Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis
Encyclopedia
Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis is an American basketball player at Mater Dei High School
in Santa Ana, California
. She played on the USA Basketball
U16 National Team, where she helped the team win the FIBA Americas U16 Championship Gold Medal. Mosqueda-Lewis was named the 2011 State Farm/WBCA High School Player of the Year by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association
. She has signed with the University of Connecticut
and will enroll at the school in the fall of 2011. She is of African-American and Mexican
descent.
Mosqueda-Lewis was named captain of her team, and helped lead them to the semifinals of the state tournament in 2009. She averaged over 24 points a game en route to a 31–0 regular season record. While still a sophomore, she was named the Gatorade player of the year for California, and named to the Parade All American list for the country.
Mosqueda-Lewis has lead her team in scoring since her freshman year. As a junior, she was named the number one player in the country by ESPN's Hoopgurlz, while leading her team to a number one ranking among high schools in the country.
Mosqueda-Lewis and her Mater Dei high school team was invited to the 2011 Hoophall Classic, held in Springfield, Massachusetts. This was not her first experience with the event, as the team participated in 2009. She scored 17 points to help lead her team to an 85–45 victory over Murry Bergtraum
from New York City. The event often showcases top high school teams from the region and around the country. Mosqueda-Lewis committed to Connecticut in the spring of her sophomore year. She had also considered California, Kentucky, UCLA, Stanford, Tennessee, and Duke.
Mater Dei faced Brea Olinda in the finals of the 2011 Southern California regional finals. Brea Olinda, with a 29–0 record and Mater Dei, at 28–1 were not only ranked number one and two, respectively, in the county, but also in the state and in the nation. Brea Olinda scored the first four points of the game, but Mater Dei responded with 16 consecutive points. The game was closer at halftime 32–25. Mater Dei extended the margin to a 14 point lead in the third quarter, but Brea Olinda cut the lead to five with 1:24 left in the game. However, Mater Dei hit free throws, and held on to win, behind a team leading sixteen points from Mosqueda-Lewis.
Mosqueda-Lewis is known for her three point shooting accuracy—she hit a school record nine three point shots in a game between Mater Dei and Fairfax on March 8, 2011. She made 337 three pointers at Mater Dei, more than anyone else in her high school history. Mosqueda-Lewis also holds the school record for points, with 2,744 and rebounds (876).
Mosqueda-Lewis has been named the National Player of the year by both the Women's Basketball Coaches Association
and the Atlanta Tipoff Club, which selects the winner of the Naismith Award for the National High School Basketball Players of the Year.
On March 17, 2011, Mosqueda-Lewis was attending school as usual, and heard an announcement that there would be an assembly to honor the girls and boys basketball team. While she awaited the start of the assembly, Lisa Leslie
, Olympic and professional basketball star from California, greeted her and presented her with the news she was the recipient of the 2010-11 Gatorade National Girls Basketball Player of the Year. Leslie, who was the last basketball player from California to win the award, presented the award to her in a televised ceremony.
ESPN's Hoopgurlz named Mosqueda-Lewis their national player of the year, the first time the honor has been awarded to the same player in consecutive seasons. The announcement of the award compared her to Maya Moore
, noting that both players won a championship at the Nike Tournament of Champions, both won a Nike National title, both were ranked the number one prospect in their class, but Mosqueda-Lewis led her team to consecutive number one ranking among high school teams, a feat not accomplished by Moore.
Mosqueda-Lewis is also an active volunteer. She served on her high school student council and has volunteered with programs such as the Blind Children’s Learning Center, Orange County Head Start, Urban Compass Christmas Outreach and coached at an after school program, the Upward Christian Basketball Program.
. The team competed in the First FIBA Americas U16 Championship For Women held in Mexico City, Mexico in August 2009. She was the teams leader scorer, averaging 14 points per game, and the second leading rebounder, averaging 4.6 rebounds per game. The helped the team to a 5–0 record and the Gold medal at the competition. The win secured an automatic bid to the 2010 FIBA U17 World Championship.
. She scored 7.9 points per game, and 4.9 rebounds per game to help lead the USA team to a Gold Medal. Mosqueda-Lewis played in all nine games, and was named as a starter in two of the games. In the Gold Medal game against Spain, she was the leading scorer with 15 points (tied with Elizabeth Williams and Stephanie Dolson).
also hailed from California. She took a trip, with her father, to visit the UConn campus when she was fifteen. She met the coaches and players, and decided this was where she wanted to attend. She was ready to make the decision on the spot, but her father insisted on including her mother in the decision. They got on the phone, and minutes later, she decided she would attend UConn. Mosqueda-Lewis had enough self-confidence to ask for player number 23, worn most recently by the WNBA number one recruit Maya Moore
.
In her first collegiate game, she did not exhibit reputation as deep shooting threat, missing all seven three-pointers she attempted. But, she followed that up with 25 points in her second game, and another 25 points against the number three ranked team in the country Stanford
. It wasn't just scoring, her defense, and other contributions such as eight rebounds inspired her coach to quip, "She looks like the best player on the floor."
Mater Dei High School (Santa Ana, California)
Mater Dei High School is a private, Catholic, co-educational secondary school in Santa Ana, California. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange. With an enrollment of 2,100 students Mater Dei High School is one of the largest Catholic high schools in the United States...
in Santa Ana, California
Santa Ana, California
Santa Ana is the county seat and second most populous city in Orange County, California, and with a population of 324,528 at the 2010 census, Santa Ana is the 57th-most populous city in the United States....
. She played on the USA Basketball
USA Basketball
USA Basketball is a non-profit organization and the governing body for basketball in the United States. The organization represents the United States in FIBA and the men's and women's national basketball teams in the United States Olympic Committee...
U16 National Team, where she helped the team win the FIBA Americas U16 Championship Gold Medal. Mosqueda-Lewis was named the 2011 State Farm/WBCA High School Player of the Year by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association
Women's Basketball Coaches Association
The Women's Basketball Coaches Association is an association of coaches of women's basketball teams at all levels.The organization was formed in 1981, with the goal of addressing the needs of women's basketball coaches.The mission of the WBCA is:...
. She has signed with the University of Connecticut
University of Connecticut
The admission rate to the University of Connecticut is about 50% and has been steadily decreasing, with about 28,000 prospective students applying for admission to the freshman class in recent years. Approximately 40,000 prospective students tour the main campus in Storrs annually...
and will enroll at the school in the fall of 2011. She is of African-American and Mexican
Mexican people
Mexican people refers to all persons from Mexico, a multiethnic country in North America, and/or who identify with the Mexican cultural and/or national identity....
descent.
Early Years
Mosqueda-Lewis started playing basketball in the third grade. At first, she didn't like it, but she kept working at it. At the age of nine, she was not selected to a recreation league all-star basketball team. She wasn't happy, and her stepfather, Khairi Ali, asked her, "Do you want to kick butt?". Mosqueda-Lewis responded, "Yes, I want to kick butt.". Ali set up a training regimen, originally for six months with an option to renew. It has paid off, as she played for the Tennessee Flight, a national club team, and qualified for the USA National U16 team, a team for under 16 year-olds.Mosqueda-Lewis was named captain of her team, and helped lead them to the semifinals of the state tournament in 2009. She averaged over 24 points a game en route to a 31–0 regular season record. While still a sophomore, she was named the Gatorade player of the year for California, and named to the Parade All American list for the country.
Mosqueda-Lewis has lead her team in scoring since her freshman year. As a junior, she was named the number one player in the country by ESPN's Hoopgurlz, while leading her team to a number one ranking among high schools in the country.
Mosqueda-Lewis and her Mater Dei high school team was invited to the 2011 Hoophall Classic, held in Springfield, Massachusetts. This was not her first experience with the event, as the team participated in 2009. She scored 17 points to help lead her team to an 85–45 victory over Murry Bergtraum
Murry Bergtraum High School
The Murry Bergtraum High School for Business Careers is a public secondary school in New York City. It is located in Lower Manhattan, adjacent to the Brooklyn Bridge and City Hall. Bergtraum offers business-oriented courses to prepare students for careers in marketing, tourism, finance, human...
from New York City. The event often showcases top high school teams from the region and around the country. Mosqueda-Lewis committed to Connecticut in the spring of her sophomore year. She had also considered California, Kentucky, UCLA, Stanford, Tennessee, and Duke.
Mater Dei faced Brea Olinda in the finals of the 2011 Southern California regional finals. Brea Olinda, with a 29–0 record and Mater Dei, at 28–1 were not only ranked number one and two, respectively, in the county, but also in the state and in the nation. Brea Olinda scored the first four points of the game, but Mater Dei responded with 16 consecutive points. The game was closer at halftime 32–25. Mater Dei extended the margin to a 14 point lead in the third quarter, but Brea Olinda cut the lead to five with 1:24 left in the game. However, Mater Dei hit free throws, and held on to win, behind a team leading sixteen points from Mosqueda-Lewis.
Mosqueda-Lewis is known for her three point shooting accuracy—she hit a school record nine three point shots in a game between Mater Dei and Fairfax on March 8, 2011. She made 337 three pointers at Mater Dei, more than anyone else in her high school history. Mosqueda-Lewis also holds the school record for points, with 2,744 and rebounds (876).
Mosqueda-Lewis has been named the National Player of the year by both the Women's Basketball Coaches Association
Women's Basketball Coaches Association
The Women's Basketball Coaches Association is an association of coaches of women's basketball teams at all levels.The organization was formed in 1981, with the goal of addressing the needs of women's basketball coaches.The mission of the WBCA is:...
and the Atlanta Tipoff Club, which selects the winner of the Naismith Award for the National High School Basketball Players of the Year.
On March 17, 2011, Mosqueda-Lewis was attending school as usual, and heard an announcement that there would be an assembly to honor the girls and boys basketball team. While she awaited the start of the assembly, Lisa Leslie
Lisa Leslie
Lisa Deshaun Leslie-Lockwood is a former American professional women's basketball player in the WNBA. She is a three-time WNBA MVP and a four-time Olympic gold medal winner...
, Olympic and professional basketball star from California, greeted her and presented her with the news she was the recipient of the 2010-11 Gatorade National Girls Basketball Player of the Year. Leslie, who was the last basketball player from California to win the award, presented the award to her in a televised ceremony.
ESPN's Hoopgurlz named Mosqueda-Lewis their national player of the year, the first time the honor has been awarded to the same player in consecutive seasons. The announcement of the award compared her to Maya Moore
Maya Moore
Maya April Moore is an American basketball forward for the Minnesota Lynx of the WNBA and Ros Casares Valencia of Euroleague. Moore was the winner of the 2006 and 2007 Naismith Prep Player of the Year. She was selected as the John Wooden Award winner in 2009 after leading Connecticut to the...
, noting that both players won a championship at the Nike Tournament of Champions, both won a Nike National title, both were ranked the number one prospect in their class, but Mosqueda-Lewis led her team to consecutive number one ranking among high school teams, a feat not accomplished by Moore.
Mosqueda-Lewis is also an active volunteer. She served on her high school student council and has volunteered with programs such as the Blind Children’s Learning Center, Orange County Head Start, Urban Compass Christmas Outreach and coached at an after school program, the Upward Christian Basketball Program.
2009 U16 Mexico City
Mosqueda-Lewis was selected to be a member of the first ever U16 team for USA BasketballUSA Basketball
USA Basketball is a non-profit organization and the governing body for basketball in the United States. The organization represents the United States in FIBA and the men's and women's national basketball teams in the United States Olympic Committee...
. The team competed in the First FIBA Americas U16 Championship For Women held in Mexico City, Mexico in August 2009. She was the teams leader scorer, averaging 14 points per game, and the second leading rebounder, averaging 4.6 rebounds per game. The helped the team to a 5–0 record and the Gold medal at the competition. The win secured an automatic bid to the 2010 FIBA U17 World Championship.
2010 U17 France
Mosqueda-Lewis continued with the team as it became the U17 team. The team competed in the 2010 FIBA U17 World Championship for Women, held in Rodez & Toulouse, France during July 2010. Mosqueda-Lewis helped the team win the gold medal and an 8–0 record. She was the third leading scorer, averaging 11.6 points per game. She hit 19 three point shots in 39 attempts. Her 19 three point goals were almost half the team total of 40. Her tournament three point shooting average was .487, and included a 5–6 outing against Canada.U19 World Championships - Chile
Mosqueda-Lewis was selected to be a member of the USA Basketball U19 squad, competing for the U19 World Championships in ChileChile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
. She scored 7.9 points per game, and 4.9 rebounds per game to help lead the USA team to a Gold Medal. Mosqueda-Lewis played in all nine games, and was named as a starter in two of the games. In the Gold Medal game against Spain, she was the leading scorer with 15 points (tied with Elizabeth Williams and Stephanie Dolson).
Connecticut
Mosqueda-Lewis made the decision to choose Connecticut relatively early in the recruiting process. Although she was ranked as the top player in the country, Auriemma tried a low key recruiting approach. According to Mosqueda-Lewis, the message was, ""If you want to go there, fine. If you don't, don't". He told her "You're a California girl. You're not going to make it. I think you might be a little soft" knowing she would remember that one of the best players in the game Diana TaurasiDiana Taurasi
Diana Lorena Taurasi is a professional basketball player who plays for the Phoenix Mercury in the WNBA and Galatasaray Medical Park from Turkey...
also hailed from California. She took a trip, with her father, to visit the UConn campus when she was fifteen. She met the coaches and players, and decided this was where she wanted to attend. She was ready to make the decision on the spot, but her father insisted on including her mother in the decision. They got on the phone, and minutes later, she decided she would attend UConn. Mosqueda-Lewis had enough self-confidence to ask for player number 23, worn most recently by the WNBA number one recruit Maya Moore
Maya Moore
Maya April Moore is an American basketball forward for the Minnesota Lynx of the WNBA and Ros Casares Valencia of Euroleague. Moore was the winner of the 2006 and 2007 Naismith Prep Player of the Year. She was selected as the John Wooden Award winner in 2009 after leading Connecticut to the...
.
In her first collegiate game, she did not exhibit reputation as deep shooting threat, missing all seven three-pointers she attempted. But, she followed that up with 25 points in her second game, and another 25 points against the number three ranked team in the country Stanford
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
. It wasn't just scoring, her defense, and other contributions such as eight rebounds inspired her coach to quip, "She looks like the best player on the floor."
Awards and honors
- 2009—Gatorade California girls basketball player of the year
- 2009—Parade All America High School Girls Basketball Team
- 2009—USA Today All-USA third team
- 2010—ESPN Hoopgurlz National Player of the Year
- 2010—OC Register Girls Player of the Year
- 2010—Parade All America High School Girls Basketball Team
- 2010—USA Today All-USA first team
- 2011—State Farm/WBCA High School Player of the Year
- 2011—Naismith High School Player of the Year
- 2011—Gatorade National Girls Basketball Player of the Year
- 2011—ESPN Hoopgurlz National Player of the Year
- 2011—Parade All America High School Girls Basketball Team