CHICAGO (March 8, 2023) — In its 38th year of honoring the nation’s best high school athletes, Gatorade today announced Courtney Ogden of Westminster School is the 2022-23 Gatorade Georgia Girls Basketball Player of the Year. Ogden is the first Gatorade Georgia Girls Basketball Player of the Year to be chosen from Westminster School.
The award, which recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the court, distinguishes Ogden as Georgia’s best high school girls basketball player. Ogden joins an elite alumni association of state award-winners in 12 sports, including Kiki Rice (2021-22, Sidwell Friends School, Washington, D.C.), Paige Bueckers (2019-20, Hopkins High School, Minn.), Nneka Ogwumike (2007-08, CyFair High School, Texas), and Candace Parker (2003-04 & 2002-03, Naperville Central High School, Ill.).
The 6-foot-1 senior wing averaged 22.1 points and 8.8 rebounds per game this past season, leading the Wildcats (22-8) to the second round of the Class 4A state tournament. Ogden also averaged 3.1 assists, 2.7 steals and 1.0 blocks per game. A 2023 McDonald’s All-American Game selection, she is ranked as the nation’s No. 10 recruit in the Class of 2023 by ESPN.com. She concluded her prep basketball career with 1,666 points.
A member of the Jr. NBA Court of Leaders mentorship program, Ogden has volunteered locally as a youth basketball coach, and she has donated her time as part of service projects for the Salvation Army and the Atlanta Mission. “On the court, Courtney is a beast,” said Jessica Guarneri, head coach of Greater Atlanta Christian School. “It always made my stomach hurt knowing we were going to have to play them. I have never coached against a player who can finish like her—she makes it look effortless, too.”
Ogden has maintained an A average in the classroom. She has signed a national letter of intent to play basketball on scholarship at Stanford University 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.
Ogden joins recent Gatorade Georgia Girls Basketball Players of the Year Sydney Bowles (2021-22, Woodward Academy), Raven Johnson (2020-21, Westlake High School), Sania Feagin (2019-20, Forest Park High School), and Kayla McPherson (2018-19, Madison County High School), among the state’s list of former award winners.
Being a Gatorade Player of the Year means paying it forward for the next generation. Through Gatorade’s Play it Forward initiative, every Player of the Year receives a grant to give to one of Gatorade’s social impact partners, supporting Gatorade’s ambition to fuel the future of sport. To date, Gatorade Player of the Year winners’ grants have totaled more than $3.5 million across more than 1,300 organizations.
For nearly 40 years, Gatorade has honored high school athletes at the top of their game as teammates, supporting their communities and achieving academic success. From CEOs and coaches to star athletes and community leaders, Gatorade Player of the Year winners showcase the power of sport.
To learn more about the Gatorade Player of the Year program, check out past winners or to nominate student-athletes, 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.
