Cydnee Kinslow (left) has been a shot-blocking machine for Freedom of Oakley so far this season. The logo at right is in honor of Sultana’s Frank Bertz. Photo: Harold Abend.
This feature has switched to boys and girls basketball and like we did in football we are going to do our best to spread around the honors as much as possible with one boy and one girl chosen from each region. This week’s best are from Hesperia, San Rafael, Sierra Madre and Oakley.
To nominate a player for next week, email markjtennis@gmail.com by Monday at 12 noon and be sure to include a photo that we can use (which means it’s not from the local newspaper or from another web site). Please feel free to call at 209-463-9050 as well both for nominations or to see if your business or small company would like to become a sponsor for this weekly content.
Note: For purposes of this feature, we are considering the CIF Central Section to be in the north.
Cal-Hi Sports Southern California
Boys Basketball Player of the Week
Frank Bertz (Sultana, Hesperia) Jr.
He’s a 6-foot-3 junior standout who ended 2014 with some big time performances. Bertz scored 34 points and grabbed nine rebounds during a 78-76 loss to Moreno Valley and then scored 29 points and grabbed 17 rebounds during a 96-71 win over Indio.
Earlier this season, the Sultans broke a school record for most points in a game during a 135-36 win over Boron that also saw him set the individual scoring mark in school history with 51 points. We didn’t want to choose him after a game like that due to the one-sided nature of the score, but since then Bertz has continued to put up more than solid numbers against much better competition.
Cal-Hi Sports Northern California
Boys Basketball Player of the Week
Kyle Roach (Marin Academy, San Rafael) Sr.
One of the leading scorers in the state so far this season is this 6-foot-4 senior who is averaging 34.5 points per game and 9.9 rebounds per game for the Wildcats.
Roach may have had a season-high 50 points last week during a 82-61 win over Encinal of Alameda, but considering the competition his other two games were just as impressive. His lowest scoring game of the season came last week when he scored 24 points, but that came against a very solid Drake of San Anselmo squad that played for the CIF Division III state title last season. Roach also had a 32-point performance in a win over Miramonte of Orinda and then ended 2014 with 42 points and 10 rebounds during a win over Arcata.
His 50-point performance set a school record for points in a game, breaking the record he had set earlier this season when he scored 46 points against St. Elizabeth of Oakland.
Cal-Hi Sports Southern California
Girls Basketball Player of the Week
Channon Fluker (Marantha, Pasadena) Sr.
Named by the Pasadena Star News as its girls basketball player of the year last season, she is well on her way to repeating that honor. The 6-foot-4 senior captain is one of the leading scorers in the state averaging 27.4 points per game and is among the top rebounders in the nation as well (according to MaxPreps) as she averages 19.7 rebounds.
Already with a 41-point game earlier this season, she ended 2014 with 27 points and 20 rebounds during a 57-25 win over Corona and then the next day scored 30 points and grabbed 22 rebounds during a 61-46 win over Mount Si of Snoqualmie, Washington. Her season-high for rebounds in a game was when she grabbed 33 rebounds and scored 35 points during a 53-51 loss to Pasadena Poly. Fluker has signed with Cal State Northridge.
Cal-Hi Sports Northern California
Girls Basketball Player of the Week
Cydnee Kinslow (Freedom, Oakley) Jr.
While finding her stats sometimes can be as challenging of a time as opponents have of getting off shots in the paint against her, this shot blocking machine was a multiple way threat during the recent West Coast Jamboree and was named MVP of the Topaz Division.
Despite her minutes limited in several of the games because of big leads for the Falcons, this 6-foot-2 post had a triple-double in every game of the three-game tournament as the Falcons won the championship in convincing fashion.
During the Falcons’ 64-28 semifinal win over Los Banos, she finished with 16 points, 15 rebounds, 10 blocks, five steals and two assists before finding a seat late in the third quarter to cheer on her teammates for the rest of the game.
Before the season, she had a busy summer which included an invite to try out for the USA Under-17 World Championship team in Colorado where she made it to the final round of cuts.
Back in October, she received her first official offer from the University of San Francisco.
Paul Muyskens is the Stockton office assistant editor for CalHiSports.com. Mark Tennis is the co-founder and publisher of CalHiSports.com. He can be reached at markjtennis@gmail.com. Don’t forget to follow Mark on the Cal-Hi Sports Twitter handle: @CalHiSports
