Ivanna Wilson Manyacka '27 Named Gatorade Maryland Girls Basketball Player of the Year

CHICAGO (March 13, 2025) — In its 40th year of honoring the nation's most elite high school athletes, Gatorade today announced Ivanna Wilson Manyacka of Bullis School is the 2024-25 Gatorade Maryland Girls Basketball Player of the Year. Wilson Manyacka is the third Gatorade Maryland Girls Basketball Player of the Year to be chosen from Bullis School.

Gatorade Player of the Year is the top honor in high school sports, celebrating the nation's best high school athletes for their success on the court, in the classroom, and in the community. The award distinguishes Wilson Manyacka as Maryland's best high school girls basketball player, and she joins an impressive group of alumni that spans CEOs, coaches, and star athletes such as Candace Parker (2002-03 and 2003-04, Naperville Central High School, Illinois), Paige Bueckers (2019-20, Hopkins High School, Minnesota), and Joyce Edwards (2023-24, Camden High School, South Carolina).

The 6-foot-2 sophomore guard averaged 18.5 points and 11.2 rebounds per game this past season, leading the Bulldogs (24-8) to the semifinals of the Maryland Private School State Tournament. Wilson Manyacka also averaged 2.3 steals, 1.6 assists, and 1.3 blocks and was named a Naismith Award Third Team All-American selection. An Independent School League First Team honoree, she was a member of the USA Basketball Under-17 Women's National Team at the age of 14 and is ranked as the No. 2 recruit in the Class of 2027 by espnW and 247Sports.

Wilson Manyacka has volunteered locally with the Chinese Youth Club, and she has donated her time as a youth basketball coach. "Ivanna has been outstanding this season," said Pam Stanfield, head coach of Georgetown Day School. "Her combination of size, athleticism, and skill makes her a dominant force on both ends of the court."

Wilson Manyacka has maintained a B average in the classroom. She will begin her junior year of high school this fall.

The Gatorade Player of the Year program annually recognizes one winner in the District of Columbia and each of the 50 states across 12 different high school sports– 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.

Wilson Manyacka joins recent Gatorade Maryland Girls Basketball Players of the Year Kennedy Umeh (2023-24, McDonogh School), Riley Nelson (2022-23, Bullis School and 2021-22, Clarksburg High School) and Regina Walton (2020-21, Elizabeth Seton 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, the Gatorade Player of the Year program has provided more than $5.6 million in grants to winners across more than 2,000 organizations.

To learn more about the Gatorade Player of the Year program, check out past winners, or to nominate student-athletes, visit the Gatorade Player of the Year website or follow us on social media on Instagram, Facebook, and X (Twitter).