Cibola’s Brown honored again

Cibola High’s Amaya Brown has been named Gatorade New Mexico Girls Basketball Player of the Year, repeating the honor.

She becomes the third girl from Cibola to hold the title.

The award, which recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the field, distinguishes Brown as New Mexico’s best high school girls basketball player. She is now a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade National Girls Basketball Player of the Year award announced later this month.

The 5-foot-11 senior guard led the Cougars to a 26-3 record and the Class 6A state championship game this past season. The state’s Gatorade Girls Basketball Player of the Year as a junior, Brown averaged 19.9 points, 12.1 rebounds, 4.0 steals and 2.9 assists per game in her final high school campaign. She is a three-time All-State honoree and three-time District Player of the Year.

Brown has volunteered locally on behalf of her school’s Unified Sports program.

“Amaya Brown might be the best guard to ever come through New Mexico,” said Susan Kubala, head coach at Cleveland High. “She plays on a whole different level and elevates others around her.”

Brown has maintained a 3.36 GPA in the classroom. She has signed a National Letter of Intent to play basketball on scholarship at Florida State University beginning this fall.