Sophomore Alyssa Brown is already climbing her way to the top. Freshman year, she was the offensive player of the year, the Maxplayer of the week (February 18th, 2018), on the all academic team (4A-6A), and she was the 4A-6A Player of the week. Both freshman and sophomore year, she has been the Flowing Wells Holiday Shootout MVP. Her sophomore year (so far), she was the Boyd Baker Tournament MVP, top Arizona Performers on weeks 5 and 8, the Region 7 Max Preps player of the week for the week of January 21-27, 2019, and she is on the Arizona Watchlist. On top of all that, she scored her 1,000th point on Tuesday, January 29th, 2019 against Vista Grande. Both the Boyd Baker and Flowing Wells MVPs were chosen by the 16 coaches and tournament directors. The Max Preps title, however, is chosen by coaches from all over the country.

She has been playing for about 11 and a half years and she practices 20+ hours a week. In basketball, she plays any position; but at Sahuaro, she is a forward. Not only does Alyssa play basketball, but she plays volleyball and participates in track. For college, she plans to go out of state, but hasn’t settled on a school yet. She started her basketball career by playing on a boys team, then moving up to playing on a club team. When she’s older, Alyssa does plan on going pro. Her biggest supporters have been her mom and dad; and her sister, Sydney Harden, has been her basketball role model. She believes that being a team player is “very important, and it helps the team overall.” To get her head in the game, Alyssa thinks about her actions in the game and “gets in the zone”. Also, Alyssa suggests that everyone plays a sport because it keeps you busy, improves your physical health, and gives you the opportunity to meet new people.

Even her Sahuaro basketball coach, Coach Botkin, notices her motivation. “Alyssa works hard everyday. She is one of the first in the gym and one of the last to leave,” he said. “She cares about her teammates and her coaches. She is passionate about the game and her school. The sky is the limit for Alyssa Brown.”

“Mind over matter” is the motto Alyssa Brown goes by to strive in sports. Congratulations to her on reaching her 1,000 point milestone!