatorade Player of the Year recipients across the country to award local or national sports organizations with grants, so they can continue helping young athletes enjoy the benefit of sports.
“The Gatorade Player of the Year award highlights student-athletes who set an example both on and off the field” said Amanda Turak, Assistant Marketing Manager for Gatorade Player of the Year. “The grants give these athletes a chance to donate to organizations like, Boys & Girls Clubs of Delaware, that positively impact the youth in their own communities.”
“We were not surprised to learn that Jyare had been named Gatorade State Player of the Year,” said Greater Newark Boys & Girls Club Executive Director Stuart Sherman, “he is a tremendous athlete and deserves this recognition. “I guess I can’t say I am surprised he chose the Club to receive the $1,000 donation either, he’s a good kid who has always considered the Club his home away from home. We strive to teach our kids to be productive, caring, responsible citizens through our programs, Jyare is living proof that what we do works,” Sherman went on to say. Boys & Girls Clubs help young people develop leadership skills, a sense of civic duty and an understanding of the value of giving back to their community. Clubs knows that kids are more likely to carry these values with them when they leave the Club if they see it every day in the programs they participate in and staff who model good behavior. “We are grateful for companies like Gatorade that provide opportunities for kids like Jyare to give back to their community in such a meaningful way. A thousand dollar donation goes a long way at the Club.”
All 607 Gatorade State Player of the Year recipients are awarded a grant to donate to the organization of their choosing. Each Player of the Year can also submit an essay about why their organization is deserving of a Spotlight Grant, which is a larger monetary award. Gatorade awards 12 Spotlight Grants, one for each sport recognized by the Player of the Year program.
To keep up to date on the latest happenings, become a fan of Gatorade Player of the Year on Facebook and follow the conversation on Twitter #GatoradePOY. For more on Gatorade Play It Forward, the Gatorade Player of the Year, including nomination information, a complete list of past winners and the announcement of the Gatorade National Player of the Year, visit PlayerOfTheYear.Gatorade.com
About Gatorade Player of the Year
The Gatorade Player of the Year is an athletic award program that annually recognizes student-athletes not only for outstanding athletic excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character in 12 different sports: football, boys and girls basketball, baseball, boys and girls soccer, softball, boys and girls track & field, girls volleyball and boys and girls cross country. The Gatorade Player of the Year award is the most prestigious award in high school sports. In existence for more than 30 years, past winners include Peyton Manning, Abby Wambach, Karl-Anthony Towns, Derek Jeter and many other sports icons.
Play It Forward is Gatorade’s cause marketing platform, which empowers every one of the Gatorade Player of the Year award winners to choose a local or national youth sport organization to receive a $1,000 grant from Gatorade. Gatorade State Players of the Year then have the opportunity to submit an essay explaining why the organization they chose is deserving of one of twelve Spotlight Grants, which awards $10,000 to the organization.
About Boys & Girls Clubs of Delaware
Since 1931 Boys & Girls Clubs of Delaware (bgclubs.org) has enabled young people most in need to achieve great futures as productive, caring, responsible citizens. Today, 44 Clubs serve 40,000 children and teens through Club membership and community outreach. Clubs are located in cities, towns, public housing and on Native lands throughout the country, and serve military families in Boys & Girls Club-affiliated Youth Centers on U.S. military installations worldwide. Clubs provide a safe place, caring adult mentors, fun and friendship, and high-impact youth development programs on a daily basis during critical non-school hours. Club programs promote academic success, good character and citizenship, and healthy lifestyles. To learn more visit bgclubs.org. Follow us bgclubs.org/facebookbgclubs.org/instagrambgclubs.org/twitter
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