Conway High School senior basketball guard Chloe Clardy was named Gatorade’s Arkansas Girls Player of the Year for the second consecutive year. 

Clardy said she felt honored and blessed after receiving the news.

“It had been a goal of mine since the beginning of the year, so to see it happen for the second year in a row was just a blessing,” Clardy said. “It showed all my hard work that I put in on and off the court.”

Gatorade Player of The Year is not only based on athletic achievements and sportsmanship but also academics. Clardy is a 4.0 student and Stanford University commit. Stanford’s women’s basketball team is ranked fifth in the country. 

Clardy says that she is looking forward to the good people at Stanford and playing for one of the best basketball coaches, Tara Vanderveer, who’s been the school’s coach since 1985. She hasn’t decided on a major; however, she has an interest in math and is considering finance or engineering.

This honor comes after a successful senior season for Clardy. Clardy averaged 24.8 points, six rebounds, four assists, and 3.2 steals per game. She even led the Lady Wampus Cats to win the Class 6A Girls Basketball State Championship. She scored 20 points and earned two awards as State Tournament and District MVP. 

Clardy said what kept her going throughout the tournament was the fact that she hadn’t gotten a ring yet and it was her senior year.

Clardy said, “We came up short last year, and lost in the first round so that really stuck with us.

“We had a competitive schedule all year traveling to different states so that kept us dialed in the whole season.”

She says that during the season, her basketball training is strict, as she goes to the gym every day with her parents. Clardy said she focuses on shooting and ball handling, and her parents rebound for her. 

Clardy has been playing basketball since she could walk and her father is a basketball coach. All three of her siblings play basketball as well. 

When it comes to her basketball inspiration, Clardy says that Breanna Stewart is her favorite player and she also enjoys watching Chelsea Gray. 

The best piece of advice she learned during this journey was from her mother. “She always told me that if someone else can do it, you can do it better,” Clardy said.