SHOOTING PERFECTION MATHIS AIMS HIGH ON, OFF THE COURT.Byline: GIDEON RUBIN Special to the Daily News SANTA CLARITA Santa Clarita, city (1990 pop. 110,642), Los Angeles co., S Calif., suburb 30 mi (48 km) NW of downtown Los Angeles, on the Santa Clara River; inc. 1987. Situated in the Santa Clara valley and nearby canyons, Santa Clarita includes the former towns of Canyon Country, -- Golden Valley High's girls' basketball standout Meredith Mathis was among the Santa Clarita Valley's most statistically productive players last season, while maintaining one of highest GPA's in the entire school district. Mathis isn't satisfied with any of it. The 5-foot-9 guard/forward continues to push herself on the basketball court and in the classroom as if she's barely keeping afloat. Her efforts seem to be paying off. Mathis is Golden Valley's second leading scorer, averaging 13.8 points, and she is second on the team averaging 8.8 rebounds. Mathis has the Grizzlies The name Grizzlies may refer to:
Last season she led the team averaging 13.6 points and 9.7 rebounds. The Grizzlies posted a winning record (14-13) and made the playoffs fielding their first varsity team In the United States and Canada and UK, varsity sports teams are the principal athletic teams representing a college, university, or high school or other secondary school. Such teams compete against the principal athletic teams at other colleges/universities, or in the case of . Mathis is an academic sensation, too, boasting a 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. She's pushing for a 4.71, the highest possible GPA she can achieve this year. ``I'm a perfectionist per·fec·tion·ism n. 1. A propensity for being displeased with anything that is not perfect or does not meet extremely high standards. 2. ,'' Mathis said with a smile. ``I try to the best I can at whatever I do. I feel if I'm going to go to school every day, I might as well do the best I can do, and if I'm going to play basketball, I might as well try to be the best I can be. ``That's just the way I am.'' Mathis is among several Golden Valley players who excel in the classroom. Junior guard Carly Abelman has a 4.17 GPA. Junior forward Kendra Carter, a Burbank transfer who leads the team averaging 14.5 points, has a 4.0 GPA. Golden Valley's overall GPA is 3.33. ``I kind of look up to (Mathis) as a role model,'' Golden Valley junior guard Kiki Smith Kiki Smith (born January 18, 1954, in Nuremberg, Germany) is an American artist classified as a feminist artist, a movement with beginnings in the twentieth century. Her Body Art is imbued with political significance, undermining the traditional erotic representations of women by said. ``She makes me want to be better. ``She's our leader.'' In addition to putting up big numbers, Mathis is also among the team's leaders in intangibles, Golden Valley coach Troy Best said, noting that her footwork and instincts are products of her outstanding court smarts. ``She understands the game,'' Best said. ``She understands where she needs to be defensively, as far as positioning for rebounds, and how to create space to get an open shot.'' Best said Mathis is a collegiate prospect who could excel at Verb 1. excel at - be good at; "She shines at math" shine at excel, surpass, stand out - distinguish oneself; "She excelled in math" an academically oriented four-year college in the 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. . Mathis has also played competitive youth volleyball and softball, but she said basketball has been her favorite sport since she first picking up a ball when she was practically a toddler. She said watching her brother Spencer, who played basketball at Canyon and Vasquez and now plays basketball and soccer at Bethany College Bethany College may refer to:
``I love that it's a contact sport, I like getting in there,'' she said. ``I also like that it's fast-paced.'' Mathis said among her ambitions is attending law school. Her current course load includes an advanced sign language class at College of the Canyons College of the Canyons is one of the fastest-growing community colleges in the state. According to the National Junior College Research Association, College of the Canyons consistently ranks in the top 50 community colleges in the nation. , which she's taking in lieu of a foreign language. Mathis plans to work as an interpreter in college, following the footsteps of her mother, Barbara Mathis. Her grandparents grandparents npl → abuelos mpl grandparents grand npl → grands-parents mpl grandparents grand npl on her mother's side, Bernard and Marilyn, are both deaf. ``I really respect my mom and what she does, and I'd like to be fluent so I can communicate with (my grandparents),'' Mathis said. Mathis, who is considering majoring in history, was recently nominated for Girls State, a prestigious leadership program. But Mathis believes the smarts she's developed have paid dividends in her game. ``I try to make smart passes and make good decisions, so I think in that way it connects,'' she said. gideon.rubin@dailynews.com (661) 267-7802 CAPTION(S): photo Photo: (color) Guard/forward Meredith Mathis is Golden Valley High's second leading scorer, averaging 13.8 points per game. She also boasts a 4.6 GPA. Hans Gutknecht/Staff Photographer |
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