When Shaw High School basketball player Kayla Bonilla received a call from her coach in March, the 16-year-old junior had no idea why. It was a big surprise to Bonilla when Shaw girls basketball coach Julee Fryer delivered the good news that Bonilla had been named the 1-AAAAA All-Region Player of the Year.
“I couldn’t stop smiling,” Bonilla said about her reaction.
According to Coach Fryer, Bonilla was selected for the honor over 20 other nominated athletes. The selection process involves rankings and a point system, but it is mainly decided by the votes of coaches in the region. As the Player of the Year, Bonilla was also named to the All-Region First Team.
Standing at just 4-foot-11 and weighing 109 pounds, Bonilla defies the stereotype of a typical basketball player. What she lacks in height, the petite point guard makes up in speed and versatility on the court. Her stats for her 2015-16 season denote a talented and athletic player.
She averaged 21.5 points per game and four steals per game. Perhaps one of her more impressive stats, Bonilla reached the 1,000-point career scoring mark as a junior in high school.
The Lady Raiders coach doesn’t know if a female athlete from Shaw has ever been selected as an All-Region Player of the Year, but she is pretty sure there hasn’t been a girls’ basketball player from the school to be named as such.
Bonilla began playing volleyball and basketball at Shaw during her freshman year. It was also Fryer’s first year as a new coach. Together, the two have seen both sports programs grow, and the girls basketball program has advanced particularly with the talents of Bonilla and a few other Shaw players.
“In a way, it’s kind of like both of us were freshmen,” Fryer said. “We kind of started out together, and there have been some growing pains, but she is a truly great athlete. She deserves the honor. She has earned it.”
As for Bonilla, she just loves the game of basketball. In addition to playing volleyball at Shaw, she also ran track, in which she once set a time in the mile event as the fastest in the state. Despite her success with other sports, basketball is her passion.
“I am competitive,” Bonilla said with a big smile. “I love the competition.”
Among the many words her coach uses to describe Bonilla, one continually comes into play: humble.
“She is such a hard worker and very humble,” Fryer said. “She never takes credit and is always working for the team.”
The extent of Bonilla’s humble spirit became evident a few moments later. When asked what her best game was during the recent season, Bonilla thought a moment, shrugged her shoulders, and turned to her coach.
“I don’t know,” Bonilla said. “Coach, what was our best game you think?”
Nodding her head, Fryer said: “See. That right there is an example of her being so humble. She said ‘our’ best game, and any other player would probably be quick to point out their high scoring games. She knows she had two games this season where she scored 41 points, but they were losses, and she doesn’t consider them the best because those weren’t wins for her team.”
Columbus Valley/May 2016
Kayla Bonilla
Shaw High School
Columbus, Georgia
Shaw basketball athlete named 1-AAAAA All-Region Player of the Year
By Beth Welch
Photos by George McDuffie
