Haddonfield Athlete A National Finalist For Gatorade Girls Basketball Player Of Year

HADDONFIELD, NJ — A Paul VI High School hoops star has racked up plenty of national accolades before even suiting up for one of the greatest women's basketball programs in the country. Hannah Hidalgo became one of Gatorade's three finalists for National Girls Basketball Player of the Year.

Hidalgo, a point guard, won Gatorade's state player of the year honor Wednesday for New Jersey.

The Paul XI student has had a career for the ages. In her senior season, she averaged 28.8 points, 5.1 assists, 6.4 rebounds and a whopping 7.3 steals per game, taking the Eagles (21-3) to the South Jersey Non-Public A Tournament championship game.

Hidalgo won the gold with the United States last summer in the FIBA U17 Women's World Cup and committed last fall to compete for Notre Dame. She was also selected for the 2023 McDonald's All-American Games.

• Read more: Paul VI Basketball Star Selected For McDonald's All-American Games

Gatorade honors high school athletes in 12 different sports each year — first by announcing state honorees. From there, the Gatorade Player of the Year Selection Committee selects national players of the year. The committee includes "an elite group of high school sport evaluators who have extensive experience assessing student-athletes based on their athletic statistics, GPAs and community service."

Past honorees include LeBron James, Peyton Manning, Abby Wambach, Derek Jeter and Candace Parker.

Hidalgo ranks fifth on ESPN's rankings of 2023 women's basketball recruits.

The Fighting Irish have an illustrious history, making nine Final Four appearances and becoming NCAA Tournament champions in 2001 and 2018. The team has also made the national finals five times since 2011 — most recently in 2019.

Hidalgo's future team congratulated her on winning Gatorade's State Player of the Year award.