Mikayla Pivec, who last week led the Lynnwood girls basketball team to its first state championship, has been named the 2014-15 Gatorade Washington Girls Basketball Player of the Year.
Gatorade made the announcement Thursday morning.
After leading the Royals to their first ever girls basketball state championship this past Saturday with a 31 point, 17 rebound performance in Saturday’s 54-42 win over Cleveland in the 3A state championship game, Pivec was named the 2014-15 Gatorade Washington Girls Basketball Player of the Year on Thursday morning.
The award, which was established by the Gatorade Company in 1985, is now in its 30th year honoring high-school athletes’ athletic excellence, as well as exemplary character on the field, in the classroom and in the community according to the email sent to Lynnwood head coach Everett Edwards informing him Pivec had won the award.
“It’s a great accomplishment for Mikayla,” Edwards said. “To do it as a junior is very special.”
Pivec learned of the honor early Thursday morning.
“I was like, ‘that’s a really cool honor,’ because I know there’s a lot of really talented players in the area,” Pivec said. “My number one goal was to win the state championship. This is just kind of like a cool little bonus on top of that.”
Pivec, who maintains a 4.0 grade point average, is Lynnwood’s first ever Gatorade Girls Player of the Year to come from Lynnwood High School. She was selected over players from all classifications, including Gonzaga Prep guard Laura Stockton, who has helped lead the Bullpups to consecutive 4A state championships.
“It shows that she’s worked tremendously hard to be the best,” Edwards said. “To be consistent all year long. She’s been playing this way since her freshman year in terms of her effort and her ability to impact the game in a number of different ways. To get this type of recognition is truly great for her and it just shows that hard work does pay off.”
Pivec averaged 20.4 points, 12.4 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 3.5 steals per game for the Royals this season. In addition to her performance in the state championship game, Pivec also scored 24 points and grabbed 24 rebounds in a victory over Central Kitsap in the state-regional round and scored a career high 33 points in a regular-season victory over Edmonds-Woodway. In a 67-26 win over Shorewood on Jan. 26, Pivec recorded her first triple-double of her high-school career, finishing with 22 points, 11 rebounds and 10 steals.
Her consistently high level of play over the past three seasons has earned a high level of respect from other coaches across the state, especially Wesco coaches.
“She plays harder for all 32 minutes than any kid I’ve ever coached against,” Shorecrest head coach Dori Monson said in a press release. “She has a beautiful shooting touch and is a tenacious rebounder – and it’s also clear that she’s a natural leader. That leadership reflects her character.”
The player of the year awards were announced at 5 a.m. on Thursday. Pivec received a personalized message via YouTube from WNBA star Elena Delle Donne, who plays for the Chicago Sky.
“Mikayla, this is where the journey really starts,” Delle Donne said in the message. “Congrats on winning the 2014-15 Gatorade State Girls Basketball Player of the Year award and welcome to the Gatorade player of the year family.”
The video made the award even more special for Pivec.
“It was pretty cool to have it personalized and say my name,” she said. “That kind of caught my attention.”
Pivec follows three-time winner Brittany McPhee, who won in 2011-12, 2012-13 and 2013-14. McPhee played at Mt. Rainier High School and is now a freshman on the team at Stanford.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBvLmy9eVGU
Aaron Lommers covers prep sports for The Herald. Follow him on Twitter at @aaronlommers and contact him at alommers@heraldnet.com.
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