Westchester girls varsity is on a tear for the ages this year!
They remind me of the boys early Westchester teams, led by Trevor Ariza. I did Trev’s 1st NBA feature. He was a real brother to teammate Hassan Adams, another McDonald’s All American with a 47” vertical leap that made the L.
And Bobby “LB” Brown who may have started out slow in his recruitment but went on to be a two time Big West POY and in the NBA for many years.
Maybe today’s reader wasn’t around to see those Westchester boys teams destroy opponents and stand toe to toe with LeBron James’ St Vincent St Mary Akron, Ohio team.
These guys are tight, just like the 2022-23 Westchester girls varsity team that is absolutely killin’ teams teams left and right this season.
In a world that doesn’t respect women, let’s give the ladies some props too. Right?
This year’s girls Westchester team embodies that same swag, class, precision, and utter confidence to take down team after team. No matter whose name is on the front of their opponent’s jersey, Westchester is dishing out the L’s.
Even a program like Alemany High, whose coach Jeff Dosado was recently a skills coach for the Houston Rockets and a high level AAU coach, his team could not beat this Westchester team, which is on a mission to light up the city!
Who is powering all this success?
Much of the success must go to the sister combination of senior super all around great player 5-7 PG Rylei Waugh and her younger CG sister Reigne Waugh who is a very talented sophomore player in her own right. Fye! 100.
“Ry-dawg”, as her friends call her, runs that point guard spot and controls the pace and tempo. She also plays lock down defense and has all the intangibles to keep this juggernaut going all year long.
Her younger sister is that 5-10 power player that does all the dirty work and is so efficient. She is emerging as a prospect worth tracking for a variety of reasons. Both girls have this engaging personality that draw you in but they are tough are on court.
Mariah Blake wears #2 on her back and goes hard as a Comet! Ron’yae Jackson is this athletic power player with a smile made of gold. Everyone loves her and calls her “RJ”.
This Comet team is young and poised during games. It tears apart opponents with its defensive schemes and energy. The team has epic and incredible love for one another, a selflessness that the coaching has instilled in them.
They are a disciplined group of ladies who play a balanced style of play. They all know their role to perfection.
If you want to see more of the electric Rylei Waugh, follow her journey? Here is her story.
As for the coach Dominic Grimes and his staff? I can’t speak highly enough of them. Really, Dominic is a caring guy who knows his X’s and O’s and is a master of the hoop game.
Is Westchester worth watching? Yes and yes! Give me a double helping please! 7-0 now and could be undefeated when it’s all said and done!
I watched them recently obliterate a Palisades High team that usually plays them close year to year. Here’s Westchester’s schedule:
https://www.maxpreps.com/ca/los-angeles/westchester-comets/basketball/girls/schedule/
Contrast Westchester to Sierra Canyon, another LA powerhouse that deserves attention. Westchester is a public school while Sierra Canyon is an exclusive private school that is much harder to get into.
But if you have the right skills, the right profile to offer to the Sierra Canyon program you will have a good time. Me, E-Woods, I have recommended a few kids go there and it has worked out in spectacular fashion with rich experiences for them.
They got scholarship offers and the coaching from head coach Alicia Komaki is as 1st rate as you will ever find, prep, college, or pro level. She just chooses to be a prep coach. She has coached great players like Kennedy Burke who played at UCLA and then the WNBA.
I could go on and on and on the vast list of great kids Komaki has helped forge in her time. This year in 2022-23 her team is stacked, and she cares deeply for them as people.
When I go to see her games I pay special attention to special players that I am in awe of in many ways, like Izela Arenas. Izela is an aggressive long armed defensive menace who can stroke that shot.
Mackenly Randolph is just a phenom player on many levels. And Christy Reynoso who is a multi faceted guard and impressive for a variety of reasons. Their personalities are all off the charts and their parents I am close with as I feel lucky to know them to one degree or another.
It is still my goal to write about all 3 of these girls this prep or AAU season.
Sierra Canyons girls schedule is here.
https://www.maxpreps.com/ca/chatsworth/sierra-canyon-trailblazers/basketball/girls/schedule/
Some say the Sierra Canyon and Westchester programs are very different, and that may be true in some ways. One is a private education and one is a public school. But they both rep what’s best in LA’s basketball a girl’s basketball tradition.
I did a very in depth story on Coach Komaki who played for the legendary Kevin Kiernan when she was at Troy High. Coach/AD Kevin is at Mater Dei and is California’s most winningest coach.
Peep her story out!
So if you want some advice on two programs on fire this year that have tradition galore, Westchester and Sierra Canyon girls in LA can’t be topped to go see.
Yes there are great teams like La Jolla Country Day in San Diego, Etiwanda of the IE, Mater Dei of Orange Country, Santiago High of the IE. And so many great teams from Northern California.
But I’m talking about LA. girls programs. Seek them out and see with your own eyes how fantastic they are with all the tradition they have. There’s just nothing quite like it. 100!
