Centennial High’s Troy Brown Jr. accepts the award for 2017 Male Athlete of the Year during the Sun Standout Awards, which recognizes local high school athletes, at the South Point Wednesday, May 24, 2017.
Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2018 | 2 a.m.
Do you know of a standout high school athlete in Southern Nevada who should be recognized? What about a prep game with a great ending?
The Las Vegas Sun will again host its Sun Standout Awards in late May, celebrating the year in local high school sports — everything from those memorable moments to the athletes whose achievements are noteworthy.
Modeled after ESPN’s ESPY Awards, the black-tie optional event honors the top games, moments, teams, players and more with such awards as Male and Female Athlete of the Year, Scholar Athlete of the Year and Citizen of the Year. The show is scheduled for May 23 at the South Point Showroom.
Since their debut after the 2015-16 season, the Sun Standout Awards have been presented to representatives from more than 15 schools, with the evening drawing packed crowds to the venue.
“Each year we have been so impressed by the nominees and what they’ve accomplished both on and off the field,” said Gordon Prouty, the group publisher of Greenspun Media Group, which publishes the Sun. “We are continually inspired by the commitment these student athletes make and expect to present another group of outstanding honorees this year.”
The Hank Greenspun Lifetime Achievement Award, named after the founder of the Las Vegas Sun, is the top award of the program. It is reserved for those who have displayed general excellence and strength of character, such as a contributor who goes above and beyond, or someone who displays good sportsmanship and perseverance while dealing with adversity.
Last year, the award went to retiring Clark County School District athletic director Ray Mathis, who started in Las Vegas as an assistant coach in the 1970s and worked his way into a top leadership position.
Other awards last year include: Male Athlete of the Year to basketball standout Troy Brown Jr., the Sun Standout Award of Excellence was awarded to the Centennial girls basketball team for finishing the season ranked nationally, and the Game of the Year went to Gorman basketball rallying past Clark in the final seconds of the state championship game.
Palo Verde took home the top team award — the Greenspun Cup, which ranks schools on academic and athletic performance of every sport.
Here’s how we tally the points:
For athletics, 10 points are awarded for a state championship. It’s eight points for two or more playoff wins and five points for making the postseason. For sports with meets as the state tournament, such as cross country, the state team champion still receives 10 points. It’s nine points for second place, eight for third and so forth.
For academics, we’ve coordinated with the Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association to use the team grade-point averages it collects for the team-by-team Academic State Championship. If a team wins the Academic State title, it’s worth 10 points — equal to winning an athletic title. For a GPA of 3.5 or better, it’s eight points in the standings. It’s five points for 3.0 or better, and three points for 2.5 or better.
There’s only one Greenspun Cup winner, regardless of classification.
For this school year, Bishop Gorman leads the standings after the fall season with 117 points, thanks largely to winning the boys and girls tennis state titles. Centennial (105 points), Coronado (101), Palo Verde (95) and Virgin Valley (95) round out the top five.
We’ll update the standings with stories after the winter and spring seasons. Nominations for other awards will be accepted through April 13.
