Girls basketball preview: Top 10 Players to Watch

Mater Dei's Katie Lou Samuelson is the top returning player in Orange County and the go-to player for the top-ranked team in the county. The senior has signed with Connecticut.
Mater Dei will rely heavily on senior Katie Lou Samuelson to lead the team to a successful season. She is widely considered the top senior recruit in the country.
Mater Dei senior Katie Lou Samuelson chose Connecticut when it was time for he decide on a college. Her two older sisters played for Stanford.
Mater Dei's Katie Lou Samuelson averaged 26.3 points and 9.8 rebounds last season, and those stats could go up this year. She led the U.S. U-17 team to the gold medal at the FIBA World Championships this past summer.

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By Jeremy Balan | Orange County Register

November 27, 2014 at 12:15 a.m.

The Register’s list of the Top 10 Players to Watch for the 2014-15 season.

TOP 10 PLAYERS TO WATCH

(Listed alphabetically)

Tori Anderson

Santa Margarita, So.

The 5-foot-9 guard was Orange County’s top freshman last season, leading the Eagles in scoring with 14.4 points per game. She also earned third-team All-County honors.

Emily Arellanes

Rosary, Sr.

She led the Royals in scoring with 14.7 points per game last year, but Rosary lost its second- and third-leading scorers to graduation, so the 5-9 guard will carry more scoring responsibility. She earned third-team All-County honors last season.

Samantha Clement

Fairmont Prep, Sr.

The 5-8 Cornell commit was the most consistent scoring threat for the Huskies last season (17.3 points per game). In 31 games, she only had fewer than 10 points on three occasions.

Megan House

JSerra, Sr.

At 6-4, House is arguably the most imposing frontcourt presence in the county. The Pepperdine-bound center led the Lions in rebounding last season (13.8 per game) and will likely need to step up her scoring (8.9 points per game last season) with the injury to teammate Coco Miller.

Jaylin Jones

El Dorado, Sr.

The University of San Francisco commit played bigger than 5-11 last season, nearly averaging a double-double (19.5 points, 9.1 rebounds). She didn’t disappoint in the state playoffs, either, with three consecutive double-doubles.

Reili Richardson

Brea Olinda, Jr.

As a sophomore, Richardson led the Wildcats in scoring (15.8 points per game) and got better as the season progressed (19.3 points in the postseason). Already garnering interest from Pac-12 schools, she might get more if she keeps improving.

Brooke Salas

El Dorado, Sr.

The hard-driving, 5-10 guard scored 19.6 points per game last season, grabbed 6.5 rebounds and nabbed 4.1 steals. Part of El Dorado’s 1-2 punch with Jaylin Jones, Salas will play at New Mexico State.

Katie Lou Samuelson

Mater Dei, Sr.

Considering she’s the top senior recruit in the nation and is headed to powerhouse UConn, it’s no surprise the 6-3 forward made this list. The scary part might be that with the talented players who transferred away from Mater Dei after last season, her numbers (26.3 points, 9.8 rebounds) might get better.

Barbara Sitanggan

Troy, Jr.

She led last year’s Freeway League champs with 14.6 points per game and 3.7 assists. She also contributed on the defensive end with 4.6 steals and kept the Warriors in the game with 27 points during their 53-43 loss to Canyon Springs of Moreno Valley in the regional semifinals.

Andee Velasco

Mater Dei, Sr.

At point guard, the 5-8 LMU commit scored and distributed last season, with a knack for hitting big shots. She picked up where she left off, with eight points, nine assists and seven rebounds in the Monarchs’ season-opening win over Millikan of Long Beach.

MORE FROM THE OCVARSITY GIRLS BASKETBALL PREVIEW ’14-15:

O.C. TOP 10

OTHER PLAYERS TO WATCH

NO COCO, BUT JSERRA HAS HOUSE, LOTS OF CONFIDENCE

IMPORTANT DATES FOR 2014-15

Contact the writer: jbalan@ocregister.com