Smith leads local CIF honorees
GLENDALE — When it was all said and done at the end of the 2010-11 season, the Flintridge Prep boys’ basketball team had reached the peak of CIF Southern Section Division 5-AA.
Now the Rebels’ senior center Kenyatta Smith likewise stands alone at the top of the division after being named Division 5-AA Player of the Year, as voted on by the division’s coaches, upon Wednesday’s release.
“After winning league and then CIF, this is a great honor,” Smith said. “To be named [CIF Player of the Year] is icing on the cake.
“My goal was to help us get a CIF championship, but this is a great feeling because my teammates were able to help me out.”
Smith posted season averages of 19.6 points, 14.8 rebounds and 4.8 blocks per game and was a dominant factor in everything the Rebels accomplished this season, from winning the Prep League co-championship, to defeating Muir, 47-44, on March 5 for the program’s first-ever CIF title, en route to finishing the season 24-7.
During the Rebels’ five-game sectional playoff run, Smith boosted his averages to 22.6 points and 16 rebounds per game.
“With the success the team’s had, and Kenyatta’s obviously a huge part of that, I think it’s only fitting,” Prep Coach Garrett Ohara said. “He’s pretty clearly the best player in the division. It’s well-deserved and another great award [for him].”
The Rebels also garnered first-team accolades for junior guard Kory Hamane and senior forward Jared Norsworthy, as well as Division 5-AA Coach of the Year honors for Ohara.
“It’s definitely an honor to receive,” Ohara said of his coaching award.
Hamane, who averaged 12.2 points, four assists and 2.4 rebounds per game, and Norsworthy (12.3 points, 2.3 assists, 6.3 rebounds and 2.2 steals) made big contributions for the Rebels on both ends of the court all season.
“For a guy who was basically our sixth man last year, he stepped up to a starting role and was an integral part of everything we did,” Ohara said of Norsworthy. “It’s great for him.
“For Kory being a guy who could score, shoot on the perimeter or drive to the basket, and, again, one of the better defenders for us and matching up with tough guards, I think both of these guys are being recognized for their play offensively and defensively.”
In Division 1-A, Crescenta Valley junior forward Christian Misi was a first-team honoree after averaging 18.5 points and 11 rebounds.
Misi’s effort helped the Falcons (20-8) compile a 20-win season, finish runner-up in the Pacific League and make a playoff appearance.
“For Christian to get first-team All-CIF is a huge honor,” Crescenta Valley Coach Shawn Zargarian said. “In our division, for him to be selected one of the top-10 players is a great honor, it’s well-deserved.
“He worked his tail off this year and put up some nice numbers and carried us to a really good record. We’re all very proud of him.”
Renaissance Academy junior forward Jessy Cantinol earned a first-team selection in Division 5-A after leading the Wildcats (22-7) to the Harbor League title and an appearance in the quarterfinal round of the playoffs.
Cantinol averaged 17.4 points and 9.6 rebounds per game and posted a 15-point, 16-rebound game against Pasadena Poly in the quarterfinals.
“That’s a big accomplishment for him,” Wildcats Coach Sid Cooke said. “He’s come a long way, his sophomore year was his first year on varsity, he is finding his way.
“I’m really happy for him.”
Other area players picking up All-CIF recognition were La Cañada seniors Mike McGlashan and Matthew Faber, who shared Division 3-AA co-Most Valuable Player honors.