Asia Durr wins second consecutive Gatorade Player of the Year Award

Photo by Kevin Liles for USA TODAY Sports

During her historic career at St. Pius X, Louisville-signee Asia Durr has received numerous awards and has broken countless records. She now is able to add a second Gatorade Georgia Girls’ Basketball Player of the Year award to her trophy case, winning the prestigious award for the second consecutive year. The award, which recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the court, distinguishes Durr as Georgia’s best high school girls basketball player which now qualifies her as a finalist for the Gatorade National Girls Basketball Player of the Year.

Durr led the Golden Lions to a quarterfinal appearance in the 4A state tournament and a 27-4 overall record, including 18-0 in regular season region play. She averaged 33.3 points per game, scoring 931 points on the season, while collecting 6.4 rebounds per contest. She also led St. Pius X in assists, steals and blocked shots. Durr remained efficient with the ball in her hands and rarely took a bad shot during the season. She would finish her senior season shooting 51 percent from the field and 46 percent from beyond the three-point line. The lethal lefty saved her best performances for the biggest stage. In her final trip to the state playoffs she took no prisoners and averaged an astounding 45.3 points over three games. She poured in 52 points in a first round matchup with Woodward Academy in a game head coach Kyle Snipes thought they would have lost if it wasn’t for Asia. “She [Asia] works harder than she plays,” explained Snipes. “We should have lost the game the way they came out and shot the ball but Asia is so prepared in every detail of the game and that gives her confidence in any situation.”

During her illustrious career Durr became St. Pius X’s all-time leading scorer-male or female-with 2,764 points, 706 rebounds, 254 assists, 266 steals and 75 blocks. She was named 2015 Miss Georgia Basketball for the second consecutive year by the Atlanta Tip-Off Club and also led the Golden Lions to state titles in 2013 and 2014 before falling to eventual state champion Buford this year in the quarterfinals, a game in which she finished with 40 points and nine rebounds.

The dominance of Asia Durr has not only been felt in the state of Georgia, but nationwide as well as she has been a member of the Team USA U16 and U17 teams the past two summers. Though it came as no surprise to coach Snipes that Asia would make the squad, the humble superstar was a bit nervous. “When I heard my name [on the final roster] the first thing I did was thank God because none of this is possible without him. It was a great feeling because I was very stressed.” She would go on to become the MVP of the 2013 FIBA Americas Cup Tournament and also capture the gold medal in the event. Durr also won a gold medal with the U17 national team at the 2014 FIBA World Championships in the Czech Republic.

The constant work ethic and countless hours Durr has put in over her time at St. Pius X have been substantial as she raised her scoring every season. She rose from 12.2 points per game as a freshman to 21.2 and to 24.4 as a junior before plateauing at 33.3 her senior season. With the hunger to keep growing her game, Durr will likely continue to improve as she reaches the next level and beyond.

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