All-NorCal Girls Basketball ’17-’18

Beginning With Player Of The Year, Archbishop Mitty’s Haley Jones, It Was A Banner Year For NorCal Girls Talent •

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NORCAL PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Haley Jones, Archbishop Mitty-San Jose, Junior

There’s not much Haley Jones can’t do on a basketball court.

At 6-1, she’s tall enough to post up. So when Archbishop Mitty’s starting center, Nicole Blakes, tore her ACL just before the start of the 2018 postseason, Jones became the first inside option for the team that wound up No. 3 in the nation.

As a 64-percent shooter from the field, Jones can operate from the wings, getting to the rim, dropping in runners and hitting mid-range jump shots.

As a 45-percent shooter from 3-point distance, Jones can switch to shooting guard, extending defenses and opening up the court for herself and her teammates.

And speaking of teammates, they need to be ready when Jones has the ball. When the situation demands it, she’s going to get the ball to the player with the best available shot. Thus, the 4.1 assists per game.

There aren’t numbers like the 21.8 points and 10.0 rebounds per game on the other end of the floor. However, Jones, a coach’s daughter, is a superb defender who uses her length and athleticism to guard whoever she’s assigned. It could be a post or it could be a point guard, as one word that cannot be left out of any description of Haley Jones’s game is “versatile.”

Oh, did we mention she’s just a junior?

Yes, Jones will be back for the 2018-19 season. She’ll be the unquestioned leader and focal point for Archbishop Mitty, which spent most of the season ranked No. 1 in the nation. In fact, even after Mitty lost to Pinewood-Los Altos Hills in triple overtime in the NorCal Open finals — a game in which Jones fouled out (on a very shaky call) with 1:31 left in regulation — the West Catholic Athletic League champion still finished the year ranked No. 3.

Jones is considered the fifth-best prospect in the country by ESPN’s Hoopgurlz. Since she has not yet committed to a college, her summer games for the Cal Stars’ EYBL team will feature bleachers packed with college coaches. All hoping to land a player to build a program around.

Even after she signs, don’t expect Jones to rest on her laurels during her senior season. In each of the last two years, Archbishop Mitty was considered a favorite to win the California Open Division title. They fell short in 2017 in the state championship game, and, as mentioned, losing to Pinewood in 2018.

So with unfinished business, tremendous talent, the full package of physical gifts, and yes, versatility, don’t be surprised if Jones does even more for Mitty next season — and is the subject of this story again next year.

FIRST TEAM ALL-NORCAL 

AQUIRA DECOSTA
Post | St. Mary’s-Stockton | 6-2 | Senior
WHAT SHE DID: DeCosta capped an amazing career with another superb season. She averaged 18.3 points and 13.1 rebounds per game, and added 2.2 assists, 2.9 steals and 2.1 blocks a game for one of the top teams not only in California, but in the nation.

MCKENZIE FORBES
Wing | Folsom | 6-0 | Senior
WHAT SHE DID: Forbes not only led Folsom to its best season ever but then topped it all off by winning the 3-point shooting contest at the McDonald’s All-American Game. She outshot the boys’ winner as well. And locals will still get to watch her career, as she will play at Cal.

ANGEL JACKSON
Post | Salesian-Richmond | 6-4 | Junior
WHAT SHE DID: Another great Salesian season – reaching the semifinals of the NorCal Open Division playoffs – was anchored on Jackson’s play in the paint. The numbers (14.6 ppg 10.5 rpg, 4.6 bpg) don’t tell the whole story of her impact on each game at both ends of the floor.

HALEY JONES
Wing | Archbishop Mitty-San Jose | 6-1 | Junior
WHAT SHE DID: There are those who claim that if Jones hadn’t fouled out with 1:31 to go in regulation in that triple-overtime loss to Pinewood, Mitty not only would have won the California Open championship, but also been the consensus No. 1 team in the nation.

HANNAH JUMP
Wing | Pinewood-Los Altos Hills | 5-11 | Junior
WHAT SHE DID: Jump belies her name, as her 45 percent shooting percentage from beyond the arc is the basis of her elite-level game. She averaged 16.7 points and 5.6 rebounds for the Panthers. She’s also on track to become a mainstay on the national team for Great Britain, as she was born in England.

Second & Third Teams On Next Page…

SECOND TEAM ALL-NORCAL 

Ali Bamberger (Carondelet-Concord, Jr.), 6-2, Post
KEY STATS: Bamberger led the Open qualifiers with 20 points and 11 rebounds a game, but her presence inside was the key.

Karisma Ortiz (Archbishop Mitty-San Jose, Sr.), 6-0, Guard
KEY STATS: Ortiz was sometimes overshadowed by Haley Jones. Opponents knew full well how good she was: 14.3 points, 8.4 rebounds and 4.5 assists a game, plus 80 percent from the free-throw line.

Ariel Johnson (St. Mary’s-Stockton, Sr.), 5-8, Guard
KEY STATS: Like Ortiz, Johnson had to battle for attention (in this case, because of Aquira DeCosta), but her 14.1 points and 4.5 assists a game were key in another great St. Mary’s season.

Sirena Tuitele (Pleasant Valley-Chico, Sr.) 6-1, Post
KEY STATS: The numbers are good — 15.1 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.4 steals, 1.6 blocks per game – but Tuitele was the engine that drove Pleasant Valley to a state championship game appearance.

Haley Van Dyke (Campolindo-Moraga, Sr.) 6-0, Post
KEY STATS: How about a North Coast Section record 60 points in a 73-50 win over Moreau Catholic-Hayward? Or 29.8 points, 17.3 rebounds, 4.8 steals, 3.7 assists and 3.5 blocks a game? But in a great year for NorCal talent, she has to settle for second-team honors.

THIRD TEAM ALL-NORCAL 

Briana Claros (Pinewood-Los Altos Hills, Sr.), 5-5, Guard
KEY STATS: Though Claros had good numbers for Pinewood (11.2 points and 4.4 assists per game, plus a 2.3 assist/turnover ratio), her leadership was just as important.

Maiya Flores (Cardinal Newman-Santa Rosa, Sr.), 5-6, Guard
KEY STATS: Flores is the all-time leading scorer at Cardinal Newman, boys or girls. She led her team to the NorCal Open Division by scoring 14.1 points a game, and adding three rebounds and three assists.

Talo Li-Uperesa (Sacred Heart Cathedral-S.F., Jr.), 5-10, Post
KEY STATS: Li-Uperesa set the tone for Sacred Heart Cathedral’s physical style of play. That style earned them a NorCal Division I title. Along the way, she averaged 13.3 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game.

Zakiya Mahoney (Bishop O’Dowd-Oakland, Sr.), 5-9, Wing
KEY STATS: The intense, physical and talented Mahoney supplied the interior presence for the North Coast Section Division II champs. She averaged 13.3 points and 10.7 rebounds per game.

Kiara Jefferson (West Campus-Sacramento, Sr.), Guard, 5-9
KEY STATS: She was the top player on NorCal’s only state championship team. Jefferson averaged 14.7 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.9 steals for a team that won not just one, but two California titles in a row.

Clair Steele (Miramonte-Orinda, Sr.), Guard, 5-5
KEY STATS: Though Steele averaged 16.9 points, 5.3 assists and a 2.5 assist/turnover ratio, her most impressive stat might be the 225 free throw attempts. And she made 78 percent of them.

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