Centennial’s Mccain is again chosen Gatorade’s California Player of the Year
Centennial’s Jared Mccain once again finds himself in elite company.
Mccain, a 6-foot-4 senior guard who has signed with Duke, has been selected the California boys basketball Player of the Year by Gatorade for the second straight season. He is just the third player in state history to win the honor in back-to-back years, joining Campbell Hall’s Jrue Holiday (200708) and Rancho Christian’s Evan Mobley (201920), both of whom are now stars in the NBA.
Mccain averaged 17.7 points, 7.1 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.5 assists per game in helping Centennial become the first program in CIF Southern Section history to capture three straight Open Division championships. The
Huskies finished the campaign with a 30-4 record, and Mccain also helped the Huskies advance to the CIF State’s Open Division Regional final for the second consecutive year.
Last season, Mccain was honored after helping Centennial claim a CIF State championship for the first time in program history.
Earlier this year, Mccain was chosen to participate in the prestigious Mcdonald’s All-american Game, the first player in program history to be selected for the all-star game. Mccain currently is ranked as the No. 12 recruit in the Class of 2023 by ESPN.COM.
Mccain is a social media influencer (1.8 million followers on Tiktok) and a standout in the classroom (4.0 grade-point average). During his time at Centennial, Mccain has volunteered locally on behalf of a school sports program for special needs students.
This marks the fifth straight year a player with ties to the Inland area has been chosen the state’s Player of the Year by Gatorade. Mobley began the run with his back-to-back honors, and Damien’s Malik Thomas (hometown is Fontana) won the award in 2021.
Four additional boys basketball players who played at Inland schools also have been honored since the honor first was awarded in 1986: Corey Benjamin of Fontana (1996), Michael Snaer of Rancho Verde (2009), Grant Jerrett of La Verne Lutheran (2012) and Lonzo Ball of Chino Hills (2016).
Mccain also is a finalist for the Gatorade National Player of the Year honor, which will be announced at a later date.