Edwardsville boys’ basketball season might have ended March 14 in the Illinois Class 4A super-sectional game, but players are still receiving recognition for their achievements on the team.

The newest recognition given to EHS’s Mark Smith was Gatorade’s Player of the Year award for basketball.  This is the first Gatorade award given to a player at EHS since Gatorade began giving them 32 years ago.

Smith, a senior point guard, was selected for the award for his athleticism as well as his academic achievement, according to John Manzo, Gatorade’s press release contact.

According to the release, He held a 3.24 GPA, which put him in the top tier before each player was chosen.

“I wanted to go to college and get a good education,” Smith said.

The other aspect of his selection was based on his overall performance during the Tiger’s 30-2 season.  Smith scored an average 22.2 points per game and averaged 8.6 assists.

With the award, Smith is able to donate $1,000 to any organization he chooses and may earn an additional $10,000 for writing an essay describing why he chose his organization.

Currently, he has received over a dozen offers from Division I programs and he continues to consider his options.

Smith is in constant contact with both future Mizzou coach Cuonzo Martin and future Illinois coach Brad Underwood.   Even then, he plans to visit Butler, Kansas State and Northwestern.  He also hopes to play baseball for the college he chooses.

None of this could have been done without the help of his parents, who were both college athletes, as well as both his high school and summer basketball programs.

Update: Smith has received the title Mr. Basketball in Illinois.  The award is given following a statewide vote from coaches and media outlets.  Out of 139 ballots, he was listed first of three picks on 41 of them and had 61 picks overall, according to Will Larkin of the Chicago Tribune.  The title is awarded by the Chicago Tribune and the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association.