Mannix Named Top RI Girls' Basketball Player by Gatorade

“She is truly a role model for what a student-athlete should be, and I am so proud of what she has accomplished, and so lucky to have been able to coach her. She is certainly one of a kind!”

Head coach Stephen Lenz made those comments Friday morning about Kelly Mannix, captain of the Barrington High School girls’ basketball team, who has been named the Rhode Island Gatorade Player of the Year. It's an honor the sports drink company bestows on the top player in each high school sport each year.

Mannix is the first female player at the high school to win the award, said Lenz. He described the award as “an amazing accomplishment.”

“The award is given to an athlete who embodies tremendous basketball talent and an impressive academic record, as well as an individual who has dedicated herself to the betterment of the community,” said Lenz. “Kelly certainly possesses all of these attributes and for that she deserves to be celebrated."

The senior All-State forward led the girls to an unbeaten regular season in Division I before a loss in the semifinals of the state tournament. The team finished with a 24-2 overall record.

Mannix, a 5-10 forward, averaged a “double-double” on the season, scoring more than 15 points and pulling down more than 12 rebounds a game. She passed the 1,000 career points and 1,000 care rebound totals.

An unselfish player as well, Mannix also averaged almost 4 assists a game. And she was as strong on defense as she was on offense, spearheading a team that often guarded opponents from one end of the court to the other.

Mannix plans to continue her outstanding high school career at Adelphi University in Garden City on Long Island, NY.