A player and a coach who each led their teams to state titles have been selected as the Player and Coach of the Year on the MaxPreps California All-State Girls Basketball Team.
The player is
Kennedy Smith of
Etiwanda, who earned multiple accolades while leading the Eagles to the Open Division championship over highly-regarded Archbishop Mitty. The state title allowed Etiwanda to finish at No. 1 in the MaxPreps Top 25 as well.
Smith played a huge role in the Eagles' success, averaging a team-high 20 points while also grabbing 7.5 rebounds. She made the MaxPreps All-American team and was also a McDonald's All-American.
The coach is Anna Almeida of
Caruthers. The longtime coach of the Blue Raiders led her team to a Division 3 state championship over Granada Hills Charter (Granada Hills). According to the Cal-Hi Sports Record Book, Almeida has a career record of 390-171 in her 20 years at the helm of the Caruthers program. The Blue Raiders have also not lost a league game since the 2013 season, a streak that reached 118 straight games during the 2024 season.
The MaxPreps California all-state girls basketball team consists of 30 players divided into six teams with selections based on statistics, all-area and all-section honors and team postseason success.
Kennedy Smith of Etiwanda is the MaxPreps California Player of the Year after leading the Eagles to a second straight CIF Open Division title and a MaxPreps National Championship. The USC commit averaged 20 points and 7.5 rebounds for the 32-3 Eagles. (Photo: Greg Jungferman)
Kennedy Smith, Etiwanda
6-1 | Forward | Senior | 20.2 ppg | 7.5 rpg | 2.1 apg | 1.9 spg
Jordan Lee, St. Mary's (Stockton)
5-11 | Forward | Senior | 25.6 ppg | 10.4 rpg | 3.4 apg | 3.2 spg
Mackenly Randolph, Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth)
6-1 | Forward | Senior | 19 ppg | 11.7 rpg
McKenna Woliczko, Archbishop Mitty (San Jose)
6-2 | Center | Sophomore | 22 ppg | 8 rpg
Jenessa Cotton, Mater Dei (Santa Ana)
6-3 | Forward | Senior | 14.9 ppg | 6.0 rpg | 1.6 apg
Second TeamNina Cain, McClatchy (Sacramento)
6-2 | Center | Junior | 20.0 ppg | 9.6 rpg | 2.1 apg | 2.7 spg
Jerzy Robinson, Sierra Canyon
6-1 | Guard | Sophomore | 22.5 ppg | 10.8 rpg
Kaleena Smith, Ontario Christian (Ontario)
5-6 | Guard | Freshman | 34.9 ppg | 3.5 rpg | 6.5 apg | 4.2 spg
Grace Knox, Etiwanda
6-3 | Forward | Junior | 17.2 ppg | 11.9 rpg
Morgan Cheli, Archbishop Mitty
6-2 | Guard | Senior | 15 ppg | 5.3 rpg | 7.3 apg | 3.1 spg
Third TeamAthena Tomlinson, Clovis West (Fresno)
5-5 | Guard | Senior | 19.3 ppg
Jordin Blackmon, Bishop Montgomery (Torrance)
5-10 | Guard | Junior | 13.3 ppg | 6.0 rpg | 4.0 apg | 2.2 spg
Sofia Bowes, San Ramon Valley (Danville)
6-0 | Forward | Senior | 16 ppg | 6 rpg | 4 apg | 3 spg
Natalia Martinez, Piedmont
5-7 | Guard | Senior | 30 ppg | 6.4 rpg | 4.1 apg | 4.0 spg
Savannah Jones, Bishop O'Dowd (Oakland)
5-4 | Guard | Senior |
Fourth TeamAliyahna Morris, Etiwanda
5-5 | Guard | Junior | 16.8 ppg | 5.4 apg | 3.0 rpg | 2.8 spg
Lev Feiman, Brentwood School (Los Angeles)
5-9 | Guard | Junior | 16.6 ppg | 7.6 rpg | 2.6 apg | 2.8 spg
Alex Facelo, Pinewood (Los Altos Hills)
5-3 | Guard | Senior | 15.1 ppg | 1.2 rpg | 2.2 apg | 1.7 spg
Kyara Walter, Mission Hills (San Marcos)
5-8 | Guard | Senior | 16.8 ppg | 3.7 rpg | 1.7 apg | 1.7 spg
Harper Peterson, Whitney (Rocklin)
6-3 | Forward | Senior | 14.4 ppg | 8.2 rpg | 2.0 apg | 2.0 spg
Fifth TeamKamryn Mafua, Folsom
6-2 | Forward | Senior | 15.9 ppg | 7.1 rpg | 1.2 apg | 1.0 spg
Avary Cain, St. Joseph (Santa Maria)
6-2 | Guard | Senior | 21.5 ppg | 6.5 rpg | 2.4 apg | 3.2 spg
Emily Eadie, Sage Hill (Newport Beach)
6-0 | Guard | Senior | 14 ppg | 8.1 rpg
Allison Clarke, Rosary Academy (Fullerton)
5-11 | Guard | Senior | 27.7 ppg
Keshia Vitalicio, Carondelet (Concord)
5-9 | Guard | Senior | 10.9 ppg | 6.0 rpg | 6.5 apg | 3.9 spg
Sixth TeamCarly Amborn, San Domenico (San Anselmo)
6-1 | Guard | Junior |
Taissa Queiroz, Cardinal Newman (Santa Rosa)
5-11 | Center | Junior | 15.5 ppg | 11.2 rpg
Ryka Aprameyan, Evergreen Valley (San Jose)
5-10 | Guard | Senior | 26.1 ppg | 6.7 rpg | 3.5 apg | 4.6 spg
Laila Florvilus, St. Bernard's (Eureka)
5-9 | Guard | Junior | 19.3 ppg
Naomi Panganiban, La Jolla Country Day (La Jolla)
5-7 | Guard | Senior | 23.3 ppg | 3.9 rpg | 4.2 apg | 3.9 spg
