Lauren Engeln, Laguna Hills
File photo by Heston Quan
At 5-foot-11, Laguna Hills senior Lauren Engeln would appear that she is strong inside the paint. Those who have played against her would agree. But Engeln’s game stretches far beyond that, as she is also one of the better point guards in the state.
It’s that versatility which has attracted dozens of Division I schools her way.
“I think that’s what a lot of schools like about her because they saw that she can play a lot of positions,” said Lady Hawks coach Jim Martin.
Major colleges by the handfuls have eyed Engeln, including Washington, Connecticut, Kansas State, California and Vanderbilt.
Engeln eventually selected UConn for her collegiate future.
“I’m very excited about going to UConn, it’s such a great school with a great tradition,” she said. “All things considered I think UConn is a perfect fit for me.”
At Laguna Hills Engeln routinely begins the game at the point, where she has proven to be effective. But coach Martin is quick to note that Engeln is equally successful inside the paint.
“A lot of coaches realized they could slide her into a lot of different slots,” Martin added. “For us, we kind of ping-pong her between the point and the post so we give the other team different looks.”
In Saturday’s Division III-A semifinal of the San Diego Classic against Pinewood of Los Altos at UC San Diego, Martin was forced to take Engeln off the point and put her inside as she drew three fouls in the first 10 minutes.
“Lauren is a pretty smart kid and when she got those three quick fouls, she never got another one the rest of the game,” Martin noted. “I don’t know if she’s ever fouled out of a game, actually. She’s played enough basketball to know when to back off.”
Martin would not come right out and say that Engeln is one of the state’s top players, although he probably believes it’s true.
“I know she has a passion to play all day long,” he said. “I haven’t seen every player in the state so whether she’s one of the best, I’m just going to leave that to other people to decide where she fits. In our neck of the woods (Orange County) I certainly think she is one of the best players, and Southern California is a very competitive area.”
Participating in the 312-team San Diego Classic this weekend obviously presents a challenge of playing six games in four days.
“In this situation, because there’s so much focus on her, it forces Lauren to deal with a lot of multiple defenses,” Martin said. “We are not a superstar team. We’re a neighborhood team with a bunch of kids from Laguna Hills. We’re a small school, so everything’s pointed at her and it forces her to have to deal with every team focused on her and how to deal with that.
“I think that will be good for her down the line, playing against elite competition in the nation.”
That’s one of the things that makes Martin proud – the fact that his team is exclusively local. No recruits. No imports.
Engeln enjoys playing basketball with her classmates.
“I love all my high school teammates,” she said. “But travel ball is so much more competitive. July is one of the best months to play basketball. I get to travel around with my club team (Cal Swish) and get to visit a lot of different places. It’s the best competition of the year.”
Laguna Hills captured the Southern Section CIF championship in 2007 and 2008.
Engeln believes that she could lead the Lady Hawks to a third section crown during her tenure at Laguna Hills.
“That would be a nice way to go out,” she said.
