Junior guard Arie Garcia-Evans consistently fills up the stat sheet for Waubonsie Valley.
Brett Love, her coach for the red-hot Warriors, has a simple explanation for how Garcia-Evans manages to contribute in so many different ways.
“She never stops moving,” Love said. “She plays bigger than she is. She’s also tough and takes contact. She hustles. She’s just always active.”
That trait has served Garcia-Evans well in her three varsity seasons. Her production, which has increased every winter, sits at an all-time high after her performance at the Bill Neibch Holiday Tournament at Wheaton North.
The all-tournament selection totaled 46 points, 35 rebounds, 23 assists and 18 steals as the Warriors (14-1) repeated as Neibch Holiday champions in helping Love establish a Waubonsie program coaching record with his 124th career win.
Garcia-Evans is averaging 10.8 points, 6.9 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 2.9 steals this season.
“This is my biggest year so far, trying to help my team out in any way,” she said. “Since my freshman year, I’ve done what I’ve had to do to help the team. I do the little things.
“That’s one of the things I’ve always prided myself on — defense, rebounding, pushing the ball.”
Despite being only 5-foot-5, Garcia-Evans is Waubonsie’s leading rebounder.
Fellow junior guard Danyella Mporokoso, who earned MVP honors at Wheaton North and leads the team in scoring by averaging 21.2 points, has played with Garcia-Evans since they were kids.
It’s no surprise to Mporokoso that Garcia-Evans leads the team in rebounding.
“She’s always been a hustler,” Mporokoso said. “She’s basically always been really good at hustling and rebounding. She’s really fast. She’s really quick and really good at reading the ball.
“She’ll see how it comes off the rim.”
Mporokoso is still the team’s leader in assists, averaging 4.1, but Garcia-Evans would be a true point guard on most teams.
Her ability to handle the ball has allowed Mporokoso to play more off the ball this season, leading to more catch-and-shoot opportunities and reducing some of the wear and tear on her body.
“Her ball handling has improved, as has her ability to handle pressure and find teammates when they’re open,” Love said of Garcia-Evans. “She would definitely be a true point guard on another team. I think it enhances her versatility being able to play off the ball.
“She’s able to take a much larger role at the point and that will make her even more flexible when she plays at the next level.”
Mporokoso has seen that affect her game, especially recently.
“Even just during the tournament, her bringing up the ball has given me so many more opportunities,” Mporokoso said. “If they’re denying me, it’s so much less effective. It’s really nice.
“Arie is different. She can catch-and-shoot. She can get to the basket. She can create her own shot, too. That’s so much of her IQ developing.”
Garcia-Evans has gone from the frenetic first player off the bench, with aggressiveness that put her in frequent foul trouble as a freshman, to the steady sidekick to Mporokoso.
She’s hoping that eventually will lead to playing basketball in college.
“It’s always been my goal to play at the next level and (Love) helps tremendously with that,” Garcia-Evans said. “I feel like I’m in a good spot, showing people what I can do.”
She’s trying to keep that goal on the back burner, however. Waubonsie finished fourth in Class 4A last season, and the Warriors have visions of getting back to state.
Their lone loss this season was 59-54 to Fremd, one of the state’s other top teams.
“Since the beginning of the season, it’s our goal to get back to state and go even further,” Garcia-Evans said. “We all know we’re only going to get better. We’re looking forward to what we can do.
“We’re a good team and we know it.”
Paul Johnson is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
