Blake Buchanan Named Gatorade Idaho Basketball Player of the Year

Buchanan becomes the latest in a long line of UVA basketball recruits to be named Gatorade Player of the Year in his state

Virginia basketball signee Blake Buchanan has been named the 2022-2023 Gatorade Idaho Boys Basketball Player of the Year, as announced by Gatorade on Wednesday. 

Buchanan saved his best season of high school basketball for last, leading the Lake City (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) Timberwolves to a perfect 26-0 season and the 5A State Championship. The 6'11" center averaged 15.2 points, 9.8 rebounds, 1.9 steals, 1.9 blocks, and 3.0 assists per game and had 26 points and 11 rebounds in the state title game. In his last two seasons at Lake City, Buchanan led the Timberwolves to a 46-1 overall record. 

Buchanan was also named the MaxPreps Idaho High School Basketball Player of the Year, was selected to the USA roster for the Nike Hoops Summit, and was a nominee for the McDonald's All American Game. 

The Gatorade Player of the Year Award, which has been honoring the nation's best high school athletes annually for the last 38 years, takes into account "not only outstanding athletic excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character on and off the court." Buchanan has a 3.87 weighted GPA and volunteers locally working with youth basketball players on a weekly basis and also coaches a second-grade basketball team. 

Buchanan joins a long list of Virginia basketball recruits to be named the Gatorade Player of the Year in his state. Isaac McKneely (West Virginia) and Isaac Traudt (Nebraska) both won the award last year, as did Reece Beekman (Louisiana), Kyle Guy (Indiana), and Sam Hauser (Wisconsin), who started off at Marquette before finishing his collegiate career at Virginia. 

Blake Buchanan and Elijah Gertrude, both four-star prospects and top 100 recruits in the class of 2023, signed their National Letters of Intent back in November and will play for the Virginia men's basketball program starting in the 2023-2024 season. 

See more Virginia men's basketball news and content: Virginia Men's Basketball on Sports Illustrated

See more Virginia sports news and content: Virginia Cavaliers on Sports Illustrated

To stay up to date on all Virginia Cavaliers sports news, follow CavaliersNow on social media:

Facebook: @CavaliersNow
Twitter: @CavaliersNowFN