Varsity 365
2009 Basketball Player of the Year |
(Selected out of players we covered this year)
Check out the Football Player of the Year here
Khalif Wyatt
Senior Guard, Norristown
See highlights of Wyatt in:
Norristown vs. Plymouth Whitemarsh (Beginning of video)
Norristown vs. Penn Wood - District 1 4A Championship (1:24 Mark)
Ah yes. When you get to see so many talented young athletes putting on amazing efforts, making a decision like this is pretty tough. We saw some great performances. We saw a dunk here, a three pointer there, and everything in between. When the smoke cleared and the dust settled, we decided that one player stood out just a bit more in the games we covered, and also had an overall season that went above and beyond an already high level of expectations. That player was Khalif Wyatt of the Norristown Eagles.
If you flash back to the 2007-2008 season, the Eagles finished the regular season undefeated. Fans and forecasters alike saw some type of championship gold in the Eagles' future. However, they ended up losing to Chester in the District championship and State championship games. Many thought that the Eagles had missed out on their chance for any championship gold for the time being.
Enter one Khalif Wyatt.
Wyatt had a grand coming out party in that state championship game, where his three point shooting almost brought the Eagles back from a huge deficit for the victory. He rode that momentum into this year, averaged about 20 points a game, and helped lead the Eagles to the District championship victory they were unable to obtain last year. The road to that championship included surprising victories over Chester, Pennsbury, and the eventual state champion, Penn Wood. In the Chester game, Wyatt racked up 31 points. In the Pennsbury game, he got 17 points, 4 assists, and 4 rebounds. And in the championship game against Penn Wood, Wyatt scored 25 points - including 19 of the team's 20 first half points. What impressed us when we saw him this year was his calm yet focused demeanor on the court; he never looked down, and never looked flustered. He always looked like he enjoyed playing the game, and it seemed like the team took on that same persona. Wyatt didn't just score -he also played tight defense on the ball this year. He was the go-to guy for the Eagles; the anchor, and from what we saw, a great teammate.
Wyatt makes his way to Temple University next year to continue his basketball career. We wish him the best. And on his way there, he is our 2009 Varsity 365 Basketball Player of the Year. Not a bad way to go to out, if we say so ourselves.
Runner Up:
Dalton Pepper, Pennsbury
