Markelle Fultz named semifinalist for Naismith High School Player of the Year Award

Good things continue to come for DeMatha’s senior guard Markelle Fultz.

On Wednesday, Markelle was named a semifinalist for the Naismith High School Player of the Year award. This honor goes to the best player in high school basketball during the 2015-16 season. Last year LSU forward Ben Simmons won this award. Other notable Player of the Year winners are LeBron James, Dwight Howard, Andrew Wiggins, and Kobe Bryant.

This season, Markelle is one of the top scorers in the WCAC (Washington Catholic Athletic Conference) as he is averaging 19.2 points per game. Last year when Fultz won WCAC Player of the Year, he averaged about 16.7 points per game. In DeMatha’s last game against St. John’s, Markelle finished with 11 points.

In the last five games, Fultz is averaging 20 points per game. On Jan. 31, he scored his 1,000th career point when the Stags beat rival Gonzaga 66-62. Markelle scored 28 points in the victory. It was the 14th game this season where he finished with 20 or more points.

If he continues to play the way he is playing now, Markelle has a chance to win the WCAC and All-Met Player of the Year honors. Fultz is rated five-star and ranked the No. 10 overall player in the country by ESPN. He was the MVP of the Les Schwab Invitational back in December.

He was invited to play in the 2016 Jordan Brand Classic, and last week he received his McDonalds All-American jersey. Markelle is also the No.6 in the Draft Express NBA mock draft for 2017. Minding you, this is his second season playing for DeMatha’s varsity team.

It’s a great achievement to be a semifinalist for the High School Basketball Player of the Year award but the goal is to win that honor. There are a lot of great players that are standing in Fultz’s way to being name the best player in high school. Players like Jayson Tatum (Duke), De’Aaron Fox (Kentucky), Lonzo Ball (UCLA), and Josh Jackson are contending for the Naismith Award.

Below is the full list of semifinalist for the Naismith Award:  

De’Aaron Fox, Cypress Lakes

Edrice “Bam” Adebayo, High Point Christian

Frank Jackson, Lone Peak

Jayson Tatum, Chaminade

Josh Jackson, Napa Profilic Prep

Lonzo Ball, Chino Hills

Malik Monk, Bentonville

Markelle Fultz, DeMatha 

Miles Bridges, Huntington Prep

TJ Leaf, Foothills Christian

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ICYMI: No. 2 St. John’s downs No. 1 DeMatha 61-54 on Feb. 9