In a four-decade history of the award, the newest Louisiana Gatorade Player of the Year for boys basketball stands alone.
Ruston junior forward Ahmad Hudson was announced Friday as the 2026 award-winner, marking the first time in nearly a decade a non-senior has garnered the honors and the first time in nearly three decades a student-athlete in the 318 area code has done so.
No underclassman from north Louisiana had previously been selected.
Scotlandville guard Ja’Vonte Smart, who won the award three straight times from 2016-18, had been the latest non-senior winner as a junior in 2017, and Fair Park forward/center Stromile Swift and Ferriday forward Shawn Griggs had been the only previous north or central Louisiana picks in 1998 and 1989, respectively.
Hudson averaged a 19.7-point, 13.5-rebound double-double this season, plus 3.0 blocks, 2.1 assists and 2.0 steals, to lead his Bearcats to the Division-I Non-Select title game.
Ruston fell to Zachary, 63-60, in a back-and-forth championship bout, but not for lack of a dominant performance from its junior star, whose 32 points, 24 rebounds, seven blocks and four steals was among the best individual efforts of the entire state tournament.
The 6-foot-8, 250-pound athlete is a two-time LSWA all-state selection both in basketball as a freshman in 2023-24 and sophomore in 2024-25 and in football as a sophomore in 2024 and junior in 2025 and a lock to add another round of basketball honors this spring.
In addition to being one of the nation’s top basketball and football prospects, Hudson has maintained an A-minus average in the classroom and volunteered his time in a variety of capacities, according to the Gatorade news release, including at his former elementary school, with the Boys and Girls Clubs of North Louisiana and in fundraising campaigns for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
MORE ON GATORADE PLAYER OF THE YEAR AWARDS
(From the organization’s news release)
The Gatorade Player of the Year program annually recognizes one state winner from each of the 50 states and Washington D.C., in 12 different sports: football, girls volleyball, boys and girls cross country, boys and girls basketball, baseball, softball, boys and girls soccer, and boys and girls track & field. From the pool of state winners, one national winner is selected in each of the 12 sports.
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 winners in each sport. 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 $6.4 million in grants to winners across more than 2,200 organizations.
LOUISIANA GATORADE BOYS BASKETBALL PLAYERS OF THE YEAR
(*Note: Non-senior winners listed in bold)
2026 — Ahmad Hudson, Ruston F
2025 — Drew Timmons, Archbishop Hannan F
2024 — Allen Graves, Ponchatoula F
2023 — Chris Lockett Jr., Isidore Newman G
2022 — Solomon Washington, G.W. Carver F
2021 — Carlos Stewart Jr., Dunham G
2020 — Reece Beekman, Scotlandville G
2019 — Jalen Cook, Walker G
2018 — Ja’Vonte Smart, Scotlandville G
2017 — Ja’Vonte Smart, Scotlandville G
2016 — Ja’Vonte Smart, Scotlandville G
2015 — Wayde Sims, University Lab F
2014 — Trey Touchet, St. Thomas More G
2013 — Trey Touchet, St. Thomas More GÂ
2012 — Ricardo Gathers, Riverside Academy F
2011 — Ricardo Gathers, Riverside Academy F
2010 — Matt Derenbecker, Metairie Park Country Day F
2009 — Matt Derenbecker, Metairie Park Country Day FÂ
2008 — Greg Monroe, Helen Cox
2007 — Greg Monroe, Helen CoxÂ
2006 — Demond “Tweety” Carter, Reserve Christian G
2005 — Tasmin Mitchell, Denham Springs F
2004 — Glen “Big Baby” Davis, University Lab F/C
2003 — Brandon Bass, Capitol F
2002 — Darrel Mitchell Jr., St. Martinville G
2001 — Marcus Spears, Southern Lab F
2000 — Chris Duhon, Salmen G
1999 — Hollis Price. St. Augustine G
1998 — Stromile Swift, Fair Park F/C
1997 — Edwin “Greedy” Daniels, Walter L. Cohen G
1996 — Lester Earl, Glen Oaks F/C
1995 — Rogers Washington, Hanson Memorial C
1994 — Neil Reed, East Jefferson G
1993 — Randy Livingston, Isidore Newman G
1992 — Randy Livingston, Isidore Newman G
1991 — Pointer Williams, St. Augustine G
1990 — Melvin Simon, Archbishop Shaw F/C
1989 — Shawn Griggs, Ferriday F
1988 — Harold Boudreaux, Cecilia F
1987 — Lyle Mouton, St. Thomas More F
1986 — Fess Irvin, East Ascension G
