Cherry Creek鈥檚 Julian Hammond III wins Gatorade award
GREENWOOD VILLAGE, Colo. (BVM) 鈥� His final high school basketball season didn鈥檛 end with the Class 5A state title he wanted, but what Julian Hammond III accomplished as a Cherry Creek senior certainly didn鈥檛 go unnoticed. On Friday, Hammond III was named the Gatorade Colorado Boys Basketball Player of the Year.
The 6-foot-2, 182-pound guard scored 22.4 points and corralled 5.5 rebounds per game this past season, which ended for the Bruins (17-1) in the Class 5A state semifinals. Hammond III, a University of Colorado recruit, was named the Class 5A Player of the Year and finished his prep hoops career with 1,439 points.
鈥淛ulian displays major versatility and leadership,鈥� ESPN National Recruiting Director Paul Biancardi said in a . 鈥淗is length can aid him on the defensive end of the court both on and away from the ball. He scores with opportunity and is a productive winning player.鈥澛�
Hammond III won a lot at Cherry Creek, not only on the basketball court, but also on the football field. As a two-time first-team all-state quarterback, he led the Bruins to back-to-back undefeated state championships. In addition to being a highly-touted hoops recruit, Hammond III, rated as a three-star QB prospect, also had several Division I football scholarships. But basketball is his first love, and that鈥檚 why it鈥檚 the sport he鈥檒l be taking to the next level.聽
鈥淓ven though I had some success with football, playing college basketball was what I always wanted to do,鈥� Hammond III said in January. 鈥淕rowing up, ever since I realized I could play Division I basketball, [Colorado] was where I wanted to go.鈥�
