Syracuse Basketball: Joe Girard wins Male High School Athlete of the Year

Syracuse basketball signee Joe Girard has won the Male High School Athlete of the Year. Here are all the details and the elite company he has joined.

Patrick Mahomes, Kyler Murray, Lonzo Ball, and Joe Girard. What do all of these people have in common?

They’re all past winners of the Male High School Athlete of the Year award from Max Preps.

JG3 is the latest player to join that exclusive club in 2018-19. It is one of several accolades he achieved during his incredible high school career including but not limited too:

• Two-time New York Gatorade Player of the Year.
• Two-time MaxPreps All-American.
• A two-time football state champion.
• On top of being a basketball state champion.

JG3 is a superb athlete that has dominated whatever sport he has chosen to play.
He played quarterback and led the Indians to their second state title in three years.

Despite all the gridiron success, he will not get the chance to play for Dino Babers in the loud house. Instead, he’ll dedicate himself to Jim Boeheim and the Syracuse basketball squad.

Although several schools recruited him for both sports including Penn State, Tulane, and UMass. JG3 says for now my sole focus is hoops, but “I can’t speak for what the future holds.”

In basketball, he scored nearly 1,500 points and delivered Glens Falls their first state championship ever on the basketball court.

"“It meant everything (winning a state title),” Girard said via Jordan Divens of Max Preps. “I was able to help bring Glens Falls their first state title in football as a sophomore and we won it again this year. I just had one thing left to do before I graduated. I had to do it. Winning the first state title in basketball and then winning the federation title on top of that, it meant the most to me.”"

But beyond just the team success he has had, JG3 has made his mark in history across the U.S. He ranks 10th all-time on the high school basketball scoring list (4,763 career points).

Here are some other highlights to try to encapsulate his career (via Max Preps):

• JG3 is the first high school basketball player to average 48 or more points per game in a season twice, dropping 50 points per game as a junior and 48.6 per game as a senior.
• His senior year was one for the history books. In 30 games, he notched 26 40-point performances, 15 50-point games, and a New York Section II record 69-point outing.
• Girard was able to accomplish those numbers on the big stage, finishing with 50 points and hitting the game-tying 3-pointer late in regulation and the game-winning shot as time expired in overtime in the Indians’ 75-74 state title victory over Lowville.

With so much talent leaving the Orange from last year’s squad (Tyus Battle, Oshae Brissett, Frank Howard, and Paschal Chukwu), they’re going to need JG3 as a freshman to step up to the plate and have a huge role.

"“I was born to win. That is what my coaches instilled in me at a young age and a lot of people say they can see it,” he said via Max Preps. “I hate losing, it fuels me to win. Even in pickup games, I can’t stand to lose.”"