Lynwood Is Glowing Over the Play of Bright

Most of the top teams in the Southland have a star, but often it’s the other players who determine a team’s ultimate success.

The star at Lynwood is Sade Wiley-Gatewood. Though only a sophomore, she has already said she will attend Tennessee, with the blessing of Pat Summitt.

But senior Janice Bright, often in the shadows of the flashier Wiley-Gatewood, has played a huge role in the success of the Knights, the No. 2 team in The Times’ rankings.

“Janice does everything well, always guards the toughest player for opposing teams and is overshadowed because Sade came in with the hype,” said James Anderson, coach at Harbor City Narbonne.

“We get our game plan geared toward [Bright].”

Bright has played every position but center. Last year, when Lynwood won the Southern Section Division I-AAA title but lost to Narbonne in the regional final, Bright often played forward. This season, with the development of cousins Tiffani and Jazelle Burries in the post, Bright has played a lot of small forward and guard.

“She can play inside, outside, she’s a good finisher,” said her coach, Ellis Barfield. “She’s deadly from the outside. She can go left or right, has outstanding range, is excellent off the dribble. She’s a go-to player, but you’d never know she’s a go-to player because we’re so balanced.”

Bright has committed to Nebraska after considering Arizona, Arizona State and Florida.

She was named the Norco tournament’s most valuable player, her first MVP honor, on Saturday.

“It makes me feel special,” Bright said. “A lot of times, I felt like I could be the MVP, but with the other great talent we have on the team, every night’s not going to be a big night for me.... Defense or offense, whatever I can contribute.”

Clearly, she knows what she wants this season--a state championship.

“We have a good chance,” she said. “From my freshman year, we’ve been getting closer and closer. To win a state championship is my dream. That’s my focus. I want to do the things I need to help my team win. I’m a senior, and they’re counting on me this year.”

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Another diamond: When it comes to undiscovered gems, one player often overlooked in Orange County is point guard Melissa Jacob at Placentia El Dorado.

Jacob, a senior, and sophomore guard Melissa Cook are two big reasons El Dorado is ranked 17th. Jacob is averaging 16.5 points and seven assists, and her performance on Saturday against No. 22 Fullerton Rosary was typical. She opened the game with a three-point basket, followed with an eight-footer for a 5-0 lead, and El Dorado never trailed in its 48-42 victory.

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Night of the year: Saturday was an emotional night for Matt Raya, the assistant coach at Rosary.

His team played for the championship of El Dorado’s tournament, the Gary Raya Coed Classic, which is named after Matt’s brother, who coached the school’s girls’ team four seasons and compiled an 83-24 record until his death in 1995 at age 29.

Rosary and El Dorado played for the tournament title the past three seasons, and Rosary won the previous two.

“Personally, it’s the most emotional night of the year,” Matt said. “As a coach, I try to make it just another game. Besides the times we play Mater Dei, this is the game I most want to win because it’s my brother’s tournament.”

Matt has a close association with El Dorado. He played at El Dorado for the Golden Hawks’ current girls’ coach, Wayne Carlson, for three seasons ending in 1991. The gym at El Dorado is named after Matt’s father, Joe Raya, an equipment manager, custodian and booster from 1966, the year the school opened, to 1996.

Gary Raya was Matt’s third brother to die, all before age 33. James apparently died because of fluid in his lungs, and Patrick and Gary died from undetected heart ailments.

“I get tests done every year, and I’m going back in January for another test,” said Matt, 29. “So far, so good. But Gary had a clean bill of health too.”