Gibby Williams Named Gatorade Wyoming Player of the Year in 2026

Gibby Williams, a junior at Thunder Basin, has been named the 2025-26 Gatorade Wyoming Boys Basketball Player of the Year—the second ever from Thunder Basin High School in Gillette. The Gatorade Company announced its selection last Friday, marking the 41st year of this national award celebrating outstanding high school athletes.

GATORADE WYOMING BOYS BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE YEAR 2025-26

Gibby’s selection stands out for two unique reasons. Not only is he the second honoree from his family—his older brother, Deegan, earned the distinction in 2020-21—but he is also coached by Tony Schamber at TBHS. Schamber was the Gatorade Wyoming Boys Basketball Player of the Year in 1999-2000 at Lander Valley High School.

Gibby led the Bolts to a 15-12 record and an appearance in the 4A semifinals. The 6-3 junior point guard was named the 4A Player of the Year by the coaches. Williams averaged 23.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game. Gibby shot 44 percent from the field, 39 percent from deep, and 77 percent at the free-throw line. He finished in the top 10 of six different statistical categories in Class 4A. He concluded his season as the program’s leader in single-season scoring (627) as well as career points (1,555), overtaking his brother (Deegan) in both categories.

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Williams is a Quality Student and is Involved in His Community

Williams maintains a 3.51 GPA in the classroom. He will enter his senior year this fall. He has volunteered locally as a youth basketball coach and is also an active member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

Scottsbluff (NE) High School coach Scott Guillian had plenty of praise for Williams in the release.

“Gibby is the most complete player we played against. Gibby can score it at all three levels against any defense, but what makes him special is that he always seems to make the winning play. It’s what makes him so hard to defend. The numbers don’t lie. He’s a complete player.”

The award recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the field. It distinguishes Williams as Wyoming’s best high school boys’ basketball player. He is a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade National Boys Basketball Player of the Year award, to be announced in the near future.

Williams joins recent Gatorade Wyoming Boys Basketball Players of the Year Neil Summers from Laramie (2024-25), Joe Sawyer of Cheyenne Central (2023-24), and Parker Paxton from Riverton (2022-23), among the state’s list of former award winners.

As part of Gatorade’s commitment to breaking down barriers in sport, every Player of the Year also receives a grant to donate to a social impact partner. To date, the Gatorade Player of the Year program has provided more than $6.4 million in grants to winners across more than 2,200 organizations.

Information from a press release from The Gatorade Company was used in this story.