Support JJ Nakai for Arizona Player of th...

<p>This petition is posted to show support for Jacqulynn "JJ" Nakai, senior point guard for Coconino High School Varsity Girls Basketball,&nbsp;to be named Girls Basketball Player of the Year by AZCentral and the AIA.&nbsp; Included in this petition is an email I sent to various members of the Phoenix media dedicated to covering high school sports on a statewide level.&nbsp; Her stats are superior to others vying for the award, her leadership was a primary reason why the Lady Panthers enjoyed their most successful season in thirty years, and by showing support for her, I hope we can send a strong message to the writers who determine POTY awards that she deserve statewide recognition.</p><p>JJ Nakai is the hardest working athlete in Flagstaff.&nbsp; I've had the privilege of watching her play for several years and getting to know her as a person.&nbsp; Everything she has ever achieved as a player has come from her tenacious work ethic.&nbsp; I have no doubt that the virtues she gained as a high school athlete--self-motivation, leadership, attention to detail, teamwork--will be translated into success as a collegiate athlete and as a young lady making a place for herself in this world.&nbsp;</p><p>* * *</p><p>TO:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; High School Sportswriters at Arizona Republic/AZCentral and the Arizona Interscholastic Association</p><p>FROM:&nbsp;Russell Woods @ Flagcoco</p><p>RE:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;JJ Nakai for Player of the Year&nbsp;</p><p>February 26, 2017&nbsp;</p><p>To Whom It May Concern:&nbsp;</p><p>Now that the 2017 championships are over, I wish to campaign on behalf of Jacqulynn &ldquo;JJ&rdquo; Nakai, senior point guard for Coconino Varsity Girls Basketball, in the hope of seeing her named your Player of the Year.&nbsp; This correspondence is my argument for her gaining such recognition, which will be emailed to many within the Phoenix-based media as well as posted in plain sight for anyone to read.&nbsp;</p><p>I have three points for your consideration:</p><p>1. Nakai has had a dominant and potential record-breaking season in terms of statistics.</p><p>2. Nakai led the Lady Panthers to their best record, ranking, and finish in the state tournament in thirty years.</p><p>3. Nakai is an opportunity for AZCentral and the AIA to promote athletics outside the Phoenix and Tucson metro areas.&nbsp;</p><p>To the first point, even a casual glance of the AIA statistical list on their website proves Nakai had a phenomenal year.&nbsp; All year long, regardless of conference, she has been near the top of several categories.&nbsp; As of this writing, she is #5 in the entire state in scoring (20.7 ppg), #2 in field goals (241), #2 in assists (7.3 apg), and #9 in three-pointers (71).&nbsp;</p><p>Her statistical dominance is even more pronounced when you just look at the 4A Conference.&nbsp; She is #1 in scoring (2.7 ppg higher than #2 on the list, Sarah Barcello of Seton Catholic), #1 in field goals (47 more than Caitlyn Bickle of Cactus Shadows), #1 in assists (a full assist more per game than #2, Ilyssa Galindo of Pueblo), #2 in three-pointers (behind only Alicia Reyes of Pueblo) and #13 in steals (3.5 spg, and if you look at her steal/foul ratio, she dwarfs the conference at 10.60).&nbsp; In addition, she is tied for #3 in 4A with seven double-doubles, and if you check the box scores from various games, she barely missed having triple-doubles on a couple of occasions this year.&nbsp;</p><p>On her MaxPreps page, you will notice she is #59 <u>in the entire country</u> in field goals and #24 in assists.&nbsp; Such recognition on MaxPreps should not go unnoticed.&nbsp;</p><p>Not only is her statistical prowess noteworthy for the recently-ended season, it will be recorded in the state record books.&nbsp; I will be sending the following list to Karen Self, who keeps up the AIA&rsquo;s Girls Basketball Record Book, of the places Nakai should be named:&nbsp;</p><p>Assists in a season (all conferences combined):&nbsp; 220, putting her #15 on the list</p><p>Assists in a career (4A):&nbsp; 440, putting her #4 on the list</p><p>Assists in a season (4A):&nbsp; 220, putting her #2 on the list&nbsp;</p><p>The only game currently not accounted for is her most recent game against Seton Catholic in the 4A semifinals, which should hardly change any of the arguments made in this document.&nbsp;</p><p>The point to be made from all these statistics is:&nbsp; Because Nakai&rsquo;s numbers are so large in so many categories, because her stat lines are better than other potential candidates for Player of the Year consideration, because her numbers are nationally recognized to be among the highest in the country according to perhaps the leading website concerning high school sports in America, and because some of her stats are some of the best in Arizona history, she deserves serious consideration for statewide player-of-the-year honors.&nbsp;</p><p>As to the second bullet point, the Lady Panthers achieved a 26-5 record.&nbsp; Those five losses were to three teams:&nbsp; Tucson (25-3 and entered the 6A state tournament as the #5 seed), Flagstaff (27-6, was #1 in 4A when the AIA posted their initial rankings for the season, and seeded #4 in the 4A state tournament), and Seton Catholic (30-3, 4A state champions).&nbsp; Coconino was ranked #1 in 4A longer than any other school in the conference this year and earned it when they beat the then-top-ranked Flagstaff Lady Eagles, 50-47; the game turned in Coconino&rsquo;s favor in the final minute when Nakai hit a three-pointer to give the Lady Panthers the lead, and the result was sealed when Nakai blocked a potential game-tying three pointer at the buzzer.&nbsp; Coconino finished the season in the semifinals; the last confirmable time the Lady Panthers went so far in the state tournament was 1987, when the team lost to Miami in the championship game.&nbsp; Two years ago, when Nakai was a sophomore, Coconino lost in their sectional semifinal and did not qualify for the state tournament; this year, they were #1 a good chunk of the season, earned the #3 spot in the state brackets, and lost to the eventual state champion in the semifinals.&nbsp; Because her team reached a level of success not seen in thirty years and because of the Lady Panthers&rsquo; enormous strides from 2015 to today, in large part because of her stats and leadership, Nakai deserves real consideration for Player-of-the-Year recognition.&nbsp;</p><p>On the third point, it is rare to see an athlete from the city of Flagstaff earn Player-of-the-Year honors in any sport, despite many athletes over the last 90-plus years deserving of consideration.&nbsp; This is a tender subject among all of Arizona outside the Phoenix and Tucson metro areas, this belief that the AIA and AZCentral ignore the achievements of athletes outside the two large markets.&nbsp; I don&rsquo;t seek to push Nakai as the champion for all of small-town Arizona, I just hope she&rsquo;s given fair consideration at the end of the day.&nbsp; Statewide media have a golden opportunity to alter the perception many have of this metrocentric bias by taking an honest look at Nakai&rsquo;s statistics and considering how far her team has come with her leading the way.&nbsp;</p><p>I look forward to hearing from you on this and other matters in the near future.&nbsp; I admit freely that I am a fan, not a journalist, and at times my perception is askew due to my status as a homer for Flagstaff public high school teams.&nbsp; In this case, however, I believe numbers do not lie, and if you&rsquo;re not convinced by Nakai&rsquo;s stat line, I&rsquo;m hoping the success of the Lady Panthers this year gives your further food for thought.&nbsp; By all means, don&rsquo;t vote for Nakai just to throw a bone at Northern Arizona, but understand that, to see an athlete from Northern Arizona win such an award, a good chunk of the state will feel vindicated that one of their own won because she was given a fair shot based on her own merits in comparison to those of others, and it will diminish the fear that big-city writers simply do not care about the rest of the state.&nbsp;</p><p>As long as Flagcoco exists, I will campaign on behalf of athletes and teams from Flagstaff and Coconino High Schools.&nbsp; There are athletes from both schools worthy of praise, but in this case, I believe I have a valid argument for JJ Nakai to win Player-of-the-Year honors, I know her statistics back up that argument, and the success of her team lends even more credibility to the case at hand.&nbsp; She is not the first student I&rsquo;ve spoken about, nor will she be the last, but for this moment in time, I hope you will consider this note seriously when it comes time to make a decision.&nbsp;</p><p>Always Sincerely,</p><p>Russell @ Flagcoco</p>