Every year awards are so hard to pick with so many talented athletes in our state. This year there is one player rising above the rest with massive improvements all over the board.
Parker Friedrichsen is one of the best-scoring guards in the entire country out of Bixby, Oklahoma. Friedrichsen is a big-time player who took advantage of the Covid year racking in a ton of high major offers before his junior year of high school. I can talk about his offers all day long but what makes Friedrichsena Gatorade player of the year is how valuable he is to his team and how much he produces on any given night.
Bixby ended last year with a record of 7-16 which is considered a losing record. The main reason I think he didn’t win last year is that he had a great individual season but lacked pulling in wins and the easy thing to say is “he’s just chunking up shots” or “his team is bad so the points don’t matter” fast forward a year later he has led Bixby to a 19-4 record with only losses to only ranked squads in the state and hasn’t lost by more than 10 points this year.
Scoring has long been Friedrichsen’s thing, but this year he has improved to be an overall player. Bixby added no impact players from the transfer or move-in category and has improved by 12 wins. That doesn’t happen without the year Friedrichsen is having to impact his teammate’s play.
Friedrichsen is averaging 30.5 points, 10.3 rebounds, and 7.3 assists per game. Those numbers are ridiculous and show his impact on the court. Leadership is also there from Friedrichsen as he encourages and uplifts his teammates. A true sign of a great player is not just someone who can score, but someone who makes others around him better. Friedrichsen is doing just that at Bixby this season.
He has the grassroots accolades, and stats has led his team to a ton of wins and even has Bixby as potentially a state tournament team. On Friday, Friedrichsen has the opportunity to lead Bixby to the Area round in Class 6A for the first time in his high school career.
There are a few players who could win Gatorade player of the year in Oklahoma but I believe Parker is the most valuable to his team out of anyone in the state.
Other potential candidates: Dayton Forsythe, TO Barret, Dylan Warlick, Terry McMorris, and Brandon Garrison.
