Girls basketball- #1 in the Nation & 3.9 Overall GPA!
The Sierra Canyon girls basketball team doesn’t just excel on the court. It’s pretty darn good in the classroom, too.
Not only are the Trailblazers 21-0 overall this year, the team has an average 3.9 GPA.
Practically straight A’s winning games and doing school work.
“We have an amazing group of girls,” Sierra Canyon coach Alicia Kreutner said. “They really understand what it takes to excel both academically and athletically. It’s a great balance.”
Natasha Bay, Laila Bowens, Leia Edwards, Kayla Malek and Sofia Ruelas all are over a 4.3 GPA and three of them are over 4.5
JuJu Watkins, the No. 1 player in the country, is headed to USC. Crystal Wang is headed to Northwestern. Past standouts have been admitted to Duke, Washington, UCLA, Princeton, Brown and the list goes on and on. Those schools just don’t admit students based solely on athletic superiority. You have to qualify academically first and foremost.
It’s safe to say the team doesn’t need much oversight to complete homework, assignments and do well on tests and quizzes.
“In the past we would do study halls and have dedicated time to working on school work,” Kreutner said. “It’s weird to say, but we don’t really need to do that anymore. The girls are studying in the airport, taking care of business wherever and whenever they need to. They study in their hotel rooms and at meals, sometimes.”
There could be a misconception out there that with all the traveling and games the team plays out of state, that academics are not at the forefront. That is the furthest thing from the truth, according to Kreutner.
“We now have teachers on the trips to help out and they see we are not just out here playing games and having fun, all the time. Our games out of state are real games with top competition. It’s all business and then fun. And the girls know school work comes first. They prepare before we even leave. They get things done ahead of time, email teachers to set things up and complete work and assignments ahead of schedule.”
Sierra Canyon girls basketball has a culture that preaches excellence in all facets. The classroom comes first and the basketball court is right behind it.
“The girls know they have to deal with me if there are any issues in the classroom and they don’t want that,” Kreutner said. “So, they handle their business and don’t let things get to a level that is below our standard. We preach accountability.”