Lake City's Carlson Named Gatorade Idaho Player of the Year After Standout Season

Jordan Carlson authored a personal 7-0 scoring run in the fourth quarter of the 6A state championship game, finishing with 13 points as Lake City defeated Owyhee 55-47 at the Ford Idaho Center. That stretch captured what made the Timberwolves junior forward the consensus choice for Idaho's top individual basketball honor.

The All-Idaho boys basketball teams, selected by coaches statewide and released March 28, named Carlson the 6A Player of the Year, adding to a Gatorade Idaho Boys Basketball Player of the Year award already secured weeks earlier. The 6-foot-8, 205-pound forward averaged 17.8 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.4 blocked shots per game during the regular season, then elevated to 19.3 points per game on 51.3% shooting through the state tournament as the Timberwolves posted a 19-8 final record.

Because Carlson is a junior, college programs now have one full season to pitch him before he makes a decision. He entered the 2025-26 year as a sophomore second-team All-Idaho pick and leaves it as the Gatorade honoree, the 6A Inland Empire League Co-Player of the Year, and one of the most visible prospects in the Pacific Northwest heading into the next recruiting cycle. Lake City coach Anderson, completing his third year leading the program, was named the 6A boys Coach of the Year on the same All-Idaho ballot, recognition that the title was as much a product of the system as of any single player.

The All-Idaho selections showed Kootenai County's depth extends beyond Carlson. Coeur d'Alene senior Caden Symons landed on the 6A boys first team after averaging 31.1 points per game, among the highest scoring averages in the state. The 6-foot-5 guard, who has signed with Division I Evansville, capped his career by scoring 27 points and earning MVP honors at the 23rd annual Idaho All-Star Game at North Idaho College. In the smaller classifications, St. Maries senior guard JJ Yearout and Lakeside senior forward Tyson Charley, both of whom led their teams to state championships, were each named Player of the Year in their respective classifications, extending a pattern of north Idaho programs finishing atop the bracket in March.

With Carlson returning and Anderson recognized as the state's top 6A coach, Lake City enters next season carrying a state championship, a Gatorade award and the kind of offseason momentum that turns programs into destinations.