Etiwanda’s Kennedy Smith has been chosen the Gatorade California Girls Basketball Player of the Year. Smith, a senior forward headed to USC, also is 1 of 3 finalists for Gatorade’s National Player of the Year award. (File photo by Watchara Phomicinda, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
And now Smith’s name is listed alongside some of the greatest players in state history.
Kennedy Smith #11 of Etiwanda Drives to the basket against Archbishop Mitty in the first half of a CIF State Open Division girls basketball game at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento on Saturday, March 9, 2024. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
Kennedy Smith #11 of Etiwanda Drives to the basket against McKenna Woliczko #20 of Archbishop Mitty in the first half of a CIF State Open Division girls basketball game at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento on Saturday, March 9, 2024. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
Kennedy Smith #11 hugs teammate Grace Knox #23 as Etiwanda defeated Archbishop Mitty 60-48 to win a CIF State Open Division girls basketball game at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento on Saturday, March 9, 2024. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
Kennedy Smith #11 of Etiwanda Drives to the basket against McKenna Woliczko #20 of Archbishop Mitty in the first half of a CIF State Open Division girls basketball game at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento on Saturday, March 9, 2024. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
Kennedy Smith #11 of Etiwanda Drives to the basket against McKenna Woliczko #20 of Archbishop Mitty in the first half of a CIF State Open Division girls basketball game at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento on Saturday, March 9, 2024. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
Kennedy Smith #11 of Etiwanda Drives to the basket against McKenna Woliczko #20 of Archbishop Mitty in the first half of a CIF State Open Division girls basketball game at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento on Saturday, March 9, 2024. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
Kennedy Smith #11 of Etiwanda Drives to the basket against McKenna Woliczko #20 of Archbishop Mitty in the first half of a CIF State Open Division girls basketball game at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento on Saturday, March 9, 2024. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
Kennedy Smith #11 of Etiwanda Shoots against Archbishop Mitty in the first half of a CIF State Open Division girls basketball game at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento on Saturday, March 9, 2024. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
Kennedy Smith #11 of Etiwanda Drives to the basket against McKenna Woliczko #20 of Archbishop Mitty in the first half of a CIF State Open Division girls basketball game at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento on Saturday, March 9, 2024. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
Etiwanda girls basketball standout Kennedy Smith poses for photos next to her mother Monica Smith, after she presented her daughter with her McDonald’s All-American Game jersey. A short ceremony was held prior to the Eagles’ CIF Southern Section Open Division pool-play game against Bishop Montgomery.at Etiwanda High School in Rancho Cucamonga, Ca., Feb. 14, 2024. (Contributing Photographer/John Valenzuela)
Etiwanda girls basketball standout Kennedy Smith hugs her mother Monica Smith, after she presented her daughter with her McDonald’s All-American Game jersey. A short ceremony was held prior to the Eagles’ CIF Southern Section Open Division pool-play game against Bishop Montgomery.at Etiwanda High School in Rancho Cucamonga, Ca., Feb. 14, 2024. (Contributing Photographer/John Valenzuela)
Etiwanda’s Kennedy Smith, (#11), drives to the basket against Sierra Canyon’s Mackenly Randolph, (#4), during the CIF State Open Division girls basketball regional championship game at Etiwanda High School in Rancho Cucamonga, Ca., March 5, 2024. The Eagles advance to the state final again and will face Archbishop Mitty for a rematch of last years state championship game.(Contributing Photographer/John Valenzuela)
Etiwanda’s Kennedy Smith, (#11), and teammate Aliyahna Morris, (#25), after defeating Sierra Canyon 54 -51 in their CIF State Open Division girls basketball regional championship game at Etiwanda High School in Rancho Cucamonga, Ca., March 5, 2024. The Eagles advance to the state final again and will face Archbishop Mitty for a rematch of last years state championship game.(Contributing Photographer/John Valenzuela)
Etiwanda’s Kennedy Smith, (#11), drives to the basket against Sierra Canyon’s Mackenly Randolph, (#4), during the CIF State Open Division girls basketball regional championship game at Etiwanda High School in Rancho Cucamonga, Ca., March 5, 2024. The Eagles advance to the state final again and will face Archbishop Mitty for a rematch of last years state championship game.(Contributing Photographer/John Valenzuela)
Etiwanda’s Kennedy Smith, (#11), looks to score against Sierra Canyon during their CIF State Open Division girls basketball regional championship game at Etiwanda High School in Rancho Cucamonga, Ca., March 5, 2024. The Eagles advance to the state final again and will face Archbishop Mitty for a rematch of last years state championship game.(Contributing Photographer/John Valenzuela)
Etiwanda’s Kennedy Smith (#11), looks to score against Bishop Montgomery during their CIF Southern Section Open Division pool-play game at Etiwanda High School in Rancho Cucamonga, Ca., Feb. 14, 2024. (Contributing Photographer/John Valenzuela)
Etiwanda’s Kennedy Smith (#11), shoots the basketball over Bishop Montgomery’s Tiara Jones, (#0), during their CIF Southern Section Open Division pool-play game at Etiwanda High School in Rancho Cucamonga, Ca., Feb. 14, 2024. (Contributing Photographer/John Valenzuela)
Etiwanda’s Kennedy Smith #11 takes the ball down the court as Sierra Canyon’s Jerzy Robinson #5 attempts to block during the CIF Southern Section Open Division girls basketball championship at California Baptist University’s Fowler Events Center in Riverside on Friday, Feb. 23, 2024. (Photo by Anjali Sharif-Paul, The Sun/SCNG)
Etiwanda’s Kennedy Smith, (#11), drives to the basket against Sierra Canyon’s Mackenly Randolph, (#4), during the CIF State Open Division girls basketball regional championship game at Etiwanda High School in Rancho Cucamonga, Ca., March 5, 2024. The Eagles advance to the state final again and will face Archbishop Mitty for a rematch of last years state championship game.(Contributing Photographer/John Valenzuela)
Etiwanda’s Kennedy Smith (#11), shoots the basketball over a Bishop Montgomery defender during their CIF Southern Section Open Division pool-play game at Etiwanda High School in Rancho Cucamonga, Ca., Feb. 14, 2024. (Contributing Photographer/John Valenzuela)
Thursday morning, Smith was selected as the 2024 recipient of the prestigious Gatorade California Girls Basketball Player of the Year honor. Gatorade also announced Smith is one of three finalists for its National Girls Basketball Player of the Year award, which will be revealed next week.
“When you’re recognized like this, you’re really on the mat as one of the best players to ever play on the high school level. I was very, very happy for her,” Etiwanda coach Stan Delus said. “She was the first McDonald’s (All-American), the first MaxPreps (state player of the year) from Etiwanda. Now this. That’s amazing on top of the team accolades.”
Smith, a 6-foot-1 senior forward who is headed to USC, averaged 20.1 points, 7.4 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.9 blocks and 1.9 steals for the Eagles this past season. Smith shot an efficient 53.4% from the field, and she made 69 shots from 3-point range while shooting 41.8% from beyond the arc. Smith finished her career with more than 2,000 points, breaking the program’s previous record of 1,773 points by 2019 graduate Evanne Turner.
Smith is the third girls basketball player from the Inland Empire and first from Etiwanda to be honored. Perris graduate Maylana Martin was the area’s first girls basketball player to receive the award in 1996. Don Lugo graduate Diana Taurasi was the recipient in back-to-back seasons in 1999 and 2000. Other past winners include Lisa Leslie (Morningside), Sabrina Ionescu (Miramonte) and Smith’s future USC teammate JuJu Watkins (Sierra Canyon).
Delus said he knew Smith — who was named the state sophomore and junior of the year the last two years by CalHISports — had a good chance to win the award when he got nomination paperwork in January.
“They wanted character references, a letter of recommendation,” Delus said. “They look at transcripts and she’s got a 4.1 GPA so it’s not just basketball. It’s a character, student-athlete, performance, production and character-based award. And academics. She’s earned all of that.”
This is the latest of many awards and honors Smith has collected during her time at Etiwanda.
In January, she received an invitation to play in the McDonald’s All-American game, only the fourth girls basketball player from the greater Inland area to be selected for the prestigious event. Wednesday, Smith also was chosen the California Girls Basketball Player of the Year by Maxpreps.com.
She is a leading candidate to win the Ms. Basketball Player of the Year honor given annually by Calhisports.com. Smith also is a two-time winner of the IE Varsity Player of the Year, with this year’s winner set to be announced at a later date.
Smith has been called a generational player and program changer by several experts. Etiwanda went 111-12 over her four seasons, including a 40-0 record in Baseline League play. The Eagles won CIF Southern Section Open Division championships in 2022 and 2024, advanced to the CIF State regional finals in all four seasons and became the first girls program to claim CIF State Open Division titles in back-to-back seasons.
ESPN.com and Prospectnations.com both list Smith as the No. 1 recruit in California and No. 6 recruit in the nation among the Class of 2024.
Joining Smith as Gatorade’s 2024 National Player of the Year finalists are Jaloni Cambridge (Florida) and Joyce Edwards (South Carolina). Last week, she was named as one of five finalists for the MaxPreps National Player of the Year award.
Delus thinks she has a good chance at the national award.
“I do, just because in California you are playing in the hardest playoff division in the country,” he said. “You have to play two of the top three teams (Archbishop Mitty and Sierra Canyon). Not everybody goes through that rigorous test.”
GATORADE CALIFORNIA GIRLS BASKETBALL PLAYERS OF THE YEAR
