Daily Pilot Athlete of the Week: Jenny Earnest

Tony Altobelli

COSTA MESA - Costa Mesa High girls basketball player Jenny Earnest

hopes that last week was the first of many happy moments for the

Mustangs’ squad.

Still riding high from winning the Costa Mesa Winter Classic, the

first title for the host Mustangs since 1992, Earnest looks to lead her

team into Pacific Coast League battle, opening with rival Estancia on

Friday.

“We’re gonna really need to play consistent when league begins,”

Earnest said. “Our younger players might be nervous going up against our

rival school, but it should be fun.”

All Mesa has to do for inspiration on consistency is look back to the

Costa Mesa Winter Classic, where consistency was the name of the game.

Four games, four convincing wins, one happy team. “We played so well

for those games,” Earnest said. “Usually teams will have a down game

during a tournament, but we didn’t. It was really a great feeling winning

that thing. That’s how we have to play for us to be successful in

league.”

In those four games, Earnest provided timely offense and a smothering

defense against her opponents’ top players, while saving her best play

for the bigger games.

In the semifinals against Mission Viejo, Earnest went up against the

Diablos’ top player, Meghan O’Donohue, and took her completely out of her

game. After scoring 23 and 22 points respectively in her previous two

games, O’Donohue was held to 12, including zero in the fourth quarter as

the Mustangs won, 70-58.

“Jenny is a real team player,” Coach Jim Weeks said. “She’ll do

whatever the team needs in order to win, whether it’s defense like in the

Mission Viejo game or scoring points like against Villa Park.”

In that 54-42 win against the Spartans, Earnest used her speed and

quickness against some bigger players and scored 21 points, while holding

6-foot-2 center Lauren Yabon to only four first-half points and 15 for

the game.

In the tournament, Earnest averaged 13 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.2

assists, 2.5 steals and two blocks a game, earning all-tournament honors.

“She does whatever I ask of her,” Weeks said. “She’ll play guard,

power forward, swing forward; wherever we need her, she’ll be there for

us.”

Perhaps the most amazing thing about her week is that Earnest has been

battling the worldwide flu bug the past two weeks.

“With what she’s been going through, Jenny has really battled out

there,” Weeks said. “All I ask is for her to get healthy before league

play starts.”

Earnest, a co-captain on the team, along with Nancy Hatsushi, tries to

make sure that one of them stays on their game at all times.

“We try to make sure that one of us stays in control of the game and

maintains the tempo we need to win,” Earnest said. “If I’m not playing

well, Nancy will step it up for us and if she’s down, I’ll try to step it

up.”

Earnest also maintains a leader mentality at home as well, being the

oldest of two kids.

“I have an 11-year-old brother, named Chris,” she said with a laugh.

“He tells everyone that he taught me everything I know.”

When she’s not battling on the court, Earnest enjoys drawing and

animation as a hobby.

“I’m pretty good at making some Scooby Doo-type characters and I have

created a few of my own,” Earnest said. “I’m really into computer

animation as well.”