GIRLS BASKETBALL: A true court leader
Gabrielino's Kim a standout in two sports
Above: Gabrielino's Annie Kim. (Staff Photo Keith Birmingham)
By Keith Lair, Staff Writer
PASADENA - Annie Kim's image of basketball changed after the recently concluded season.
The Gabrielino High School senior is a volleyball player. Through and through. She helped the Eagles to an undefeated Mission Valley League season and 25-6 record, reaching the quarterfinals in the CIF-Southern Section Division III-A playoffs. She led the Eagles in kills per game (3.8), had 321 kills - more than double any other player on the team - and also led the team with a 47.8 kill percentage and a 38.1 hitting percentage.
She will attend Cal State Los Angeles on a volleyball scholarship in the fall.
But that "All Things Volleyball" outlook began to waver in December in the same gym. That's when the basketball season began.
She continued to remain around the net, playing forward. And Kim was again the leader on the court. She averaged a team-high 11.1 points per game and helped the Eagles to their first league championship in school history.
"After this season, I don't know which one I like better, actually," she said. "I love volleyball. But after this season, all the encouragement and how we really improved, really showed my love for basketball. It's kind of tied right now."
No wonder. Kim helped the Eagles to an 8-2 record in league play and 19-8 overall record, losing to Granite Hills, 49-42, in the first round of the CIF-SS playoffs; a game Kim said "didn't go right."
She was named the league's MVP by the league coaches. She was the only Gabrielino player to average double figures this season. She also averaged 8.1 rebounds per game and had the team's best field-goal shooting percentage, at 48 percent.
It's why she will be one of the key players on the Star-News team in Saturday night's San Gabriel Valley Tribune/Pasadena Star-News All-Star Classic at Azusa Pacific University. The girls will play at 5:30 p.m. with the boys game at 7:30 p.m.
Between the games will be a 3-point shooting and dunk contest. Don't expect to see Kim shooting any 3s any time soon. She took one 3-point attempt this season, missing the shot.
"I'm pretty good at jumping and getting rebounds and putting back what I get," she said. "I'm not very good at shooting from the outside."
Kim cited those volleyball jumping skills for making her a key cog in the Eagles' title run.
"We had the best season ever," she said. "We had the best coach in the world. We definitely had to get behind our coaching staff. When you put a lot of girls on one team, there's usually some drama. But there was no drama. We worked hard on and off the court. We all wanted the same goal and that was to achieve a championship."
The best finish the Eagles previously had in Kim's four seasons was a third-place finish in league in her sophomore season.
But it was not all smooth sailing for the team or Kim. She twisted one ankle early in the season and the second about the time league play began.
"I could not play full out," she said. "Other than that, I played through it. I didn't mind, as long as I didn't do any damage."
Now that the season has been over for awhile, those ankles are just fine. And Kim expects to get rebounds and put-back baskets on Saturday.
"I'm really excited," she said. "There's a lot on the line because I'm playing with the best of the best. Everyone out here is a great athlete and I hope, no, I expect I'm going to get rebounds and get put-backs."
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Melendez worked as a correspondent for the San Gabriel Valley Tribune for three years and later landed a job as a freelance writer at the Los Angeles Times before accepting an offer at The Orange County Register covering high schools. Melendez covered Major League Soccer at The Register for three years before being promoted to report on the Lakers, Angels and Dodgers for the Web. Melendez also worked for the Daytona Beach News-Journal, Fresno Bee, Oakland Tribune and The Boston Globe. E-mail opinions, suggestions and tips to miguel.melendez@sgvn.com. |
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Congrats to Annie on a great senior year. Cal State LA is very lucky to have you and I hope you play volleyball and basketball.
Great article Keith. Too bad the Star News forgot to make her an All Area Volleyball selection.