Colony senior named Gatorade Alaska Boys Basketball Player of the Year

PALMER — Sullivan Menard has all of the skills necessary to play basketball at a high level, Colony head coach Tom Berg said. But the Knights mentor said there is something that separates his senior standout from the remainder of the pack.

“A lot of guys have the skills, but he does it in a more intense way,” Berg said. “His motor and attitude is what puts him over the top. It’s what makes him elite.”

And that tenacity is a reason the Colony senior has garnered an illustrious honor. Menard has been named the Gatorade Alaska Boys Basketball Player of the Year.

“He does it faster than most other guys. When you think about really good players, what separates is his intensity, energy, effort and intuition. He has all of those traits.”

Berg also praised the basketball IQ of Menard, who also boasts a 4.02 grade point average off the court.

Menard, a 6-foot-3 and 180-pound senior, is averaging 15.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 3.1 steals. He helped the Knights score the No. 2 seed in the 4A state tournament, which starts Thursday in Anchorage.

“Menard can score, rebound, pass and he’s a little gritty,” West head coach Josh Muehlenkamp said in the press release issued by Gatorade Friday. “He plays and competes the whole tie, and he’s got a real edge to him. He’s long and athletic and he really gets after it on the defensive end too.”

Menard has committed to play basketball for Division I DePaul. Menard has a spot as a preferred walk-on for the Chicago, Illinois, school that competes in the Big East Conference.

Menard is the second Colony High player to earn Gatorade Alaska Player of the Year honors for boys’ basketball, joining Eli Wilson who won in it 1997.

Former Wasilla standout Connor Devine was last Valley player to be named the Gatorade player of the year for boys’ basketball, earning the honor in 2012. Wasilla’s Jesse Bean (2007) and Ray Schafer (2003) also won it for boys’ basketball.

Contact Frontiersman managing editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.