Henry, Chen reel in All-CIF basketball first-team recognition
When called upon by their teams, a group of area senior basketball players proved they could be significant difference-makers.
Andre Henry, Kaitlyn Chen, Manny Kapoushian and Jason Gallant were ready to take charge at any time.
That willingness to help their respective teams paid dividends for the three, who helped their squads qualify for the playoffs and picked up prestigious postseason hardware after they were bestowed with All-CIF Southern Section honors Monday.
The UC Irvine-bound Henry earned Division II-AA first-team accolades after helping lead St. Francis to a runner-up showing in the CIF Southern Section playoffs and a berth in a state championship game.
Chen registered first-team honors after she propelled Flintridge Prep to a Prep League title and a trip to the Division II-AA quarterfinals.
Kapoushian received Division III-AA second-team recognition for the playoff-bound Glendale boys’ basketball squad.
Gallant of St. Francis secured a Division II-AA second-team nod.
In addition, St. Francis coach Todd Wolfson was named the Division II-AA Coach of the Year. St. Francis went 30-8, 4-2 in the Mission League for third place.
Henry, a guard, averaged a remarkable 24.7 points, 11.3 rebounds, 4.2 blocks, 3.5 assists and 1.2 steals per game to help the Golden Knights reach the state championship game in Sacramento.
Unfortunately for St. Francis, it wasn’t able to compete for a state title after all 12 state championship contests were canceled because of the coronavirus global pandemic.
“It’s very cool to see Andre get All-CIF, especially in a very competitive division like ours,” said Wolfson, whose team fell to No. 1 Santa Clarita Christian in the Division II-AA championship contest. “Our division is a monster. He had a terrific season and he did everything that we asked of him and more.”
Chen contributed 18.9 points, 7.3 rebounds, four assists and 2.3 steals per contest for Flintridge Prep (24-5, 12-0 in league). Flintridge Prep fell in the quarterfinals to No. 1 Orangewood Academy.
The guard/forward finished her career with 2,009 points, the all-time school mark.
“It was great to have Kaitlyn for all four years,” Flintridge Prep co-coach Jayme Chan said. “From her freshman year to her senior season, she improved so much.
“She always saw the floor well and understood our system. It’s a great way for her to go out.”
Kapoushian, a guard, averaged 15 points, six rebounds and three steals per game for Glendale (17-13, 8-6 in the Pacific League for third place.
Glendale made it to the second round of the playoffs before succumbing in overtime to eventual champion Salesian.
“It’s awesome for Manny to get All-CIF,” Glendale coach Ib Belou said. “What a way for him to go out and he’s the kind of person who just wants to go out there and compete at a high level.”
Gallant averaged 14.8 points, 3.8 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 1.7 steals per game as a guard.
“Jason is one of the best on-court leaders I’ve ever coached,” Wolfson said. “We needed everything e got from him to get as far as we could and he gave us a lot of added leadership.”
