Two of our latest SoCal/NorCal Players of the Week are Mateo Trujillo from Rolling Hills Prep of San Pedro (left) and Ryka Aprameyan from Evergreen Valley of San Jose. Photos: #RHPbasketball graphic & 49ersCal-HiSports / YouTube.com.
Despite the fact that the regular season has ended in almost every section and the funnel has narrowed to almost only teams in the playoffs with a few exceptions, we still had some amazing performances to honor that usually
would only get local recognition. With everyone in Tuesday playoff games, we also have to get out these honors one day earlier for the rest of the season. This week, we head to Loyalton and San Jose in Northern California, and in Southern California our stops are at San Pedro and Ventura where both award winners play for all-time winningest coaches.
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Notes: For these honors, we also consider CIF Central Section players for Northern California. To nominate anyone, email markjtennis@gmail.com.
Cal-Hi Sports Northern California
Girls Player of the Week
Ryka Aprameyan (Evergreen Valley, San Jose) Sr.
Do you know the way to San Jose? We do, and the eastern portion of the city around two miles east of Highway 101 and just before you get to the foothills of Mt. Hamilton is where we’re headed to find this week’s Northern California Girls Player of the Week.
Aprameyan, a four-year varsity star for Evergreen Valley has had to overcome some adversity after missing some games this year. She was recently at her best, however, in two Blossom Valley League–Mt. Hamilton victories last week that secured the league title at 10-0 for the Cougars.
Ryka started the week with her second-best performance of the season when she went for a double-double 39 points (five three-pointers) and 11 rebounds with six steals and two assists in a 59-42 victory over Christopher of Gilroy. In the second game last week, and in a 58-52 victory over crosstown arch rival Branham, Aprameyan outdueled Branham senior star Quinn Godfrey after posting another double-double 33 points and 10 rebounds in a 58-52 road win.
Not all games for Evergreen Valley have been reported and we’re not sure exactly how many Aprameyan’s games are reported, but with what we were able to see she‘s currently averaging 26.5 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. With what has been reported, Ryka also is closing in on 1,500 career points with 1,461 for 60 career games reported. She connected for 31.5 ppg last season in 17 reported games and averaged 23.2 ppg in 25 reported games as a sophomore.
Aidan Shelby plays for small school Loyalton but had big time scoring totals last week. Photo: ncsa.org.
Cal-Hi Sports Northern California
Boys Player of the Week
Aidan Shelby (Loyalton) Sr.
The search for the Northern California Boys Player of the Week could have been difficult to find on our own, but in the case of Shelby we got an emailed note from longtime prep sports scribe Kevin Askeland, who has compiled CIF Northern Section records for many years.
To find Shelby, we had to cross the Donner Pass and make a left turn in Truckee and head north on Highway 89 until we get to Sierraville, and then we turn right on Highway 49 and after winding our way around 15 miles northeast we land in Loyalton to honor this week’s award winner.
Not only is Shelby from a somewhat remote area, there’s another twist to his saga, and that is his best performance last week and career best one to boot, would not have qualified for player of the week since we almost never honor a player from a game where the team lost. Later in the week, though, he solidified this week’s award.
Shelby started last week with a career high 51 points, including 13 three-pointers, plus six rebounds, two assists and two steals, but it came in a losing effort as Loyalton was beaten 92-84 on senior night by visiting Portola in a non league match-up.
The 51-point outing adds the cherry to top of the sundae, and although it doesn’t make up for the loss, when combined with what Shelby did the next night in Orland at Providence, gives the 6-foot-5 Sierra College-bound senior one heck of a two-game stretch. In a 76-33 victory, Shelby had a monster double-double that was nearly a triple-double after he had 42 points (six three-pointers) and 15 rebounds, with nine blocked shots, plus seven steals and four assists.
We’re not sure what Aidan did the following night in a 61-55 overtime victory versus Quincy, but it doesn’t really change anything with respect to his being honored. So far this season and heading into the CIF Northern Section playoffs, Shelby is averaging 21.3 points, 10.1 rebounds, 6.3 blocks and 2.2 assists per game.
As for the 13 three-pointers, not only does it make the Cal-Hi Sports Online Record Book Most Three-Pt Field Goals Made (Game) list, it’s the most ever in the CIF Northern Section since it will be the lone entry from the CIFNS on the list when it next updates.
Cal-Hi Sports Southern California
Boys Player of the Week
Mateo Trujillo (Rolling Hills Prep, San Pedro) Sr.
We head to the Palos Verdes Peninsula and just north of the Port of Los Angeles in San Pedro to find the Southern California Boys Player of the Week, and it’s at Rolling Hills Prep where we locate this week’s honoree, who plays for legendary head coach Harvey Kitani, the No. 3 all time winningest coach who currently has 954 career wins, according to the Cal-Hi Sports Online Record Book, after the two wins last week in the CIF Southern Section 2AA playoffs.
Rolling Hills Prep opened the 2AA playoffs with a 73-62 win over Mayfair of Lakewood with Trujillo breaking loose for 31 points with five assists and five steals. In the second round, and in a hard fought, defensive battle, Trujillo led all scorers with 16 points in a 52-49 victory vs Oak Park. Mateo’s season stats are not reported on MaxPreps, but earlier this season he was MVP at the Huntington Park tournament where he averaged 20 ppg. He also was all-tourney at the Dwan Hurt Classic and in Rolling Hills Prep’s division at The Classic at Damien.
The Rolling Hills Prep faithful are hoping Trujillo and his Huskies teammates can keep it going on Wednesday in the quarterfinals when they host Culver City.
It wasn’t Skyler Knight’s drives to the hoops for Ventura that netted her a SoCal POW selection, but her three-point shooting. Photo: Hudl.com.
Cal-Hi Sports Southern California
Girls Player of the Week
Skyler Knight (Ventura) Sr.
Ventura County and the City of Ventura is our destination in search of the Southern California Girls Player of the Week, and we find ourselves a little over a mile northeast of San Buenaventura State Beach at Ventura High to honor Knight.
Like the SoCal boys award winner this week, Knight plays for a girls coaching icon, in this case Cougars’ head coach Anne Larson, who eclipsed the 500-win career coaching wins mark last season and who currently has 536 career coaching victories after Skyler helped her snag two wins last week in the CIF Southern Section Division 2AA playoffs.
In the first game, a 65-44 win over visiting Camarillo, Knight was lights out after getting a double-double 34 points and 10 rebounds with four steals, and although it doesn’t make the Cal-Hi Sports Online Record Book, her eight made three-pointers ties her own school record.
In the second round, and in a 52-41 victory over a Claremont team that recently knocked Glendora out of the State TOP 35 rankings, Skyler wasn’t the leading scorer, but she did go for another double-double as the 5-foot-9 senior guard had 12 points and 12 rebounds in the win.
The going gets tougher and heading in to a Wednesday match-up with state-ranked St. Anthony of Long Beach, Knight is tied for the team lead in scoring at 16.8 points per game. She’s also second in rebounding with 5.6 boards per contest, plus she’s averaging 2.3 assists and 2.1 steals per game.
Harold Abend is the associate editor of CalHiSports.com and the vice president of the California Prep Sportswriters Association. He can be reached at marketingharoldabend@gmail.com. Don’t forget to follow him on Twitter: @HaroldAbend
