Corley’s Change of Scenery Looks Good to Quartz Hill

Kenya Corley knows the controversy she stirred. She heard the whispers.

Word was Corley had declared herself a basketball free agent when she and fellow senior Tiffany Coke transferred last fall from Antelope Valley High to Quartz Hill, but Corley says she wasn’t looking for a bigger, better deal.

“A lot of people made it a basketball issue,” Corley said. “But it’s definitely not a basketball issue at all. I had a couple problems with teachers at AV.”

Corley, who has a basketball scholarship to California, where she intends to study medicine, claims that she transferred for academic reasons. She’s happy with her decision.

“I can already tell the difference,” she said. “[Quartz Hill] teachers spend more time working with you.”

Quartz Hill (11-1, 1-0 in Golden League play) couldn’t be happier to have Corley for tonight’s 7:30 game at league rival Palmdale (16-3, 2-0).

She leads the region in scoring with a 24.7 average after averaging 13.4 points for the Antelopes last season. She already has scored 295 points, 14 more than she scored in 21 games last season.

The track team must be waiting anxiously as well. Corley is the defending Southern Section Division I long jump champion and finished second in the high jump.

For the first time in four years, the Rebel girls’ basketball team believes it can overtake defending champion Palmdale.

With Corley and Coke joining returning seniors April Garza and Sanethia Thomas, Quartz Hill has the experience to challenge the Falcons in what should be a fast-paced game.

“We actually encouraged them [to transfer], because we want to beat Palmdale,” Garza said. “[Beating] Palmdale has been our goal since I was a freshman. And Kenya brings an aggressiveness that we needed, offensively. Personally, I’m excited.”

Said first-year Coach Steve Lankford: “I knew I was inheriting a good team even without Kenya and Tiffany. They just solidified us. You couldn’t have asked for two better players to come over and fit into my system. And they’re better now.”

Corley pushes herself everyday to get better.

She spent Monday at Pauley Pavilion watching the Martin Luther King Jr. tournament. Her agenda that day was to dissect the defensive strategies of some of the best boys’ basketball teams in Southern California.

“The biggest thing I need to work on is defense,” Corley said. “I want to notice it and I want other people to notice it.”