Bishop Hendricken basketball player Azmar Abdullah enjoyed one of the most prolific seasons in program history this past winter season and recently was named the Rhode Island Gatorade Player of the Year.

Abdullah led the team in scoring this season with 22.8 points per game and was vital in winning another state championship. Abdullah was named the coaches association’s player of the year while also being first team, all-state.

Off the court, Abdullah boasts a 3.06 grade point average and regularly volunteers in the community. He is the seventh Hendricken player to receive the Gatorade Player of the Year award, joining guys like current head coach Jamal Gomes and Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla, who won it twice while with the Hawks.

“I was just worried about winning the championship. I’d just like to thank my teammates and coaches for helping me get the awards, my teammates for pushing me. Devin Lynch, Eze Wali, Mike Paquette, Matt Brock, they always pushed me at practice. I really appreciate them for that. Coach Gomes worked with me in the offseason, being with me in the gym before school and after school,” said Abdullah. “It’s an honor just to be in the conversation with those guys, Joe Mazzulla, Justin Mazzulla, Coach Jamal Gomes. It’s an honor to be part of Hendricken history.”

Although Abdullah experienced a championship as a junior, he had a quiet playoff run and was determined to make a bigger impact this time around.

“I’m grateful for the year that I had. I didn’t think that I’d have the year that I had after not scoring in (last year’s) championship game. I knew I could have done better. Going into the summer, I knew I had to improve to get the awards that I did,” said Abdullah.

Next up for Abdullah is prep school, as he announced last week that he would be heading to Vermont Academy for a season prior to committing to a college program. Abdullah was considering transferring to prep school as early as his sophomore year, but his parents and Gomes convinced him to see things through at Hendricken.

“I’m grateful that I stayed and I think the decision to do it now will be beneficial for me, being able to play against better competition in Vermont,” Abdullah said.

Moving forward, Abdullah will remember the meetings with Gomes and his influence on his life both on and off the court.

“I’m going to take all those conversations in Coach Gomes’ office with me and how he would relate basketball to life. It always related to having a support system, having a team, family, mentors, coaches,” Abdullah said. “You can’t get through life on your own and that’s the biggest thing that I always appreciated about Coach Gomes.”