CHICAGO, ILL. --  Incoming Drake recruit Rayvonte Rice, a senior at Centennial High School in Champaign, was named the 2009-10 Gatorade Illinois Boys Basketball Player of the Year on Thursday.

The 6-foot-3 guard has averaged 24.3 points per game this season in leading the Class 3A defending state champions back to the state tournament in Peoria, Ill.

Rice has led Centennial to a 31-1 record entering a 2 p.m. semifinal round game against Hillcrest Friday.

With the honor, Rice becomes a finalist for the Gatorade National Boys Basketball Player of the Year award, to be announced later this month.

The Gatorade Player of the Year program annually recognizes one winner in the District of Columbia and each of the 50 states in 12 boys' and girls' sports.

Rice needs three points to overtake former Urbana great Ken Ferdinand as the all-time No. 2 scorer in Champaign-Urbana boys' basketball history. The Chargers guard increased his career total to 1,775 points by scoring 34 against Cahokia on Tuesday in the Springfield Super-Sectional. Ferdinand (1972-75) finished his career with 1,777.

With Centennial assured of two more games, Rice is strongly positioned to finish his career as the school's all-time points king. Current No. 1 Clyde Turner (1966-69) scored 1,805, meaning Rice would need 31 points to overtake the former Champaign High great.