In its 33rd year of honoring the nation’s best high school athletes, The Gatorade Company, announced Trey Hladky of Campbell County High School as its 2017-18 Gatorade Wyoming Boys Basketball Player of the Year.

Hladky is the seventh Gatorade Wyoming Boys Basketball Player of the Year to be chosen from Campbell County High 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 field, distinguishes Hladky as Wyoming’s best high school boys basketball player.

Now a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade National Boys Basketball Player of the Year award to be announced in March, Hladky joins an elite alumni association of past state boys basketball award winners, including Karl-Anthony Towns (2012-13 & 2013-14, St. Joseph HS, N.J.), Dwight Howard (2003-04, SW Atlanta Christian Academy, Ga.), Chris Bosh (2001-02, Lincoln HS, Texas), Paul Pierce (1994-95, Inglewood HS, Calif.), Chauncey Billups (1993-94 & 1994-95, George Washington HS, Colo.) and Jason Kidd (1991-92, St. Joseph Notre Dame HS, Calif.).

The 5-foot-9, 155-pound senior guard has led the Camels to a 16-10 record and the Class 4A state quarterfinals, scheduled for March 8.

Hladky leads Class 4A with 27.4 points per game along with averaging 4.7 assists, 3.4 rebounds and 2.4 steals.

The state’s returning Gatorade Boys Basketball Player of the Year, Hladky has scored more than 40 percent of his team’s points this season.

In addition to anchoring the school’s TV news channel, Hladky was chosen to represent Campbell County at the WHSAA Sportsmanship Summit meeting and volunteers locally instructing young basketball players.

“Trey is a great player,” said Tagg Lain, head coach at Cheyenne Central High. “He has carried the Camels all year. We have basically given up on stopping him—and we focus more on not letting anyone else beat us.”

Hladky has maintained a B average in the classroom.

He has signed a national letter of intent to play basketball on scholarship at Chadron State University in Nebraska 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 work with top sport-specific experts and a media advisory board of accomplished, veteran prep sports journalists to determine the state winners in each sport.

Two-time winner, Hladky joins recent Gatorade Wyoming Boys Basketball Players of the Year Hoyt Nicholas (2015-16, Worland High School), Jalen Krening (2014-15, Rawlins High School), Cody Kelley (2013-14 & 2012-13, Campbell County High School), Jason McManamen (2011-12, Torrington High School), Taran Brown (2010-11, Campbell County High School), Dan Estes (2009-10, Laramie High School), Michael Dietz (2008-09, Natrona County High School), Justin Nelson (2007-08, Campbell County High School), and Kyle Bullinger (2006–07, Mountain View High School) among the state’s list of former award winners.

As a Gatorade Player of the Year, Trey will be able to select a national or local youth sports organization to receive a grant as part of the Gatorade Play It Forward program.

Every Gatorade Player of the Year state winner receives a $1,000 grant to donate and will have the opportunity to enter for an additional $10,000 spotlight grant by writing a brief essay explaining why their selected organization deserves additional support. 12 spotlight grants – one for each sport – will be announced throughout the year.

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