March 21, 2018
CHICAGO, Ill. - In its 33rd year of honoring the nation's best high school athletes, The Gatorade Company, announced Myles Dread of Gonzaga College High School as its 2017-18 Gatorade District of Columbia Boys Basketball Player of the Year. Dread is the 10th Gatorade District of Columbia Boys Basketball Player of the Year to be chosen from Gonzaga College 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 Dread as District of Columbia's best high school boys basketball player. He is now a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade National Boys Basketball Player of the Year award to be announced in March.
The 6-5 senior guard, who was recently named to the Washington Post 2018 All-Met first team, led the Eagles to a 27-7 record and a berth in the Alhambra Catholic Invitational Tournament quarterfinals at the time of his selection. Dread averaged 14.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.3 steals per game through 34 games. He knocked down 42.9 percent of his 3-point attempts (75-for-175) and entered the ACIT with 1,397 career points.
An avid composer of poetry, Dread has volunteered locally with literacy-outreach programs and as a youth basketball coach and counselor. He has also donated his time feeding the homeless and elderly.
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.
As a Gatorade Player of the Year, Myles 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. Twelve spotlight grants - one for each sport - will be announced throughout the year.