• 23.1 PPG • 9.3 RPG • 3.7 APG • 2.6 BPG

It’s no secret that Fredonia’s Nick Whitfield is one of the best athletes in Western New York and in the first game of the 2020-21 high school basketball season the future Division I quarterback put his talent on full display.

Unfortunately, Whitfield’s junior season did not last long as he was injured throwing down a dunk.

In the 2021-22 season, a healthy Whitfield was finally able to provide a full view of his talents. And much of the time he was attacking the rim.

Whitfield’s biggest night came on Jan. 27 against rival Dunkirk at home in Fredonia. For his final home game against the Marauders, Whitfield sure put on a show. He scored a career-high 48 points, featuring many highlight-reel dunks.

“This is something that he’ll never forget. … For him to end his career at home against Dunkirk like this, it’s pretty special,” Fredonia head coach Nick Bertrando said. “It’s something he won’t forget for a long time, and I won’t either.”

No matter what the Dunkirk defense did that night, Whitfield could not be stopped, and that was very much the case for every team that played Whitfield this season.

Whitfield scored 508 points, good for ninth in all of Section VI, and surpassed the 1,000-point threshold. He reached that mark with the season on the line, scoring 32 points in a 69-56 win over Cleveland Hill in the Section VI Class B2 prequarterfinals on Feb. 23.

“It’s a tough achievement, seeing as he only played in one game last year (because of injury),” Bertrando said after Whitfield’s 1,000-point game. ” … I would be remiss if I didn’t say how solid a person he is. I’m excited for him at the next level, playing football and going into the teaching field, so it will be nice to see him develop in that role as well.”

Whitfield ended up averaging 23.1 points, 9.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 2.6 blocked shots and 1.5 steals per game for the Hillbillies. What makes his numbers even more impressive is that they were done in one of the toughest leagues in Section VI. Fredonia competed in Chautauqua-Cattaraugus Athletic Association Division 1 West, which produced three sectional champions in Salamanca, Allegany-Limestone and Olean. Even in the face of tough league competition, Whitfield still managed to be a dominant force in every game which helped him earn the Player of the Year award for the league.

For all of these reasons, Whitfield is the 2022 Post-Journal/OBSERVER Boys Basketball Player of the Year.

Whitfield’s selection makes it two years in a row that the Hillbillies have claimed the honor, with Tyler Putney earning the distinction last year. Putney now plays Division II basketball at Daemen College.

Whitfield will not be continuing his basketball career in college, but will instead be playing football on a full-scholarship at Division I Saint Francis University.