Gibson Accepts Role as Leader on Court : Orange League: Western High’s student body president averaged 11.5 points and was all-league as a junior.

When Audrey Gibson, now an investigative assistant for the Orange County District Attorney’s office, gave birth to her first child 17 years ago, she named her Kwanzaa, a Swahili word for “First Fruits.”

Western High School girls’ basketball Coach Ron Flores hopes that forward-center Kwanzaa Gibson will ripen into a leader for the Pioneers this season.

Gibson, a 5-foot-9 senior, is the Associated Student Body president at Western who already has a reputation as one of the top girls’ basketball players and athletes in the Orange League. She averaged 11.5 points and 4.5 rebounds, making all-league last year. She also won the league sprint championships in track her freshman and sophomore years.

Now Flores is counting on Gibson to bring her leadership skills to the basketball court.

“On the floor, I really have to be a leader,” Gibson said. “I have to make things happen. If I’m up, the team’s up.”

It’s a role Gibson was not quite ready to fill a year ago, according to Flores.

“(Kwanzaa’s) really come a long way and matured,” Flores said. “She used to rationalize a lot and be late for practice and she was demoted from team captain. Now she understands how difficult it is to be a leader, how much responsibility is involved.”

As the student body president, Gibson is already getting a good lesson in leadership skills.

“I’ve always wanted to be a leader and set an example of what school spirit should be,” she said. “Last year’s student body president, Chris Jackson, was one of the people who told me I’d be in his spot. He’d always encourage me. It’s fun and exciting and I like to meet new people.”

Gibson said she would like to follow in the footsteps of her uncle, Rep. Walter Tucker III (D-Compton), a former mayor of Compton. “I want to be a mayor or a congressman someday,” she said. “I plan to study psychology in college. I want to help people.”

For the present, Gibson will have to be content to combine her leadership ability with her athletic skills.

“She’s such a good athlete,” Flores said. “She used to think she just had to show up and didn’t have to put in an effort. But she has to lead by example and work harder. A lot of the credit (for her improvement) goes to her mother. She has always pushed her and told her she can do better.”

It is Gibson’s athletic ability that has mainly attracted the attention of coaches at UC Irvine, Washington State and Miami, however.

As a freshman and sophomore, she easily won the Orange League championships in the 100- and 200-meter dash. She has personal bests of 11.5 and 25.0 seconds in each event.

“Last year, I pulled a hamstring and couldn’t compete,” Gibson said. “But this spring, I plan to get my medals back. In college, I really want to play basketball, but if track brings a scholarship, I’ll take anything I can get.”

On the basketball court, Gibson puts her athletic gifts to good use.

“When I have to get by someone much bigger, my speed and agility help,” she said. “I can get by, make the basket and get fouled for the three-point play. I play inside and outside. I have to rebound and be an all-around player.”