By Catherine Garrett | [email protected]

Corner Canyon High senior Kemery Martin was recently honored as the 2018–19 Utah Gatorade Player of the Year. The University of Utah-bound guard, who was second in the state in scoring among all classifications with nearly 22 points a game, led the Chargers to a second-place finish at the 5A state tournament.

The Gatorade Player of the Year program has been recognizing top athletes nationwide over the past 30 years for their overall excellence on and off their field of play.

“It’s an exciting moment as a coach to celebrate the accomplishments of one of the best student-athletes I’ve ever been around,” said Corner Canyon head coach Jeramy Acker. “She is certainly deserving of this honor.”

Martin said she woke up to her phone “buzzing like crazy,” congratulating her on the award that Coach Acker was the first to text her about. “It was cool to receive it that way because it really showed all the support that I am blessed to have,” Martin said. “It’s a cool way to end my high school career. It’s definitely a big award so I’m super humbled to be able to receive it.”

Martin, the daughter of Jeramie Martin of Draper and Toni Martin of Sandy, was also among the state’s leaders in three-pointers made (62), rebounds (seven a game), assists (five a game) and steals (three a game) this past season. The senior credits her parents for their constant influence on her. “They have sacrificed so much and have been there every step of the way,” Martin said. “They continued to push and encourage me through everything.”

The First Team All-State player who passed the 1,500 career points mark this past season also noted Acker’s role in her development on the court. “He helped me achieve goals and pushed me throughout my time at Corner Canyon,” Martin said. 

The Gatorade award will also send $1,000 to a sports organization of Martin’s choice through the Gatorade Play It Forward initiative. 

“This award is big time, but there were a lot of people behind the scenes that have helped me get to this point,” Martin said. “So, I would just thank all the love and support that has been around and the amazing people that were a part of the journey.”

“I know Kemery will continue to accomplish amazing things throughout the remainder of her basketball career at the University of Utah,” Acker said. “I couldn’t be more proud as a coach.”