LJCD’S CUNNINGHAM PICKS ARIZONA
Breya Cunningham, one of the nation’s top high school girls basketball players in the Class of 2023, has made her college choice.
The 6-foot-4 La Jolla Country Day senior made a verbal commitment to play at Arizona for coach Adia Barnes, who was a standout player at Mission Bay and later in college at Arizona and professionally.
Cunningham averaged 18.4 points, 11.4 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.4 blocks a game for LJCD last season, leading the Torreys to a 25-3 record and the San Diego Section Open Division championship.
She was the San Diego Section Player of the Year and was a MaxPreps Junior All-American.
She had a season-high 37 points against Stockton St. Mary’s and was a force in the Southern California Regionals with 20 points and eight rebounds in a win over Santa Ana Mater Dei and 23 points and 13 rebounds in a onepoint loss to eventual state champion Sierra Canyon.
Cunningham is a fivestar player rated the No. 10 overall prospect in the country by ESPN HoopGurlz and the No. 3 post player in the nation.
Cunningham had narrowed her choices to UCLA, USC, Oregon and Texas before deciding on Arizona.
“I chose Arizona for four reasons,” Cunningham said on social media: “education, development on and off the court, support and opportunity.”
Cunningham is the second five-star player to commit to Barnes and the Wildcats, joining Montaya Dew, a 6-2 forward from Las Vegas Centennial rated No. 9 by ESPN.
Arizona was 21-8 last season, finishing second in the Pac-12. The Wildcats beat UNLV in the NCAA Tournament
before losing to North Carolina.
Arizona has had four straight 20-win seasons under Barnes, who took over as head coach in 2016.
Centrullo honored
Mater Dei Catholic’s Mike Centrullo was named Medium & Small Schools State Softball Coach of the Year by CalHi Sports.
The Crusaders finished the season 22-11 but beat Cathedral Catholic 13-12 to win the San Diego Section Division I championship, then beat Del Norte (5-2), Tesoro (2-0 in 10 innings) and Torrance (15-9 in 8 innings) to capture the Southern California Division II title.
Centrullo is the seventh softball coach from the San Diego Section to be honored by CalHi, joining Margaret Mauro (Cathedral Catholic, 2014), Brad Griffith (Mira Mesa, 2002), Nancy Acerrio (Hilltop, 1996), Jeff
Carlovsky (Escondido, 1992), Carol Hamilton (Madison, 1983) and Janet Balsley (Hilltop, 1976).
Ramona track
Ramona has hired Rancho Bernardo graduate Devin Lecakes-Jones as head track coach.
A thrower in his day, Lecakes-Jones competed at UC San Diego and is the son of former Rancho Bernardo track coach Don Jones, who won 39 league championships and 15 San Diego Section titles.
Lecakes-Jones coached the throwers at RB last season.
He’ll also have football duties, coaching the varsity and JV defensive lines as well as teaching social science.
Lecakes-Jones takes over for longtime coach Sherri Edwards, who retired at the end of the school year.