Irmo's Justin McKie Earns Gatorade Basketball Player of the Year Award

Irmo High's Justin McKie has been named the Gatorade South Carolina Boys Basketball Player of the Year, the organization announced Thursday.

McKie, a 6-foot-4 guard, is now a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade National Boys Basketball Player of the Year award.

The award recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the court. 

McKie scored 20 points with 10 rebounds in the Yellow Jackets' 65-46 win over Goose Creek in the Class 4 A state championship game. Irmo finished the season with a 29-0 record.

McKie, South Carolina’s 2013 Mr. Basketball, averaged 18 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.8 steals per game while shooting 80 percent from the free throw line. 

He has maintained a B average in the classroom and has volunteered locally on behalf of the Special Olympics, as part of an elementary school literacy-outreach initiative and as a summer basketball camp counselor, according to a release.