It’s the time of year when basketball teams can change.
Transfer students around the state, who have had to sit out the month of the season, are now eligible and they can change the face of league, section and even state championship races.
The impact of one transfer in Orange County — Fairmont Prep’s Cierra Hall — has already been felt by the Huskies (11-2), as well as their opponents.
Already considered a contender for the CIF-SS Division 4A championship (the Huskies lost in last year’s 4A title game to Brentwood), the addition of Hall has turned Fairmont Prep into a considerable favorite.
As a freshman last season, Hall averaged 14.2 points and 8.3 rebounds per game to lead Cypress to a 24-4 record and an Empire League title. In her two games since becoming eligible, the 6-foot sophomore averaged 18.5 points, 13 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game.
“We have looked a little bit forward (to the playoffs), but we know that in any given game … we don’t want to let one slip away,” Fairmont Prep coach Dave Esparza said.
In her first game, Hall made 10 of 11 shots from the floor to score 21 points and took down 11 rebounds in a 61-48 win over Bishop Montgomery of Torrance.
In her second, she had four blocks, 16 points and 15 rebounds in a 40-37 win against St. Anthony of Long Beach.
Almost as important as her impact on the stat sheet, Esparza made sure to note Hall’s relationship with the rest of the team.
Although transfer students who are required to sit out aren’t allowed to play games, they are allowed to practice. So Hall has been practicing with the team all year, and has also been at every game, encouraging her teammates from the bench.
Hall has found a kindred spirit in the team’s Cornell-bound senior and team leader, Samantha Clement, who also transferred to Fairmont Prep after her freshman season at Canyon.
“She’s bought into our whole team concept,” Esparza said of Hall. “The kids welcomed her with open arms and she already had a friend on the team (in point guard Tristen Rollon).”
OPEN DIVISION LIST INCLUDES O.C. TEAMS
The first edition of the CIF-SS Open Division watch list was released Monday, and Orange County has six of the 31 teams on it.
The committee responsible for selecting the teams for the Open Division, which can feature as many as 16 teams, will update the watch list every week leading up to the postseason.
Brea Olinda, Fairmont Prep, Foothill, Mater Dei, Orange Lutheran and Troy made the list.
According to the CIF-SS, Open Division entrants will be selected based on strength of schedule, overall record and rankings, among other more advanced metrics.
LIONS’ COHEN HITTING THE BOARDS
Despite having only played seven games this season, significantly fewer than almost all of the best teams in the county, Tarbut V’Torah (6-1) has a player among the O.C.’s statistical leaders.
In those seven games, 6-foot-1 sophomore center Lauren Cohen has taken down 122 rebounds (17.4 per game).
Cohen has had 10 or more rebounds in every game and brought down a season-high 29 boards in a 47-20 win over Liberty Christian in December.
She is averaging 13.4 points per game.
Contact the writer: jbalan@ocregister.com
