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Del City’s Garrison named Gatorade Player of the Year

Del City’s Brandon Garrison celebrates after winning the Class 5A boys basketball state championship March 11 at the Lloyd Noble Center in Norman. Garrison has been named the 2022-23 Gatorade Oklahoma Boys Basketball Player of the Year. Photo by Jeff Harrison

Just days after leading Del City to a state title, Brandon Garrison received another major honor.

Garrison has been named the 2022-23 Gatorade Oklahoma Boys Basketball Player of the Year.

He is the first Gatorade Oklahoma Boys Basketball Player of the Year to be chosen from Del City High School.

The  6-foot-9, 205-pound senior forward led the Eagles to a 21-6 record and a Class 5A state title. He is ranked as the nation’s No. 30 recruit in the Class of 2023 by ESPN. Garrison has also been named a McDonald’s

All-American and to the Team USA roster for the Nike Hoop Summit next month.

Garrison has volunteered locally performing maintenance and custodial work at his church. He’s also donated his time coaching and mentoring youth basketball players between the ages of 5 and 15 at summer basketball camps.

“He impacts the game so much that he’s the best player on the court if he is scoring zero points or 20 points,” said Brandon Jackson, head coach at Piedmont High. “He’s a great rebounder, great passer, gets double-teamed every game and he is fine with it. He passes the ball and wants his teammates to succeed.”

Garrison has maintained a 3.15 GPA in the classroom. He has signed a national letter of intent to play basketball on scholarship at Oklahoma State 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 and 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.

Garrison joins recent Gatorade Oklahoma Boys Basketball Players of the Year Jai’Vion “JV” Seat (2021-22, Edmond Memorial), Trey Alexander (2020-21, Heritage Hall), and Bryce Thompson (2019-20 & 2018-19, Booker T. Washington), among the state’s list of former award winners.

He is the fifth player from Mid-Del to win the honor.  Other local winners include Carl Albert’s Mason Harrell (2017-18) and Jeff Webster (1988-89), and Midwest City’s Darnell Jackson (2003-04) and two-time winner Sheldon Williams (2000-01 and 2001-02).

To learn more about the Gatorade Player of the Year program, check out past winners or to nominate student-athletes, visit playeroftheyear.gatorade.com

Del City’s Brandon Garrison has been named the 2022-23 Gatorade Oklahoma Boys Basketball Player of the Year. Photo by Jeff Harrison

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