ALISSA PILI - ESPN, PAC12 & AP NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
She's the reigning Pac-12 Player of the Year and this week Utah Womens basketball Forward Alissa Pili balled out against No.1 ranked South Carolina earning her Player of the Week honours with Pac-12 (4th career POTW), The Associated Press and ESPN.
She scored a career high 37 against South Carolina earning high praise during the game from South Carolina's Coach and former WNBA great Dawn Staley (video below).
Pili's 37 points are the most scored by a Pac-12 player this season.
She recorded back to back 30 point performances and opened the week with 31 points in the win against St Joseph's, then added 7 rebounds and 3 assists against the Hawks.
ESPN said of the young Samoan / native Alaskan player "The 6ft2 forward has been piling up points this season and is averaging 24.6 per game.
Pili was a combined 27 of 40 from the field in those games (against St Josephs and South Carolina), and for the season is shooting 72.1% (93 of 129) and 55.6% overall from behind the arc (20 of 36).
Especially with the loss of guard Gianna Kneepkens for the season to a foot injury, Pili is the rock for the Utes."
Pili is currently ranked No.4 in points per game this season in the NCAA and 2nd in the nation in field goal percentage.
She was recently ranked at no.9 on ESPN's WBB Top 25 players list and earned an honourable mention on the AP Preseason All-American list.
Recently the Committee Sports Group covered both Alissa and fellow Samoan Tehina Paopao (South Carolina Gamecocks Guard) prior to their Utah v South Carolina matchup.
Both young women shared a pride in their heritage in a game where not many look like them.
“[To be able to represent my culture] it means a lot and I carry it on my shoulders with pride,” Pili said. “The Polynesian culture and even the native culture, they're very prideful people they take pride in where they come from.”
She also credits her Dad Billy for being her biggest influence in basketball.
"Honestly if I had to choose a person who was my impact would be my Dad, he used to woop us and this man is 5ft7, like that guy is short but he used to woop me and my brother and my brother's 6ft4 ... all the time and so like just playing around with him ..."
Read the full interview here and watch the interview with the girls below -
Also, fun fact: Alissa's older brother Brandon Pili made his debut in the NFL at the beginning of the season with the Miami Dolphins.
Another Pili to watch!