Columbus’ Cameron Boozer wins second Gatorade National Player of the Year award
Not everyone gets a personal visit at his school more than once from an NBA All-Star.
But not everyone wins National Player of the Year honors twice.
And not everyone has had a high school career quite like Columbus senior Cameron Boozer.
This week, for the second time in recent years, the Miami Heat’s Kevin Love dropped by Columbus to give Boozer some good news.
For the second time in his career, Boozer was named the Gatorade High School Basketball National Player of the Year.
Boozer, already a high school All-American and a Duke University signee, also won the award as a sophomore.
Love, a five-time All-Star, also presented Boozer with the award back in 2023 at a ceremony at Columbus.
Boozer, who is ranked the No. 2 prospect in the country by 247Sports, Rivals and On3, just led Columbus to its fourth consecutive state championship, and is preparing to lead the Explorers in next week’s Chipotle Nationals in Fishers, Indiana where they will chase a national title.
Boozer averaged 22.6 points, 12.0 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.3 blocks per game this season while leading the Explorers to a 27-3 record and a No. 1 national ranking per MaxPreps.
Boozer is also a 2025 MaxPreps Preseason First Team All-American and maintains a 3.94 unweighted GPA.
Boozer and his brother, Cayden, who is also a top 25 national prospect and Duke signee, will both participate in this year’s McDonald’s All-American Game in Brooklyn on Tuesday night.
Boozer beat out the other two finalists for the award, who were Caleb Wilson, a senior power forward from Atlanta, who signed with the University of North Carolina, and Brayden Burries, a senior guard from Eastvale, California, who is ranked No. 9 in the class of 2025 per 247 Sports and is also a McDonald’s All-American.
The Boozer twins will next participate in the McDonald’s All-American game on Tuesday night in Brooklyn before turning their attention to the Chipotle Nationals tournament, which will be played April 3-5.
Columbus, ranked No. 1 in the nation by MaxPreps, is vying to become the first Miami-Dade County school to finish the season ranked No. 1 nationally and be crowned a national champion.
