Slawson garners Gatorade state accolade

Fort Dorchester standout R.J. Slawson was named the 2009-10 Gatorade South Carolina Boys Basketball Player of the Year.

It marks the third straight year a player from Dorchester County won the Gatorade honor. Pinewood Prep's Milton Jennings claimed the award the past two seasons.

Slawson edged out future South Carolina Gamecocks teammate Bruce Ellington, a Berkeley standout, for the honor.

"It's an honor to be player of the year," Slawson said in a phone interview from Myrtle Beach, where he's preparing for this weekend's Carolinas Classic, which features the top seniors from South Carolina against the top seniors from North Carolina.

"I am thankful for being the player of the year. I am appreciative of the people who thought I was worthy. I knew it would be a close race between Bruce and me. It could have gone either way."

The 6-8, 195-pound senior guard/forward led the Patriots to the Class AAAA playoff quarterfinals and a 22-4 record. Slawson averaged 22.7 points, 12.4 rebounds, 6.7 blocks and 3.1 assists per game. He was recently named to the state coaches' association all-state team.

Slawson, who is ranked as the nation's No. 82 in the Class of 2010 by ESPNU, was a first-team All-Lowcountry selection as a junior. His coach, Leon Wheaton, has high praise for the talented senior.

"R.J. Slawson is a complete game-changer," Wheaton said. "He is the type of guy who completely fills up the stat sheet in each category. He is a very humble player who has changed the basketball atmosphere at Fort Dorchester."

The award, which recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence but high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the court, distinguishes Slawson as the state's best high school boys basketball player.

Slawson has maintained a 3.42 GPA in the classroom. He has volunteered locally as a summer basketball camp counselor, a youth mentor for elementary school students and as a caretaker for the elderly.

Slawson is a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade National Boys Basketball Player of the Year award, to be announced in the coming weeks.

Note: To celebrate the award's 25th anniversary, Gatorade wants fans to vote for the All-Time Greatest Players of the Year at gatorade.com/POY25. To keep up to date on the latest happenings, become a fan of Gatorade Player of the Year on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. For more on the Gatorade Player of the Year program, including nomination information, a complete list of past winners, and the announcement of the Gatorade National Player of the Year, visit playeroftheyear.gatorade.com.