NEW JERSEY GIRLS BASKETBALL POY: TAYLOR ROOKS

usatodayhss.com, March 13, 2014

Gill St. Bernard’s School (Gladstone, N.J.) senior Taylor Rooks is the Gatorade New Jersey Girls Basketball Player of the Year.

HE WINNER: Taylor Rooks

THE BASICS

School: Gill St. Bernard’s School (Gladstone, N.J.)
Grade: Senior
Position: Guard
Height: 6-foot

Athletic achievement: She led the Knights to a 26-4 record and the North Jersey Non-Public B title game this past season. The state’s returning Gatorade Girls Basketball Player of the Year, Rooks averaged 23.6 points, 10.7 rebounds, 2.8 steals, 2.8 assists and 1.9 blocked shots per game. An Honorable Mention All-American as named by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association, she is a two-time First Team All-State honoree and is rated as the nation’s No. 19 recruit in the Class of 2014 by ESPN.

Academic excellence: Rooks has maintained a 4.20 GPA.

Exemplary character: She has volunteered on behalf of a local food bank and Melina’s White Light, a foundation that supports childhood cancer research.  

THE PRAISE

“She’s a very athletic scorer who can shoot the 3-pointer or slash to the basket,” saidMary Coyle Klinger, head coach at Rutgers Prep. “She’s extremely quick and she does whatever it takes to win.”  

THE FUTURE: Rooks has signed with Stanford.