HOT SHOT - ON AND OFF THE COURT MING LEADS ALEMANY INTO PLAYOFFS.Byline: Gideon Rubin Special to the Daily News MISSION HILLS - Lauren Ming was a fifth-grader trying to build up her self-esteem when she started playing basketball. To hear her tell it, her first experience - playing in the backyard with family members - did not go at all well. ``I couldn't even hit the bottom of the net until I was in sixth grade,'' Ming said. Ming's shooting ability - and her confidence - have since soared. She now is a star junior shooting guard The Shooting guard (SG), also known as the two or off guard,[1] is one of five traditional positions on a basketball team. Players of the position are often shorter, leaner, and quicker than forwards. for Mission League champion Alemany High of Mission League (17-6), which is ranked No. 10 by the Daily News and seeded seventh in the Southern Div. III-A playoffs. The Indians, with a bye to the second round, on Saturday play The Saturday Play is a regular feature on BBC Radio 4 and is described as "Thrillers, mysteries, love stories and detective fiction, as well as an occasional special series."http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/arts/saturday_play. host to San Dimas or Lakeside of Lake Elsinore, which meet in a first-round game Thursday. ``I was just trying to build my self-confidence (when I started playing), because I was really shy,'' Ming said. ``It was something both of my parents encouraged.'' These days, it seems Ming can't miss in any endeavor she pursues. She was a first-team all-league and Div. III-AA Southern Section selection last season and is averaging more than 12 points per game this season. Ming has emerged as an exceptionally proficient pro·fi·cient adj. Having or marked by an advanced degree of competence, as in an art, vocation, profession, or branch of learning. n. An expert; an adept. and clutch perimeter shooter. She scored 18 points in a league title-clinching 51-47 victory Feb. 7 over defending champion defending champion n (SPORT) → defensor/a m/f del título defending champion n (Sport) → champion(ne) en titre Sherman Oaks of Notre Dame Notre Dame IPA: [nɔtʁ dam] is French for Our Lady, referring to the Virgin Mary. In the United States of America, Notre Dame , making two 3-pointers in an 8-0 run that broke open a close game at the start the second half. She is an academic sensation, maintaining a stunning 4.6 GPA GPA abbr. grade point average Noun 1. GPA - a measure of a student's academic achievement at a college or university; calculated by dividing the total number of grade points received by the total number attempted , taking mostly AP classes, and is class president. She also is involved with the school's Alemany Amigos AMIGOS Advanced Mobile Integration in General Operating Systems project, in which her community service work includes playing basketball with underprivileged youths. ``When she sets a goal, it seems like she always achieves it,'' Alemany forward Brittany Collins said. ``She's the best at everything she does.'' In pursing basketball, Ming was following the footsteps of her older sister Liane li·an·a also li·ane n. Any of various climbing, woody, usually tropical vines. [Alteration of French liane, probably from lier, to bind, from Old French; see liable.] , who played for Granada Hills. ``I was determined because my older sister was playing, and I wanted some of the glory too,'' Ming said. Ming cites AP calculus ``She definitely analyzes the game from an intellectual standpoint,'' Murrish said. ``Most kids just don't break it down from that standpoint.'' She also is the consummate teammate, Alemany guard Shawn Berina said. ``Ming is like the ultimate all-around person,'' Berina said. ``She's just one of those role players that every team needs.'' Ming said she plans to play basketball at a four-year school. She would prefer to stay closer home but will consider an offer from the several Ivy League Ivy League Group of eight universities in the northeastern U.S., high in academic and social prestige, that are members of an athletic conference for intercollegiate gridiron football dating to the 1870s. schools that have already expressed interest. She believes many of the lessons she has learned from basketball, including time-management skills and interacting with others, have helped her in all areas of her life. ``I've just become more confident,'' Ming said. ``I really never expected it to go this far.'' Gideon Rubin, (818)713-3607 gideon.rubin(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Complex math doesn't faze Alemany girls' basketball star Lauren Ming, who carries a 4.6 GPA. Hans Gutknecht/Staff Photographer |
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