Just Believe Sports

Kyra Dunn, the 6-foot-3 super swatter from Sacramento High owns a knack for shot-blocking not seen in NorCal since the days of Bill Russell. One might see that as a stretch, but the stats prove otherwise.

Dunn, a NorCal Top 20 prospect, clocked in at 6.7 blocks per contest last season and she exceeded her average in 17 of Sacramento's games last season. She also managed to contribute 11.4 rebounds and over eight points a game, plus an impressive 80% from the charity stripe. It is worth noting that Dunn's 6.7 blocks per game average was good for the 14th spot nationally and No. 2 in the state. In addition, her 214 total blocks was second-best in the country behind 6-foot-8 Brittany Griner from Houston Nimitz.

As Dunn navigates her way through the remainder of the summer season under the guidance of club coach Sean Chambers, one can only believe that she will continue to improve her game on the offensive end based on what Chambers had to say about the lanky center. "Kyra has nice a mid-range shot, she is a solid face- up player, and she passes extremely well out of the triangle," said Chambers.

Her high school coach, Michele Massari, on the road with Kyra to attend the Pete Newell tall women's camp in San Ramon, will look to utilize Kyra's offensive skills more next season. "I expect Kyra to play a huge role next season in the scoring department," said Massari.

Massari also believes her talented center has the tools to become a pure scorer and may even have her out beyond the arc on occasion. Even on the phone, one could feel Dunn smile at the thought of shooting treys, but she did agree with her coach on the expectation that she will play a larger role offensively for the Dragons next season.

"We have always had a bunch of scorers so I always have concentrated on rebounding and shot-blocking. Those were ways to fire the team up," explained Dunn. "Next year I will be expected to be more than just a fourth or fifth option when we have the ball.

Known for her ability to run the floor as well, Kyra also has some pretty decent hands and she can finish with either one of them in the lane. There are skeptics who have said Dunn doesn't always give 100%, but Chambers alluded to the fact that, despite those opinions, she has done nothing but give 110% for his squad this offseason. Also of note, despite her thin and wiry frame, Dunn doesn't shy away from contact in the paint and she is a decent ball handler.

Dunn earned a 3.9 GPA in the fall of 2008 and "slipped" to a 3.7 in the classroom last semester. She aspires to be a Pediatrician and with grades like those, she can make it happen.

Coach Massari says that a college decision will probably happen in November so as Dunn prepares to tackle the July traveling period with trips to Oregon, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and Chicago, it is safe to assume that her list of suitors, containing the likes Northwestern, Lafayette, Pitt, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, USC, and UCSB, will grow by leaps and bounds.

Despite having to sit out her junior year at Bishop O'Dowd after transferring from Amador Valley (based on CIF rules), Mikayla Lyles is still the No. 9-rated prospect in NorCal. Lyles is expected to hit the summer circuit with a bullet as one of the region's hottest commodities approaching the coming season.

Lyles, an all-EBAL guard while at Amador Valley, is one of the region's top perimeter shooters and, as she proved in one contest during her sophomore year versus San Ramon, she can throw up points in bunches. As the saying goes, "good shooters keep on shooting," and never was that more true as in the aforementioned San Ramon Valley game when Lyles dropped 34 on the Wolves, including 22 in the second half and nine straight points in one stretch of the fourth quarter.

A strong, 5-foot-8 guard, Mykayla can play both backcourt positions and her club coach, Sean Chambers, is confident she will do well at both. "She's a solid ball-handler, but I would definitely use her at both guard spots because she is so deadly from the perimeter."

Chambers went on to say that Lyles has an extremely high basketball I.Q. and she has all of the tools college coaches are looking for. He went on to call her "the most offensively skilled kid in NorCal." Chambers looks for her to gain plenty of notoriety in the same manner Amanda Johnson of Maria Carrillo (now at the University of Oregon) did two seasons ago.

Lyles has crafted her offensive game enough to score in a variety of ways from the three-point shot, to the mid-range pull up jumper and she is quite adept at utilizing her strength on opposing guards. Her defense isn't shabby either, as Lyles, also a great player on the soccer field, has, as was noted in a previous scouting report, good footwork, plus she is a solid on-ball defender and has great anticipation in the passing lanes.

Her father, Manuel, can't remember when she didn't compete in sports. "She's a true warrior and we signed her up for CYO basketball when she was a third grader," he said. This "warrior" recently attended a camp where she was the only female in attendance and more than held her own. Even more impressive, Lyles earned straight A's in the first semester so needless to say, she is hitting on all cylinders.

Currently, Arizona St, Oregon, Long Beach St., Santa Barbara, and San Diego St. are just some of the schools paying close attention to the high-scoring guard. Other schools are sure to follow as Lyles hits the summer travel circuit in Oregon, Las Vegas, and Chicago.