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BOYS’ BASKETBALL

CAISE BURRIS

Sr., Simi Valley

Then: Burris was an afterthought for most of his first three years, at Simi Valley, partly through his own doing and partly because of the talent around him. He was academically ineligible as a freshman, Coach Christian Aurand said, and played on the junior varsity as a sophomore. Last season, he backed up Mark Wells, a Southern Section Division I-A first-team selection, at shooting guard until poor grades forced him to miss the final seven games of the season.

Now: Burris, 6 feet 3, has emerged as one of the state’s top three-point shooters, making 104 of 283 entering his team’s Division I-A first-round game Friday against visiting Bloomington. The 15-year-old Ventura County record is 118. Burris is averaging a team-high 15.1 points for the Pioneers, helping them to a second-place finish in the Marmonte League. He made game-winning baskets last month against Thousand Oaks and Westlake Village Westlake and Friday made two free throws with 10 seconds left in a 59-58 victory at Simi Valley Royal.

Quote: “That environment [at Royal], in my 12 years of coaching, was the loudest place I’ve ever played in,” Aurand said. “It was just a sweat box, and Burris stepped up to the line and made two.”

Dan Arritt

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GIRLS’ BASKETBALL

JESSIE THOMPSON

Sr., Temecula Valley

Then: Thompson seemed to make an impact from the moment she arrived on campus by averaging 16.7 points and 5.8 rebounds, and the Golden Bears won their first Southwestern League title in 10 years. As a sophomore, she missed all but the last seven games because of corrective surgery on her knee, but as a junior, she averaged 22.5 points and 6.2 rebounds to lead her team to the Southern Section quarterfinals for the third year in a row.

Now: The 5-10 guard signed with Boise State. Thompson has averaged 25 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.1 assists. She converted 216 of 268 free throws in 27 games, 23 of them victories. Thompson was the California female winner of the Wendy’s High School Heisman Award, which recognizes community involvement, among other things.

Quote: “She’s very intense, gets double-teamed and pushed around quite a bit, and she doesn’t take it, but I wouldn’t say she’s a dirty player,” Coach Cathy Ralston said. “She’s not going to be the one to instigate anything.”

Martin Henderson

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GIRLS’ WATER POLO

ADDISON DOUD

Sr., Laguna Beach

Then: Doud played varsity tennis for three years, has played water polo and competed in track and field for four years, played softball one year and has been on the swim team for two. She was the Pacific Coast League champion in the discus throw last spring after recovering from a bout of mononucleosis that caused her to miss half of the 2003-04 water polo season. Despite playing only 14 games, Doud scored 89 goals and led the Breakers to the Southern Section Division II semifinals. Playing two-meter guard as a sophomore, Doud led Laguna Beach on offense, scoring 67 goals.

Now: Doud, a 6-foot-1 center, has 112 goals and 37 assists this season. She has led Laguna Beach, seeded second in the Division II playoffs that begin this week, to a third-place finish in the Villa Park tournament in December and a sixth-place finish in the Santa Barbara tournament last month. Doud scored nine goals in an 18-8 Pacific Coast League victory over Mission Viejo Tesoro and has had six goals in four other games.

Quote: “I definitely don’t think I’m a normal teenager,” said Doud, who makes out a weekly plan every Sunday. “I’m never home for dinner, and I feel, like, naked, if I don’t have my schedule with me.”

-- Lauren Peterson