A player who is among the top talked-about basketball players from Orange County girls basketball won’t participate in the action on Saturday when the playoffs get underway.
There is no doubt Aliso Nuevel’s senior, Shanna Brown, won most of the games she played.
The forward, 5 feet 10 inches tall, scored 24.3 points. He also grabbed 14.6 rebounding and set four records at the school for the naive Wolverines (10-18), which ended second in the South Coast League.
Brown became famous for single-game bursts of 40 points and 30 rebounds, but Brown also received praise from other coaches for playing so well after Aliso Niguel’s top player left.
Before the season, BYU’s Shayla Gillmer left for Ontario Christian, the No. 1 seed in this year’s Division 2A playoffs. Brown is a close ally with Gillmer and Gillmer, Gillmer at Aliso Niguel, and was the best basketball player.
“I was actually kind of shocked,” Brown stated about her performance. “At the start of my season, I didn’t think I would be able to post the kind of numbers I achieved. However, I knew that a young squad was starting, and I was required to do everything I could to win a basketball match.”
Brown established school single-season records in scores (679) and rebounding (438). Brown was also able to score 33 points in the match against Open Division qualifier Windward.
Brown said that her success was due to her offseason work and working with private coaching for shooting Matt Beeuwsaert, a former Mater Dei star who was based in Los Cab in Fountain Valley.
“He helped me a lot,” she told me, “getting my form right.”
Following the transfer from Gillmer and the departure of some key seniors, Brown was ready to showcase her improved, all-around game.
It wasn’t until she had to face the abrupt disappearance of Gillmer.
“It was tough, and then I realized, this is my team now,” Brown stated. “I love my team so much.”
Brown’s development coincided with Aliso’s growth towards the end of the season. The Wolverines defeated playoff teams like Tesoro, El Dorado, Cerritos, Esperanza, and Anaheim.
Brown was not alone in his record books. A sophomore guard Aryanna Hudson set Aliso Niguel’s single-season record of assists with 141.
“We grew as a team throughout the season,” Brown stated. “If you gave us ten more games to play, we’d go 9-1 or 10-0.”
Brown is currently getting ready for her throw season in the track and field. Brown is also an integral part of the excitement in basketball.
