Canadian R.J. Barrett named Naismith high school basketball player of the year
TORONTO — Canadian small forward R.J. Barrett was named the 2018 Naismith high school boys’ player of the year on Friday.
Barrett, from Mississauga, Ont., led Florida’s Montverde Academy to an undefeated 31-0 regular season.
The 17-year-old Barrett becomes just the second Canadian to win the prestigious award and first since Minnesota Timberwolves forward Andrew Wiggins captured the honour following his 2013 season at Huntington Prep.
Barrett helped Canada capture a historic gold medal at the FIBA under-19 basketball World Cup last summer. He was named MVP after leading Canada to a 79-60 victory over Italy in the final for the country’s first-ever gold medal in a FIBA world championship or Olympic event. Barrett was the tournament’s leading scorer, averaging 21.6 points per game, to go along with 8.3 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.7 steals.