ESPNHS California: State Athlete of the Week
La Jolla Country DayUniversity of San Diego-bound senior Maya Hood of La Jolla Country Day (La Jolla, Calif.) has over 1,600 career points.Emotional leader of nation’s No. 12-ranked team ready to join 1,500-point and 1,000-rebound club. She and her twin sister are the pair to go with team’s Plum.
Maya Hood of the nationally ranked La Jolla Country Day girls basketball team near San Diego doesn’t get the hype of teammate and junior phenom Kelsey Plum, but the reality is that the 5-foot-10 senior who plays like a girl 6-foot-3 is the heart and soul of the team.
“She’s a tremendous leader, our emotional and physical leader,” said 13-year La Jolla Country Day Coach Terri Bamford of her player who is headed to the University of San Diego.
The “double-double” as Bamford calls her, or “my-oh-my” as she’s known by teammates and friends, can score and rebound as well.
Last week on Senior Night, Hood poured in 29 points and grabbed 12 rebounds with three steals and two assists in a 77-25 win over league rival San Diego Horizon.
As a result of that performance, a season that shows her with eight double-doubles, and an approximate 3.3 GPA, Hood joins Plum, who won the award last year, as an ESPNHS Cal-Hi Sports State Athlete of the Week.
Harold Abend/ESPNHSESPNHS Cal-Hi Sports State Athlete of the Week Gokul Natesan of Cupertino has a 4.38 GPA to go with 253 career three-pointers. Gokul Natesan will end up No. 2 on the Cupertino all-time scoring list behind Kurt Rambis and knows when to take over a game. He’s perhaps even more impressive academically with a 4.38 GPA.
It was late in the third quarter and the Cupertino boys basketball team only led visiting Los Gatos 32-27 when star player Gokul Natesan got even busier than he already had been.
Natesan (pronounced Nah-tay-san) already had 19 of his team’s points, but then he completely took over. He scored off a steal, then drained an NBA-range 3-pointer to make it 39-31 entering the final period.
Gokul started the first two minutes of the fourth quarter with a block and a basket off a steal, another steal, another block and another NBA-length trey ball that pretty much sealed a 58-41 victory.
Even the Cal-Hi Sports caravan’s presence at the Wednesday night game earlier this week couldn’t kibosh Natesan’s performance. The 6-foot-3 senior finished with 31 points on six 3-pointers, five rebounds, five steals, three assists and three blocks.
Last week, in a 54-47 win on the road at De Anza League rival Palo Alto, the 4.38 GPA student-athlete had 32 points and drained seven 3-pointers.
Important announcement from Cal-Hi Sports | Archived Cal-Hi Sports content
She’s only 5-foot-7, but Workman’s Evelyn Herrera plays with a gigantic heart and has overcome a lot to become one of the state’s leading scorers.
It’s not often a 5-foot-7 girls basketball player gets credit for invigorating a community, particularly a girl who has only been in town less than two years, but that’s what Evelyn Herrera from Workman of the City of Industry has done.
Not only has Evelyn energized the atmosphere at Workman, she’s living proof that big things really do come in small packages and has literally put the girls basketball program on the map.
Last week, in a 71-30 victory over Bassett of La Puente, Herrera had 29 points, 10 steals and eight assists. She also had 26 points and eight rebounds in a 69-45 triumph against Sierra Vista of Baldwin Park.
It was the 11th straight and 20th overall game this season the CIF Southern Section’s second-leading scorer has been over 20 points for the Lobos, who were 18-4 heading into this week.
Now, for performances all season on the court and in school, plus for overcoming extreme adversity, the young woman, who along with her mother and brother moved to City of Industry to escape the turmoil of East Los Angeles, has been named the ESPNHS Cal-Hi Sports State Athlete of the Week.
She’s only 5-foot-7, but Workman’s Evelyn Herrera plays with a gigantic heart and has overcome a lot to become one of the state’s leading scorers.
It’s not often a 5-foot-7 girls basketball player gets credit for invigorating a community, particularly a girl who has only been in town less than two years, but that’s what Evelyn Herrera from Workman of the City of Industry has done.
Not only has Evelyn energized the atmosphere at Workman, she’s living proof that big things really do come in small packages and has literally put the girls basketball program on the map.
Last week, in a 71-30 victory over Bassett of La Puente, Herrera had 29 points, 10 steals and eight assists. She also had 26 points and eight rebounds in a 69-45 triumph against Sierra Vista of Baldwin Park.
It was the 11th straight and 20th overall game this season the CIF Southern Section’s second-leading scorer has been over 20 points for the Lobos, who were 18-4 heading into this week.
Now, for performances all season on the court and in school, plus for overcoming extreme adversity, the young woman, who along with her mother and brother moved to City of Industry to escape the turmoil of East Los Angeles, has been named the ESPNHS Cal-Hi Sports State Athlete of the Week.
Sean Ceglinsky/For ESPNLA.comMarcus LoVett Jr. (back) is leading a strong contigent of standout freshmen basketball players in Southern California. Marcus LoVett Jr. tries to be as normal a freshman as possible despite 31.7 per game scoring average
After what he’s done so far this season, to say Marcus LoVett Jr. from Providence of Burbank has exploded onto the scene would be a bit of an understatement.
In fact, the freshman from a very talented Los Angeles-area Class of 2015 has taken center stage among his peers.
Last week in a 73-66 victory over Campbell Hall of North Hollywood, the 5-foot-11 combo guard had a statement game.
LoVett finished with 45 points and five assists, out-dueling another top freshman, Aaron Holiday (27 points), the younger brother of 2008 Mr. Basketball State Player of the Year and current Philadelphia 76ers guard Jrue Holiday.
For that performance, plus a season that sees him leading the state in scoring, LoVett becomes one of only a handful of freshman to be named ESPNHS Cal-Hi Sports State Athlete of the Week.
Important announcement from Cal-Hi Sports | Archived Cal-Hi Sports content
Sophie Bhasin is a dual citizen who aspires to follow in the footsteps of a former Ms. Basketball at San Bernardino Cajon. She has scored 45 points and 39 points in two games already this week.
Click here to see profile of last week's honoree, Visalia Central Valley Christian's Grant Verhoeven.
Some award winners have been injured, others have tanked, and many have suffered a loss immediately after hearing they were named the ESPNHS Cal-Hi Sports State Athlete of the Week, but not Sophie Bhasin of San Bernardino Cajon.
On Tuesday night after getting word of her honor that morning, the Long Island University-bound senior had a cliché-like “can you top this” performance. Her team certainly needed it in a 78-60 win over Rialto Carter.
Bhasin posted a triple-double, with a career-high 45 points to go with 12 rebounds and 10 assists in what was a four-point game midway through the fourth quarter until Sophie completely took over.
That feat followed a week in which she actually earned the award with back-to-back triple-doubles.
First, the Indian-born American with dual citizenship had 24 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists in a blowout win over Colton. Two days later, Bhasin had 33 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists in a 71-31 win against visiting crosstown Arroyo Valley.
With Tuesday’s outing, Sophie now has seven triple-double games, five double-doubles and two quadruple-doubles this season. She has per game averages of 23.6 points, 11.6 rebounds, 8.3 assists and 4.8 steals.
Lofty goals
Bhasin’s current 1,492 career points and 407 assists as a four-year varsity starter are far below the 2,875 points and 944 assists of the school’s all-time leader, Layshia Clarendon, but that isn’t stopping Sophie from wanting to follow in her former teammate and the current Cal guard’s footsteps.
Sophie Bhasin is a dual citizen who aspires to follow in the footsteps of a former Ms. Basketball at San Bernardino Cajon. She has scored 45 points and 39 points in two games already this week.
Click here to see profile of last week's honoree, Visalia Central Valley Christian's Grant Verhoeven.
Some award winners have been injured, others have tanked, and many have suffered a loss immediately after hearing they were named the ESPNHS Cal-Hi Sports State Athlete of the Week, but not Sophie Bhasin of San Bernardino Cajon.
On Tuesday night after getting word of her honor that morning, the Long Island University-bound senior had a cliché-like “can you top this” performance. Her team certainly needed it in a 78-60 win over Rialto Carter.
Bhasin posted a triple-double, with a career-high 45 points to go with 12 rebounds and 10 assists in what was a four-point game midway through the fourth quarter until Sophie completely took over.
That feat followed a week in which she actually earned the award with back-to-back triple-doubles.
First, the Indian-born American with dual citizenship had 24 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists in a blowout win over Colton. Two days later, Bhasin had 33 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists in a 71-31 win against visiting crosstown Arroyo Valley.
With Tuesday’s outing, Sophie now has seven triple-double games, five double-doubles and two quadruple-doubles this season. She has per game averages of 23.6 points, 11.6 rebounds, 8.3 assists and 4.8 steals.
Lofty goals
Bhasin’s current 1,492 career points and 407 assists as a four-year varsity starter are far below the 2,875 points and 944 assists of the school’s all-time leader, Layshia Clarendon, but that isn’t stopping Sophie from wanting to follow in her former teammate and the current Cal guard’s footsteps.
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