Basketball: Coombs, Carter named Gatorade players of year in Georgia

Mikayla Coombs of Wesleyan and Wendell Carter of Pace Academy are the Gatorade Georgia basketball players of the year.

Coombs, a 5-foot-10 senior guard, led Wesleyan's girls to a 27-4 record and the Class A private-school championship. Coombs averaged 16.8 points, 6.9 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 4.4 steals.

Coombs has maintained a weighted A-minus average in the classroom. She has signed a national letter of intent to play basketball at the University of Connecticut beginning this fall.

Coombs joins recent Gatorade Georgia girls players of the year Jenna Staiti (2016, West Forsyth), Asia Durr (2015 & 2014, St. Pius), Lexie Brown (2013, North Gwinnett), Allisha Gray (2012, Washington County), Diamond DeShields (2011, Norcross), Kayla Lewis (2010, Southwest DeKalb), Anne Marie Armstrong (2009, Wesleyan), Alicia Manning (2008, Etowah), and Maya Moore (2007, Collins Hill) among the state’s list of former award winners.

Carter, a 6-foot-10 forward, led Pace Academy's boys to a 26-8 record and the Class AAA title. He averaged 22.7 points, 15.5 rebounds and 5.8 blocks per game. A 2017 McDonald’s All-American Game selection and a Jordan Brand Classic game invitee, Carter is ranked as the nation’s No. 3 recruit in the Class of 2017 by ESPN.

Carter has maintained a 92.4 average in the classroom. He has signed a National Letter of Intent to play basketball on scholarship at Duke University this fall.

Carter joins recent Gatorade Georgia boys basketball players of the year Alterique Gilbert (2016, Miller Grove), Jaylen Brown (2015, Wheeler), Isaiah Wilkins (2014, Greater Atlanta Christian), Brannen Greene (2013, Tift County), Tony Parker (2012, Miller Grove), Shannon Scott (2011, Milton), Ryan Harrow (2010, Walton), Derrick Favors (2009 & 2008, South Atlanta), and Gani Lawal (2007, Norcross) among the state’s list of former award winners.

Coombs and Carter are now finalists for the national players of the year to be announced later this month.