AURORA | Michaela Onyenwere won her first Class 5A girls state basketball championship with her Grandview teammates on Saturday, but on Monday she got something she’d had before.
The Wolves’ senior star, a day after she scored 25 points in her team’s decisive 61-32 win over Lakewood in the 5A state final, was named Gatorade’s Colorado Player of the Year for girls basketball for the third consecutive season the company announced.
Onyenwere — a UCLA signee, McDonald’s All-American and inaugural A-Town All-Stars selection — averaged 20.5 points and 8.6 rebounds per game for a 27-1 Grandview team that was nationally ranked. She put the finishing touches on a prep career that cemented her spot as one of Colorado’s all-time greats, as well as one of its most classy players.
“Michaela Onyenwere is an amazing player, competitor and leader,” Cherry Creek coach Chris Curneen said in Gatorade’s press release. “She is a classy person and has always been intense and very athletic. She has great sportsmanship and I don’t know of any other coach or player that has ever had anything negative to say about her.”
In addition to her court prowess, Onyenwere has a 3.35 GPA in the classroom, is very active in her church community and has volunteered locally as a referee with Special Olympics.
When she won her first Gatorade Colorado Player of the Year award, Onyenwere followed a pair of Regis Jesuit winners in Justine Hall (2013-14) and Diani Akigbogun (2012-13). Aurora programs now have five straight winners of the award, which was given out for the first time in the 1985-86 season.
Onyenwere is now eligible to win the Gatorade National Player of the Year award in girls basketball, a feat accomplished earlier this season by one of her classmates, Brie Oakley.
Oakley — who will team with Onyenwere on the Grandview track team in the fall — received the award at school when two-time Olympian Molly Huddle surprised her in class.
The national girls basketball player of the year award will come out later this month.
The Gatorade Colorado Boys Basketball Player of the Year award is due out in six days, with Eaglecrest senior Colbey Ross — who won a state championship himself with his Raptors on Saturday — likely in the mix to win the award for a second straight season.
Courtney Oakes is Aurora Sentinel Sports Editor. Reach him at 303-750-7555 or sports@aurorasentinel.com. Twitter: @aurorasports. FB: Aurora Prep Sentinel