As No. 1 Grandview heads into the season-opening slugfest against No. 2 Ralston Valley on Friday night, the Wolves are once again led by star Michaela Onyenwere and have championship expectations following a Final Four run last winter.
Denver Post preps editor Kyle Newman caught up with Onyenwere to discuss her committment to UCLA, the addition of Leilah Vigil, the key to the Wolves’ postseason success and more.
Q: You recently announced your committment to UCLA. What were the deciding factors that made you choose the Bruins over Duke, Louisville, Tennessee and Arizona State, among other offers?
A: Everybody at that level plays good basketball, and they all have great programs and great coaches in them. But I felt like UCLA focused more on me as a person, and it wasn’t just about basketball to them. I have a personal relationship with their coaches, and I feel like L.A. is a good place to live. UCLA is on the rise, too—they’re ranked number ten right now (in the AP Top 25), so all of those factors put together made me chose UCLA.
Q: Grandview added Leilah Vigil to the roster, who transferred from Highlands Ranch after leading the 5A state runner-up Falcons in scoring last year. How big is she going to be in achieving success this season?
A: She’s a great addition. I’m just glad she’s here with us, and she’s a great friend to me, too, because on and off the court she’s always been very supportive of me. She’s that driving force we need, and she adds to what we have with all the returners we bring back. We can make a good (playoff) run with her, and Ralston Valley will be our first big test as a team. I’m really excited.
Q: What did you and other key returners such as senior Kennede Brown, junior Jaiden Galloway and sophomore Alisha Davis take away from last year’s playoff experience?
A: I think that inside and outside of practice, the biggest thing is we now know we needed to be more together. The focus for our team now, from the coaches to the players, is locked into the team aspect of it. We are doing everything for one another, and there is no individual more important than our collective goal. We’re playing for the name on the front of the jersey not the back, and I think we’re really working toward totally embracing that close-knit team aspect that we were missing a little bit last year,
Q: Post Preps has Grandview at the top of our preseason Power Rankings, and I know your squad is at the top of the CHSAA poll as well. Does the team feel pressure due to the hype and the fact that everyone’s expecting this team to be capable of a championship?
A: The rankings are cool, they’re nice, but they’re certainly not everything. We have to work as hard as everyone else and we have to focus in practice as much as everybody else to be the best team we can be. So we have to work hard to live up to that ranking.
Q: Who else is going to be key this season for Grandview?
A: We have some amazing pieces to put together. Leilah Vigil obviously is new and will contribute down in the post, where Alisha Davis is returning. Jaiden Galloway is also playing more aggressive in the point guard role, and Kennedy Brown is coming off a wrist injury but even so she’s been doing what she’s done for years. Also Lenzi Hudson and Allyah Marlett will be big, with more impact coming from players like Heaven Smith and Sariah Serrano. Overall, we’re a very balanced team.
Q: What’s the key for your team to not only win the tough Centennial League, but also to make a push for the program’s first state championship?
A: It comes down to our composure, our team unity, and also, being smart on the defensive end. We’ve got to be a bit more disciplined than we have in the past, and that will be another driving force for us toward a championship.
