Kentucky recruit and Bishop Gorman senior Shabazz Muhammad as been named the Player of the Year by Morgan Wootten and the McDonald’s All American Games committee.
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Muhammad, the 6-6, 215 lb. prep star from Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas, Nev. became the 16th[/I][I]winner of the annual male Morgan Wootten Award.
Previous winners include Austin Rivers (2011), Kevin Love (2007), Dwight Howard (2004), LeBron James (2003), Jay Williams (1999) and the award’s first recipient, Shane Battier (1997). Muhammad beat out finalists Kyle Anderson (St. Anthony’s High School – Fairview, N.J.), Brandon Ashley (Findlay College Preparatory – Henderson, Nev.), Isaiah Austin (Grace Preparatory Academy – Arlington, Texas), Marcus Paige (Linn-Mar High School – Marion, Iowa) and Marcus Smart (Marcus High [/I][I]School – Flower Mound, Texas).
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The Morgan Wootten Award is given to the best male and female McDonald’s All American players who [/I][I]exemplify outstanding character, exhibit leadership and embody the values of being a student-athlete in the [/I][I]classroom and the community. McDonald’s established the award in Wootten’s honor to pay tribute to his [/I][I]unprecedented achievements as a teacher and coach. The official award presentation will take place at the [/I][I]McDonald’s All American Games awards banquet on March 27 in Chicago, Ill.
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Muhammad is one of the top-ranked players in the 2012 class and has led his team to three Nevada 4A State [/I][I]Championships (2009, 2010 and 2012). Off the court,
Muhammad has participated in community service projects [/I][I]through his high school and is three-year member of the honor roll.
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“It’s an unbelievable feeling to be recognized as the Morgan Wootten Player of the Year,” said Muhammad.
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“When you look at the long list of guys who’ve been honored with this award – LeBron James, Dwight Howard, [/I][I]Shane Battier – it’s nice to know I’m at a similar phase in my basketball career and I hope to continue with that [/I][I]success.”
[URL=”http://www.mcdonaldsallamerican.com/2012_POY_Finalists.pdf”]Source[/URL]
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