August 02, 2025
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Boys Basketball: Yorkville Christian’s Jaden Schutt named Gatorade Illinois Player of the Year

By Joshua Welge
Yorkville Christian’s Jaden Schutt looks for a play against Liberty in the Class 1A championship game at State Farm Center in Champaign. Friday, Mar. 11, 2022, in Champaign.

Yorkville Christian’s Jaden Schutt looks for a play against Liberty in the Class 1A championship game at State Farm Center in Champaign. Saturday, Mar. 12, 2022, in Champaign. (Gary Middendorf - gmiddendorf@shawmedia.com/Gary Middendorf)

Jaden Schutt, who led Yorkville Christian to the Class 1A state championship this past weekend, has been named the Gatorade Illinois Boys Basketball Player of the Year.

Gatorade made the announcement in a Wednesday news release.

The Gatorade Player of the Year award recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the court. Schutt is now the finalist for the Gatorade National Boys Basketball Player of the Year award to be announced later this month. Past winners of the national award included NBA stars Jayson Tatum, Karl-Anthony Towns, Jabari Parker and Dwight Howard.

Schutt, who will play collegiately at Duke, led Yorkville Christian to a 25-13 record and the school’s first Class 1A title. He averaged 25.0 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 2.5 steals. Schutt finished his high school career with 2,322 points.

Schutt has volunteered locally with Feed My Starving Children, Operation Christmas Child and the Mooseheart Child City and School. He also donated his time to the Yorkville Parks and Recreation Department as a youth basketball coach.

Schutt has maintained a 4.0 GPA in the classroom.