ALISSA PILI
* NB this is an update to the below article. Since we first ran the story in 2018/2019 Alissa has gone on to play College basketball for USC and is currently with the Utah Utes.
Samoan/Alaskan native Alissa Pili has been named in Max Preps 'Top 20 High School athletes of the past two decades'.
MaxPreps is celebrating 20 years as America's source for high school sports this month and In recognition of 20 years of high school sports coverage, they have been looking back at some of the greatest teams, stories and single-season teams of the past 20 years.
They also shared a breakdown of the 20 greatest high school athletes since 2002 which included instantly recognisable names like NBA star Lebron James and Olympian track athlete Allyson Felix.
Included in the list was Alissa Pili -
A two-time MaxPreps basketball All-America selection, Pili holds the state Class 4A basketball scoring record with 2,614 career points and also broke the school record in shot put with a throw of 42 feet, 9.25 inches. She was also dominant in volleyball as a senior, recording 463 kills in 102 sets with 73 aces.
Read the full article here
Earlier this year Alissa was also chosen to feature in Champion's 'Get it Girl' campaign featuring hip hop artist Saweetie and 11 other women collegiate athletes in honour of Womens History Month in March.
As part of the campaign, each woman selected also receive a two-year Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) investment as official brand ambassadors and access to mentors, helping develop their professional career interests within the areas of sports, entertainment, media, and marketing.
Check out the ad in the video above -
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Original article below -
MaxPreps Sports Female High School Athlete of the Year!
2018-19 – Alissa Pili, Dimond (Anchorage, AK): Volleyball, basketball, Track & Field
Meet the young Samoan / Alaskan native athlete who joins Olympic gold medalist Missy Franklin as the only two-time winner of the MaxPreps Female High School Athlete of the Year!
She joins an elite group of previous athletes of the year including 5 time Olympic Swimming gold medalist Missy Franklin, All American distance runner Jordan Hasay and current WNBA stars Nneka Ogwumike, Chiney Ogwumike and Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis!
MaxPrep wrote:
13 Alaska state titles are impressive. Four volleyball titles. Two basketball championships. Four shot put crowns. Two discus medals. One wrestling victory.
"Ever since I was little, I wanted to compete," she said. "I hate losing. I'd play against the boys, who were bigger, stronger and faster, and that only pushed me to go harder."
A two-time MaxPreps basketball All-American, she also holds the state Class 4A basketball scoring record with 2,614 points. In this year's postseason run, Pili dropped 40 points in the 62-57 title win over Bartlett, while adding 22 and 18 in the 46-36 semifinal win over Soldotna, 33 and 19 in a 66-43 quarterfinal win over Ketchikan.
Read the full article here
Basketball is where she really excels and she was named by ESPN as one of 6 Basketball prospects who lit up the July recruiting trail in 2016 and then followed up with a full standalone feature on Alissa here
ESPN said "If you are looking for a no-nonsense power player who simply gets the job done, may we suggest a trip to Alaska? We hear it's nice this time of year. Pili, a sophomore-to-be at Dimond (Anchorage) who played for Alaska Lady Hoops at the End of the Oregon Trail in early July, is versatile in addition to reliable. The mobile 6-foot power forward can defend numerous positions. On offense, she brings superb footwork to the paint and consistently delivers in traffic."
We caught up with Alissa who is of Samoan descent and asked her the essentials.
Family: My parents are Billy & Heather Pili, I have 4 brothers - Brandon (who is currently playing defensive tackle at USC), Caden, Braden & Billy - and 2 sisters Kayla & Alyna. The boys all play Football, Basketball & Wrestling except for Billy he just turned 1 & pretty sure he has no choice but to play the same as the older ones lol. My sister Kayla is 11 and plays Volleyball & Basketball. Alyna is 4 but she's not playing anything yet.
We don't watch much TV we're too busy with sports and if it ain't my games it's my sibs so we're always on the go lol
As far as training goes, I play all different sports like my sibs so I don't really focus on one sport.
