Press Release by Gatorade
CHICAGO, IL – In its 39th year of honoring the nation’s most elite high school athletes, Gatorade
today announced Molly Hays of Cody High School is the 2023-24 Gatorade Wyoming Girls Basketball Player of
the Year. Hays is the first Gatorade Wyoming Girls Basketball Player of the Year to be chosen from Cody High
School.
The award, which celebrates the nation’s top high school athletes for excellence on the court, in the classroom
and in the community, distinguishes Hays as Wyoming’s best high school girls basketball player. From CEOs and
coaches to star athletes, Gatorade Player of the Year winners showcase the power of sport, touting an all-star
group of alumni that includes Candace Parker (2003-04, 2002-03 & 2001-02, Naperville Central High School, Ill.),
Paige Bueckers (2017-18, Hopkins High School, Minn.) and Juju Watkins (2022-23 & 2021-22, Sierra Canyon
School, Calif.).
The 5-foot-8 senior guard averaged 22.7 points, 5.6 rebounds, 5.3 steals and 2.5 assists per game this past season,
leading the Fillies (22-3) to the Class 4A state semifinals.The state’s returning Gatorade Player of the Year and two
time Class 4A West Region Player of the Year, Hays injured her knee early in the state semifinal loss to Sheridan High
School and was lost for the game. She led Class 4A in scoring and steals for a second straight year and concluded
her prep basketball career No. 16 on the state’s career scoring list with 1,689 points.
A member of her local chapter of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Hays has volunteered locally as a speech
pathology intern and as a youth basketball coach. She has also donated her time to multiple community service
initiatives through her church youth group. “Molly impacts the game heavily in every aspect on the court plus she is
an exceptional leader to her teammates,” said Chris Edwards, head coach of Lovell High School. “Molly plays with
such poise on the court and dominates the game.”
Hays has maintained a weighted 4.09 GPA in the classroom. She has signed a national letter of intent to play
basketball at Idaho State University this fall.
The Gatorade Player of the Year program annually recognizes one winner in the District of Columbia and each of
the 50 states that sanction high school football, girls volleyball, boys and girls cross country, boys and girls
basketball, boys and girls soccer, baseball, softball, and boys and girls track & field and awards one National Player
of the Year in each sport. The selection process is administered by the Gatorade Player of the Year Selection
Committee, which leverages experts including coaches, scouts, media and others as sources to help evaluate and
determine the state winners in each sport.
Two-time winner Hays joins recent Gatorade Wyoming Girls Basketball Players of the Year Jordan Jones (2021-22,
Cheyenne East High School) and Allyson Fertig (2020-21 & 2019-20, Douglas High School), among the state’s list of
former award winners.
As part of Gatorade’s commitment to breaking down barriers in sport, every Player of the Year also receives a grant
to donate to a social impact partner. To date, Gatorade Player of the Year winners’ grants have totaled more than
$4.9 million across more than 1,600 organizations.
To learn more about the Gatorade Player of the Year program, check out past winners or to nominate student
athletes, visit playeroftheyear.gatorade.com or follow us on social media on Facebook at
facebook.com/GatoradePOY, Instagram at instagram.com/Gatorade and Twitter at twitter.com/Gatorade.
