Bee’s Best: In-season change sparks Memorial behind Verenique Warren; Bee All-Stars list
The San Joaquin Memorial High girls basketball team had struggles to start the season.
The Panthers were 6-5 in late December when former Panthers superstar Jackie White resigned as coach. Enter Verenique Warren who was White’s lead assistant. Memorial named Warren the interim head coach.
The Panthers went on to a 20-2 record under Warren and won the County/Metro Athletic Conference title and the Central Section Division I championship and advanced to the CIF Division I final in Sacramento.
While the Panthers didn’t win a state title, it was more than enough for Warren to be named The Fresno Bee’s Coach of the Year.
Warren cited adversity and the will of her players to put together a long run.
“The difference-maker had to be the changing of the plays and allowing players to play freely within the offense,” Warren said. “It was a struggle because (White’s) philosophy differs from mine. She was textbook.
“The biggest hurdle was the outside crowd noise because we weren’t playing to the best of our ability early on. They counted us out. Proving people wrong and just having fun and playing for one another” were key, Warren added.
While it remains to be seen if the interim tag label will taken off, Warren credited her players for pushing through.
She said it wasn’t a challenge to take over, but it was about time management that carried her team to success this season.
“I am an educator and I am a full-time mom,” she said. “I’m in school, myself personally, so it was the fact that now I’m going to have to really structure practices. It was basically, as far as me taking over it, the biggest component of it is time management. It’s very touching to say the least. Very touching and I’m appreciative that my actions spoke volumes and outside looking in, you’re able to see the turnaround in the program.”
Large School Player of the Year
Meadow Roland, Jr., F/C, San Joaquin Memorial
The Bee’s 2021 Player of the Year, she helped the Panthers to a Central Section Division I title this season.
She finished the season with 529 season points in 28 games, averaging 18.9 points per game.
She also had 11 rebounds per game.
Medium School co-Players of the Year
Nseije Ortiz, Sr., G, Porterville
Led the way for the Panthers this season that included a Central Section Division II title over Sierra Pacific. In that game, she finished with 21 points.
For the season, Ortiz totaled 596 points in 34 games.
She averaged 17.5 points per game. She wrapped up her career at Porterville with 1,281 career points and 437 career assists, Barnett said.
Morgan Trigueiro, Jr., G, Caruthers
Led the team, averaging 18.6 point per game and totaled 16 points to help the Blue Raiders to a 58-44 victory over Orcutt Academy in the Division III section final.
She scored in double figures 25 times this season and had a career-high 47 points against Fowler.
For the season she had 521 points, 90 rebounds, 71 assists and 55 steals.
Small School Player of the Year
Aaliyah Thompson, Sr., C/F, Corcoran
A consistent player for the Panthers since she arrived. Thompson wrapped up her career at Corcoran when she finished wtih 641 points this season. She played in 29 games and averaged 22.1 points per game.
Finished her career with .2,147 career points, 1,047 rebounds and 285 career blocks, Barnett said.
Fan vote for Player of the Year
Caruthers’ Morgan Trigueiro was voted by the fans as The Bee’s Girls Basketball Player of the Year.
She won the poll after receiving 60% of the vote. She was was also named The Bee’s co-Medium Player of the Year.
Trigueiro was named the West Sequoia League most valuable player.
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Bee’s Best
Alyssa Avalos, Sr., G, Sierra Pacific
Kylee Barnes, Jr., G, Buchanan
Makayla Carre, Jr., C/F, Sierra Pacific
Corin Camara, Sr., G, Buchanan
Amarys Cuellar, Jr.,. G, Hanford
Kiley Esajian, Jr., Sierra
Janessa Garza, Farmersville
Katelyn Goforth, Sr., C, Kerman
Amyia Inman, Hanford West
Karissa Jordan, Sr., G, Coalinga
Melia Kamalani, Sr., G/F, Minarets
Haylie Lee, Sr., Sierra
Kailey Lopez, Sr., G/F, Dinuba
Grace Magana, Sr., G, Porterville
Talia Maxwell, Jr., F, Central
Devin Miller, Jr., G, Clovis
Anna Marshall, Sr., G/F, Caruthers
Rhynne Mitchell, Soph., G, Madera
Etoyah Montgomery, Jr., F, Clovis West
Erica Munoz, Sr., G, Strathmore
Nseije Ortiz, Sr., G, Porterville
Miah Paz, Sr., G, Reedley
Jade Phillips, Jr., F, Hoover
Meadow Roland, Jr. F/C, San Joaquin Memorial
Teresa Sandoval, Jr., G, Hanford West
Saiya Sidhu, Fr., G, San Joaquin Memorial
Tessa Silva, Sr., G/F, Kerman
Kanyah Stubbs, Soph., G, Hanford
Tianna Sutherland, Jr., G, Roosevelt
Alexis Swillis, Fr., C, San Joaquin Memorial
Aaliyah Thompson, Sr., C/F, Corcoran
Athena Tomlinson, Soph., G, Clovis West
Morgan Trigueiro, Jr., G/F, Caruthers
Krisalyn Turman, Sr., F, Caruthers
Kara Verhoeven, Sr., C/F, Central Valley Christian
Kennedy Vincent, Sr., F, Clovis West
Michaela Young, Sr., G, Clovis West
Briajane Wade, Sr., G, Sunnyside
