SoCalHoops High School News

SoCal Female Player, Diana Taurasi
The "Best In The Nation?" --(Jan 5, 1999)

Tuesday brings all kinds of news on the prep front, and we were pretty interested in reading the USA Today story about Diana Taurasi (5'-11" Jr. G), who could just be the next (better?) Michelle Greco when it comes to girls' hoops.   We'll be the first to admit, we don't know our rear end from our elbow when it comes to girls' basketball, but when we read this story, it's pretty hard to dispute that Diana, who attends Don Lugo in Chino, California, might just be the best girls' player in the country.

Last week Don Lugo upset USA Today's No. 6 ranked girls' team, Brea-Olinda, last year's state champions, 74-66 in the semifinals of the Ayala Tournament. Taurasi personally led the team in scoring with 44 points and 18 rebounds, and shot 14-28 from the filed and 13-14 from the line.  In the title game, won by Don Lugo, Taurasi had 25 points, 11 rebounds, four blocked shots and four assists as Don Lugo beat Ayala 50-47. Not surprisingly, Diana was the MVP of the tournament.

She is currently averaging 30.1 ppg and Don Lugo is now 14-2 on the year.  She's shooting 52% from the field, 35% from three-point range and 80% from the line. She's getting 13.4 rebounds, 3.8 assists per game, 3.5 blocked shots, and 2.1 steals. 

She apparently plays pretty well under pressure too.   In the Santa Barbara TOC, where Don Lugo finished as the runner up, she apparently had the game winning shot at the buzzer not once, but in four consecutive games.  In a game against El Toro, she was injured, but got up to hit two free throws on the foul, then hit three straight three pointers, followed by (what else) a buzzer-beating shot in a 59-58 win, a game in which Taurasi scored 46 points.

And she's only a junior.

Her coach, Larry Webster, told USA Today, "I think she's the best high school player in the country.  She can control a ball game by herself.  She reads the defense and can go to her right as well as her left."

He may just be right. She could be the best player in the country.   Guess we'll have to get out to see some of the girls' games sometime soon. :-)

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