Ms. Basketball 2025: Power of Puff

Following a path in which she was State Freshman of Year, State Sophomore of Year and State Junior of Year, Aliyahna “Puff” Morris of Etiwanda completes the cycle by earning California Ms. Basketball honors as a senior. It was not an easy selection, but being the star point guard of a team that made history with three straight CIF Open Division state titles was too much for any other possible winner.

For this season’s State Players of the Year in girls basketball among juniors, sophs, frosh and for each CIF division, CLICK HERE.

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Since Cal-Hi Sports began naming a Ms. Basketball State Player of the Year in the late 1970s we have had to make some difficult and even controversial choices in naming the winner of the top award for a girls basketball player in the Golden State. The choice for the 2025 award winner was in some respects extremely challenging and one of the most difficult ever.

However, in other ways, and based on the criteria we have used for nearly 50 years, that among other things doesn’t end at the conclusion of the 10 CIF section playoffs but goes all the way to the CIF state championships, it was perhaps a little easier.

Since 1972, there have been nine players that have won more than a single Ms. Basketball State Player of the Year title, and while Aliyahna “Puff” Morris is not a repeat winner she is still quite unique, and in one aspect she stands totally alone.

Now, after being named the 2022 State Freshman of the Year, the 2023 State Sophomore of the Year, and the 2024 State Junior of the Year, Morris joins a handful of players to complete the quad after winning the top honor in California girls high school basketball by being named the 2025 Cal-Hi Sports Ms. Basketball State Player of the Year as a senior.

With Cal-Hi Sports beginning to name a State Freshman of the Year in 1984 when legendary Terri Mann of San Diego Point Loma was honored, Smith becomes only the seventh player to get a quad, which means she has earned all four class honors, and only the seventh honoree from the Inland Empire portion of the CIF Southern Section to be honored as a Ms. Basketball award winner.

The other winners of four class honors that won a State Freshman of the Year, State Sophomore of the Year, State Junior of the Year, and Ms. Basketball State Player of the Year as a senior are Mann, who won from 1984 through 1987; Inglewood Morningside legend Lisa Leslie from 1987 through 1990, Michelle Greco of La Crescenta Valley (La Crescenta) from 1995 through 1998; Jasmine Dixon from Long Beach Poly from 2005 through 2008; Katie Lou Samuelson with freshman honors in 2012 at Huntington Beach Edison before transferring to Mater Dei (Santa Ana) where from 2013-15 she captured sophomore, junior and Ms. Basketball honors; all time California scoring leader Destiny Littleton of Bishop’s (La Jolla) from 2014 through 2017, and from 2021 through 2024 it was Kennedy Smith, who for three years was a teammate of Morris at Etiwanda.

The most recent Inland Empire Ms. Basketball honoree was 2024 winner Smith, and the first was legendary Cheryl Miller of Riverside Poly, who was the 1981 and 1982 honoree. Miller was followed by 1996 winner Maylana Martin of Perris, next came recently retired WNBA great Diana Taurasi of Chino Hills Don Lugo followed by 2009 winner Layshia Clarendon of San Bernardino Cajon, and in 2021 it was recent Louisville graduate Jayda Curry of Corona Centennial.

To say Morris is in an elite class of players that have won all four class awards could be considered a bit of an understatement, particularly when a couple of the greatest names in California girls basketball history were unable to achieve that mark.

As previously mentioned, Cal-Hi Sports didn’t start naming a State Freshman of the Year until 1984. Taurasi won three of the four, but she was edged out for 1998 sophomore honors. Current USC superstar JuJu Watkins, who like Taurasi was a two-time Ms. Basketball honoree, didn’t win freshman honors in favor of Breya Cunningham of La Jolla Country Day.

“Oh wow. It feels amazing. I honestly can’t put into words how grateful I am to be recognized as one of the best, and to be alongside those names is truly an honor,” said Morris when told she was joining former teammate Smith, and the likes of Watkins, Taurasi, Miller and Leslie as a Ms. Basketball award winner.

“I’m so thankful and blessed for this award and I’m just so happy that my hard work and everything I’ve put into this is paying off,” continued Puff. “It’s exciting to know that I’m moving in the right direction.”

Morris has a long way to go to make the kind of mark at the next level of players like Taurasi, Watkins, or even Smith who has shone brightly in her freshman season at Southern California, but in some respects Puff has blown them all away with what she has achieved.

Granted, the state CIF didn’t go to a competitive equity formula for its state playoffs until it introduced the Open Division for the 2013 season, and prior to that there has been more than one player, including some past Ms. Basketball winners, that have played on teams that have won at least three straight state championships, but until now that was in enrollment-based divisions.

When we said Morris stood alone in one of her achievements, and another major factor in her completing the quad with her winning the 2025 Ms. Basketball State Player of the Year, is the fact that not only has she won thre -straight state championships but it’s come in the Open Division, and against not only the state but the nation’s top competition.

“Puff Morris is one of the most highly decorated and regarded players in California girls basketball history with nine rings to her resume including three state titles, three SoCal regional titles, two section titles and one national championship,” said Etiwanda head coach and 2023 Cal-Hi Sports State Coach of the Year Stan Delus. “From the day she stepped on the Etiwanda campus she’s been a consummate winner and turned the program into a national power. No player in the state has accomplished as much as she has in four years.”

Consummate is really the key word when it comes to Morris. In a day and age when players at all levels take exception with officials calls, argue and show bad body language, in dozens of games where we have seen Puff in action, not once has she complained or engaged an official over a questionable call, and there have been a few bad calls as to be expected over four years.

The bottom line is while her nickname is Puff, Morris is not a lot fluff, glitz and glitter. She’s a big-time winner, and an absolute model of the state CIF motto of “Pursuing Victory With Honor.”

Not surprisingly some of the comments of Delus were echoed by Cal-Hi Sports 2025 State Coach of the Year Kelly Sopak of Concord Carondelet. In a game at the Sabrina Ionescu SI20 Showcase hosted by opponent Carondelet, and where McDonalds All-American Grace Knox was dinged up for Etiwanda, McDonalds All-American Morris took charge and finished with 36 points, five rebounds and four assists in a 79-56 win over the 2025 CIF Division I state champions.

“Puff is one of the most decorated and honored players ever, and she deserves it,” said Sopak when told Morris would be Ms. Basketball this year.

Not only was Knox dinged up in the Carondelet game but she had issues all season that slowed her down, and Morris herself was nursing her wrist that was even still taped for the CIF Open Division state championship 75-59 victory over Archbishop Mitty of San Jose.

Despite not being a loud and flashy presence on the court, the 5-foot-3 Morris was the epitome of the expression “small things come in big packages,” plus the Eagles’ point guard was a true leader, and it was Puff that was the glue that held Etiwanda together through a season with some adversity and injuries and allowed the Eagles to soar into California girls basketball history.

“One of the best point guards to perform on the biggest stages in high school girls basketball at just 5-3 and matching up with and beating some of the best players in the state and nation,” Delus remarked. “Her ability to make everyone around her better through her read and react approach, passing and basketball IQ sets her apart. Plus, she’s a world class person just as much as an athlete.”

After all was said and done, and by our standards and criteria, Morris was the clear winner, but she had challengers, most notably from Ontario Christian sophomore Kaleena Smith, the Cal-Hi Sports 2024 State Freshman of the Year and also honored as State Sophomore of the Year this year. Two other players that drew some significant attention were Iowa-bound Mater Dei (Santa Ana) senior Addie Deal, and Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth) junior Jerzy Robinson. Jerzy is the State Junior of the Year. Archbishop Mitty junior and 2024 Cal-Hi Sports State Sophomore of the Year McKenna Woliczko was in the mix before going down with a season-ending knee injury in January.

At the recent McDonald’s All-American Game, Morris was one of six players in double-figure scoring with 10 points including 2-for-4 on three-pointers.

This past season, Morris led Etiwanda in scoring at 24.1 points per game plus 4.1 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.4 steals per contest, plus she had 80 made three-pointers. Her top performances didn’t come in blowouts but against top competition. Besides the Carondelet game, Puff poured in 32 points with five assists and two steals in a close loss to New York No. 1 Long Island Lutheran. Morris had 26 points against national Top 20 Incarnate Word Academy of Missouri in a win that broke the nation’s longest winning streak. Puff had 20 points, five assists and four rebounds in a 13-point win over national No. 6 Sidwell Friends of Washington, D.C.

In the last two games against Ontario Christian in the Southern Section Open title game and CIF Southern Regional championship, Morris had 20 points and five assists in the CIFSS Open championship 65-63 loss, and she had a team-high 19 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the field and 5-for-8 on three-pointers, plus she played exceptional defense, particularly down the stretch against Kaleena Smith in the Eagles’ 67-62 SoCal Open championship victory. Following that win, Morris poured in 32 points plus four assists in a 67-57 win versus Mater Dei of Santa Ana. In the state championship win over Archbishop Mitty, the three-point shots weren’t falling for Puff but she played exceptional defense and still finished with 12 points and seven assists.

While none of Morris’s career totals will make the Cal-Hi Sports Online Record Book, her numbers are formidable. For her career, Puff finishes as the No. 3 all-time leading scorer in Etiwanda history with 1,750 points, and No. 2 all-time with 294 made three-pointers.

Morris had a lot of big-time offers but she chose the University of California at Berkeley.

“I plan to do big things at Cal on and off the court,” Morris remarked. “My goal is to win at the next level as I did leading up to this point. As for my career, my plan is to pursue something in business and engineering.”

With her storied Etiwanda career now behind her, Morris will be heading to Cal to begin her college career but not before she has etched her name into California girls basketball history.

MS. BASKETBALL STATE PLAYERS OF THE YEAR
ALL-TIME HONOREES LIST

(All selections by Cal-Hi Sports)
Note: All-time list before 1980 compiled by our founder, the late Nelson Tennis, based on research.

2025 Aliyahna “Puff” Morris, Etiwanda, 5-6
2024 Kennedy Smith, Etiwanda, 6-1
2023 Juju Watkins, Chatsworth Sierra Canyon, 6-1
2022 Juju Watkins,
Chatsworth Sierra Canyon, 6-1 Jr.
2021 Jayda Curry, Corona Centennial, 5-6
2020 Te-hina Paopao, La Jolla Country Day, 5-10
2019 Haley Jones, San Jose Archbishop Mitty, 6-2
2018 Charisma Osborne,
Los Angeles Windward, 5-9 Jr.
2017 Destiny Littleton, La Jolla Bishop’s, 5-9
2016 Sabrina Ionescu, Orinda Miramonte, 6-0
2015 Katie Lou Samuelson, Santa Ana Mater Dei, 6-3
2014 Jordin Canada, Los Angeles Windward, 5-7
2013 Kelsey Plum, La Jolla Country Day, 5-10
2012 Nirra Fields, Santa Ana Mater Dei, 5-8
2011 Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis,
Santa Ana Mater Dei, 6-0
2010 Chelsea Gray, Stockton St. Mary’s, 5-11
2009 Layshia Clarendon, San Bernardino Cajon, 5-9
2008 Jasmine Dixon, Long Beach Poly, 5-11
2007 Jeanette Pohlen, Brea Olinda, 6-1
2006 Jacki Gemelos, Stockton St. Mary’s, 6-0
2005 Courtney Paris, Piedmont, 6-4
2004 Candice Wiggins, La Jolla Country Day, 5-11
2003 Dominique Banks, Stockton St. Mary’s, 5-8
2002 Sa’de Wiley-Gatewood, Lynwood, 5-7 Soph.
2001 Loree Moore, Harbor City Narbonne, 5-8
2000 Diana Taurasi, Chino Don Lugo, 5-11
1999 Diana Taurasi, Chino Don Lugo, 5-11 Jr.
1998 Michelle Greco, La Crescenta Crescenta Valley, 5-10
1997 Erin Buescher, Santa Rosa Rincon Valley Christian, 6-2
1996 Maylana Martin, Perris, 6-3
1995 Renee Robinson, Atherton Sacred Heart Prep, 5-10
1994 Nicole Erickson, Brea Olinda, 5-7
1993 Danielle Viglione, Fair Oaks Del Campo, 5-10
1992 Charisse Sampson, Los Angeles Washington, 5-11
1991 Tanda Rucker, Berkeley, 5-7
1990 Lisa Leslie, Inglewood Morningside, 6-5
1989 Lisa Leslie, Inglewood Morningside, 6-5 Jr.
1988 Trise Jackson, Lynwood, 5-7
1987 Terri Mann, San Diego Point Loma, 6-2
1986 Terri Mann, San Diego Point Loma, 6-2 Jr.
1985 Sharon Turner, Oceanside El Camino, 5-9
1984 Doretha Conwell, Los Angeles Locke, 6-3
1983 Doretha Conwell, Los Angeles Locke, 6-3 Jr.
1982 Cheryl Miller, Riverside Poly, 6-2
1981 Cheryl Miller, Riverside Poly, 6-2 Jr.
1980 Jackie White, Fresno San Joaquin Memorial, 5-8
1979 Jackie White, Fresno San Joaquin Memorial, 5-8 Jr.
1978 Jackie White, Fresno San Joaquin Memorial, 5-8 Soph.
1977 Denise Curry, Davis, 6-1
1976 Denise Curry, Davis, 6-1 Jr.
1975 Anita Ortega, Los Angeles, 5-9
1974 Ann Meyers, La Habra Sonora, 5-9
1973 Ann Meyers, Anaheim Connelly, 5-8 Jr.
1972 Ann Meyers, La Habra Sonora, 5-8 Soph.

Note: List also extends back with assorted years back to 1905 in the Cal-Hi Sports State Record Book and Almanac.

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