BOARD HANDS REBOUNDING, HUSTLE MAKE SANSONE ASSET.

Byline: Heather Gripp  Staff Writer

VALENCIA - Brittany Sansone sounds embarrassed when she mentions her scoring average with the Valencia High girls' basketball team. She's almost apologetic.

``I know, it's not very much,'' she said.

Sansone's average this season is up to a respectable 7.8 points per game. However, scoring is not what makes Sansone valuable to the Vikings; they've got other players to take care of that. As a 5-foot-11 junior center, Sansone is the team's leading rebounder. She takes just as much pride in being a role model and her ability to keep the team upbeat.

``She's so valuable,'' Vikings coach Jerry Mike said. ``She's a real consistent player. She's our strongest inside player.

``When she's in foul trouble, we feel it. We have a hard time on interior defense. What she does is crucial.''

Sansone averages 6.2 rebounds per game, including a season-high 13 rebounds against Notre Dame of Salinas in the recent Nike Santa Barbara Hoopfest. She also leads the team in blocked shots.

Although she has been a consistent contributor during Valencia's 12-2 start, the second-year varsity player is surprised if her name appears in newspapers. That's fine with her.

``The stuff that I do helping my team doesn't really come up in the scorebook,'' Sansone said. ``I'm not the leading-scorer type. Points are what gets the recognition most of the time; I'm OK with that. But there's more to basketball than that.

``I try to set an example for them that basketball really isn't about the most points. Basketball is about all the little things you do, the hustle and how you come in and out of practice, the stuff you do off the court. ... It's about having a passion for the game and loving what you do.''

Sansone fell in love with basketball at an early age. She never thought of herself as one of the better players on her teams, but her enthusiasm was always hard to match.

As spirits drop or fatigue sets in during workouts, Sansone reminds the Vikings of the potential payoff and gets them to keep pushing.

``She's very energizing,'' Mike said. ``If a negative word comes out of her mouth, it's surprising. She's taken it upon herself to step up and be someone they can look to. She's got the best attitude. She's always smiling, always happy.''

Sansone wanted to be valued as more than just a cheerleader, though. So in addition to her workouts with the team, she started working with a trainer last year.

``I didn't want to feel like I was the weak link on the team,'' Sansone said. ``I knew I was the tallest player on the team, so they could use me. I wanted to be more than a decent player. I wanted to be someone other teams would notice and someone they'd give more attention to. That helps in taking attention off teammates.''

Sansone knows she's done her job not when she looks at her stats, but rather when she sees Valencia succeed. A league title and lengthy postseason run would be more gratifying to her than any personal statistic.

``I want us as a team to reach our full potential,'' Sansone said. ``I want us to be a team people respect.''

Heather Gripp, [phone]

heather.gripp(at)dailynews.com

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Valencia appreciates center Brittany Sansone's 6.2 rebounding average and her positive attitude.

Phil McCarten/Staff Photographer