Makennah Simonson named SLO County’s Player of Year. Here’s who else made all-star list
Makennah Simonson was Nipomo’s top returner on a squad that lost a core group of stars to graduation last season after posting a 22-8 record.
The 5-foot-7 guard, who also played in the low post this year, didn’t miss a beat, however, leading her team to an 18-9 mark and earning the honor as the Tribune’s San Luis Obispo County girls Player of the Year for the second straight season.
Simonson averaged a team-high 16.2 points per game with roughly 9 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 6 steals in addition to other accomplishments, such as eclipsing 1,000 career points while only playing two-and-a-half seasons and posting a rare quadruple double in an early-season game.
“She always worked hard,” said Nipomo Coach Larry McCoy. “She gave 100% in practice, as well as in the games, so you always know what you’re gonna get from the kid.”
McCoy said Simonson showed “passion and dedication” and is “a good player on the court and a good teammate.”
Simonson said that she prides herself on her all-around play, and she echoed McCoy’s comments on her passion for the game.
“I started playing very young and I just played year-round since then,” Simonson said. “Basketball has been my life.”
Simonson, 18, who began playing basketball as a kindergartner, had the unique experience of playing varsity basketball with three sisters, including Shantille, now 20, and Clarissa, 19 — who both played at Nipomo on varsity all four years — and her younger sister Isabella Belle Simonson, 16, a varsity teammate the past two seasons.
“We always have been very competitive with lots of backyard practices and games,” Simonson said of her siblings. “We’d play two-on-two games.”
Like her sisters, Simonson also started playing varsity basketball as a freshman. But a severe concussion in a Feb. 4, 2020, game against Paso Robles forced her to miss the rest of her freshman season and then all of her sophomore year as well.
“I still feel some effects,” she said. “I can’t drive a car for really long and have little headaches here and there, more than I normally would. But the serious stuff is all better.”
Bouncing back
This season, after losing 5-foot-8 and 2022 grad Kacey Slover, another Titans player who scored more than 1,000 points in her career, as well as key contributors Leah Miller and Allyson Cramer, Nipomo had to reboot with a smaller squad.
“It was tough,” Simonson said. “We were struggling on the size. I had to play down low. It was an adjustment, but I did it and we adapted as a team and we did pretty well.”
Working through those challenges, Simonson said it was a memorable senior season, cherishing the tight bond the team formed.
“It’s definitely the friendships that are created on the team and the girls who I’ve been playing with my whole life that I’ll remember,” Simonson said. “We’re just all so close. And it’s just such a great environment. It’s just so much fun just being at practice with them or in the locker room before games.”
Simonson said her most rewarding achievements were a rare quadruple double in points, rebounds, assists and steals in a 63-49 win over Righetti on Jan. 3, along with a 28-point season high against St. Francis in a 55-48 win during an early-season tournament game.
But even with her ability to score and being able to knock down 3-pointers, Simonson thrives on defense and passing.
“I like to keep my defender on their toes so I can be a well-rounded player and use my speed a lot as an advantage,” Simonson said. “And something I do a lot is no-look passes, which is my signature thing. I’ve always felt comfortable reading the court.”
Nipomo finished 7-7 in Mountain League, placing fifth, falling short of its goals.
“Even though we didn’t do as well as a team, I feel individually I grew a lot as a player and I hit my goals doing what makes me happy,” Simonson said. “I just want to continue to be involved in basketball even if it’s not playing. I want to coach eventually and just keeping my sense of love for it.”
Simonson played AAU ball in the summer with the Cal Sparks, based in Fresno.
“I definitely feel as if it’s something you want to be serious about, it’s necessary (to play summer basketball),” Simonson said.
Simonson said that she’s talking to colleges currently, but hasn’t decided her basketball future yet.
“I’m still deciding what path I’m going to take as I’m weighing my options right now, and so I still haven’t made up my mind,” she said. “I’ve had quite a few schools who have been in contact with me, and we have been talking. But I haven’t decided what route I want to go.”
Here are all of the selections for this year’s Tribune girls basketball all-stars.
Tribune SLO County Player of the Year
Makennah Simonson, Nipomo
All-Tribune SLO County first team
Nevaeh Dyer, Paso Robles
Kayden Sanders, Nipomo
Diana Sorrondo, Arroyo Grande
Emma Boehm, Mission Prep
Bella Musolff, Morro Bay
Carys Villani, SLO
All-Tribune SLO County second team
Kinzie Amer, Arroyo Grande
Jhade La Paz, Arroyo Grande
Iraya Bell-Jackson, Mission Prep
Fiona Durham, Morro Bay
Taylor Sutton, Templeton
Belle Simonson, Nipomo
Honorable mention
Emily Horzen, Mission Prep
Riley Milder, Paso Robles
Brooklyn Waldram, Arroyo Grande
Tailer Morrison, Morro Bay
Lexi Denzel, Templeton
This story was originally published March 16, 2023 at 5:30 AM with the headline "Makennah Simonson named SLO County’s Player of Year. Here’s who else made all-star list."
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