Columnist Adam Candee: Gatorade gives North stars what they’re thirsty for

Adam Candee

Thursday, March 27, 2003 | 9:41 a.m.

Adam Candee covers high school sports for the Sun. Reach him at (702) 259-4085 or by e-mail at candee@lasvegassun.com.

Reno-area athletes pulled a clean sweep of the Gatorade Player of the Year awards in basketball.

David Padgett of Reno and Brianne McGowan of Wooster were named this week as the Nevada recipients. Both put up outstanding numbers throughout the season, although neither of their teams qualified for the 4A state playoffs.

Padgett, a highly touted 6-foot-11 standout who will attend Kansas next year, received the Gatorade award despite missing the late part of the regular season and the playoffs with a knee injury. A Sun first team All-State selection, Padgett averaged 26 points, 14 rebounds and eight blocked shots.

"He's the most dominant player in the history of northern Nevada," Huskies coach -- and David's father -- Pete Padgett said. "He's an outstanding person who is well respected by his peers, teachers, and the community alike."

McGowan, better known as a star softball pitcher, brought the Gatorade girls award back to the North for the first time since Mineral County's Ashlee Orndorff won it in 2000. An Oregon State signee in softball, McGowan earned a nod to the Sun All-State second team for averaging 23 points, 19 rebounds, three blocks and three steals.

"She's a great athlete who was constantly double and triple-teamed," Wooster coach Michael Anderson said.

McGowan also carries a 4.0 grade point average and participates in the National Honor Society.

Bishop Gorman's C.J. Watson and Las Vegas' Melisa Cejas were the 2001-02 Gatorade recipients.

Silverado's 15 wins come as little surprise, but even more impressive is that Coronado holds down last place with a 7-4 mark. That record would be good enough to tie for the lead in the Northeast Division, and it would qualify for the third in either Sunset Region division.

Spud Low and Josh Daneshforooz have led Foothill to a mildly surprising 9-1 start, while Basic and Green Valley are fielding their usual strong squads.