When the legendary 1960s Boston Celtics’ center Bill Russell claimed that “hustle is a talent”, he had players like the Los Alamitos senior center Bryn Pagett in mind, a dynamic 5’7” whirlwind of an athlete who has dominated the glass all season, often against opposing post players who tower above her.
The strong, quick-jumping Pagett was the top rebounder in 9 of her 12 Sunset league games this past season, averaging 12.8 rebounds a game, and playing against several centers over or near 6-feet tall. She played limited minutes in the other three games, once due to foul trouble and twice because the games were blow-out victories, or else she most likely would have won the rebounding battle every time.
“Where would we be without Bryn?” said Los Alamitos Head Coach Maya De Anda. “She is a unique and special player. At first sight, opposing players underestimate her because of her size, but they soon realize that she’s the better rebounder and a force to be reckoned with.”
One case in point was the 17 rebounds and 4 steals she grabbed against highly ranked El Dorado (18-10) in the upset championship win in December at the Sunny Hills Winter Classic tournament.
Trailing by 3 with only about 22 seconds remaining, Los Alamitos missed a shot that would have tied the score, and it looked like game over, but somehow Pagett, sandwiched between two six-foot-plus post players, pushed between them, leaped up and grabbed the ball before they could react. She quickly passed to the top, leading to a game-tying three-pointer with only 18 seconds left. The Griffins (19-9) then won the championship by 1 point, 36-35, in overtime.
In the crucial late-season win versus Marina (18-12) that clinched the Griffins’ Sunset League co-championship, Pagett had 13 rebounds, 10 points, and 3 steals. In the recent one-point loss to Torrance (16-13) in the first round of the CIF Playoffs, Pagett had 20 rebounds and 11 points, and earlier in the season, in an upset triple-overtime victory over highly ranked Portola, Pagett grabbed a career-high 22 rebounds, to go along with 5 points, 2 steals and 2 assists.
Usually when Pagett sets up in the paint with a bigger opposing center looking down at her, the story of David and Goliath comes to mind, but everyone knows how that turned out.
“Bryn gets us possessions,” said De Anda, “and the team with the most possessions, the most shots, usually wins. It’s no coincidence that once we put her in the starting lineup in the middle of her sophomore year, we went on a 12-2 run, going from an 8-8 record to a 20-10 finish and the first of three straight league championships. Bryn is an inspiring player that gives her team confidence.”
Next season, of course, Los Alamitos will be looking to fill a very large hole in the paint where a smaller center used to dominate the glass.
