UTAH POY - DANI PETERSON


RISE selects Skyline High School standout as Gatorade Utah Girls' Basketball Player of the Year

In its third decade of honoring the nation's best high school athletes, Gatorade joined with RISE Magazine to name senior forward DANI PETERSON of SKYLINE HIGH in Salt Lake City as its 2007-08 Utah Girls' Basketball Player of the Year.

The senior forward led the Eagles to a 22-2 record and the Class 5A state title, averaging 16.1 points, 9.8 rebounds, 1.1 blocks and 1.5 steals per game. The 6-foot-2 Peterson shot 57.2 percent from the field this season- after a state record 64.8 percentage as a junior-and averaged 17 points and 12 rebounds during the postseason. She is a three-time Class 5A First Team All-State selection.

Peterson has maintained a 3.64 GPA in the classroom. An enthusiastic member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Peterson has taken part in numerous community service initiatives and organized a project with the Latter-day Saint Humanitarian Center in Salt Lake City that created 2,000 infant caps to be included in newborn goodwill kits sent all over the world.

“Dani is long and quick; she runs the court well and she just alters the game in the paint,” said Greg Cramer of rival Jordan High. “She has good fundamentals. She rebounds, passes, blocks shots, posts up and can step outside and shoot it. And, she truly looks like she's having fun out on the court.”

Peterson has signed a National Letter of Intent to play basketball on scholarship at Brigham Young University this fall.