A pair of future Husker basketball players have earned top awards in their respective home states.
Bryce McGowens
Bryce is a five-star recruit and young brother of current Husker Trey McGowens. He is part of an excellent recruiting class assembled by Fred Hoiberg and staff.
From the athletic department:
Incoming Husker freshman Bryce McGowens was honored Friday morning as the Gatorade Player of the Year in South Carolina.
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 McGowens as South Carolina’s best high school boys basketball player.
With the honor, McGowens is a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade National Boys Basketball Player of the Year award which will be announced later this month.
McGowens, a 6-foot-6, 180-pound guard, averaged 21.6 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.1 blocks per game at Legacy Early College School last season. He led the Lions, who played a national schedule, to a 14-7 finish and a USA National Prep Classic title in 2020-21.
After spending his first three high school years at Wren High School in Piedmont, McGowens transferred to Legacy Early College for his senior season, completing his high school career with 2,303 points. Also the 2020-21 MaxPreps South Carolina Boys Basketball Player of the Year and an Allen Iverson Roundball Classic selection, McGowens is ranked as the No. 24 prospect in the Class of 2021 by ESPN.
Off the court, McGowens is a member of the Mount Able Baptist Church, where he sings in the choir. McGowens volunteers locally at the United Way and at a soup kitchen in Anderson. He was also a member of his high school chorus. He maintained a weighted 4.15 GPA in the classroom at Legacy Early College.
McGowens headlines a top-15 recruiting class for the Huskers in 2021-22, with the group set to arrive on campus this month.
Of course, Coach Hoiberg had something to say about that...
Congrats on a great accomplishment @BryceMcgowens5! Hope you get football too. #GBR pic.twitter.com/4BZfVeoLrA
— Fred Hoiberg (@CoachHoiberg) June 4, 2021
Alexis Markowski
Women’s basketball signee, Alexis Markowski was named the Nebraska Gatorade Player of the Year. Markowski led her team to a Class A championship this past March. Alexis is part of a top 20 recruiting class signed by coach Amy Williams.
The 6’3” post averaged 23.3 ppg, 13 rebounds and 2 blocks per game in 2020-21. She will help fill the void left by the graduation of Kate Cain. If you have watched her play, she is exactly what you would want a Big Ten post player to look like - strong, athletic and willing to bully anyone who enters her territory.
2x All-Nebraska Selection.
— Nebraska WBB (@HuskersWBB) May 27, 2021
2x Class A State Champ.@lexannmakowski is your 20-21 Nebraska Girls Basketball Gatorade Player of the Year! pic.twitter.com/hmfZzsc22K