Junior forward Sendy Valles creates a variety of different scoring opportunities, such as attacking the basket like she did against the Dixie State Red Storm on Monday, Jan. 20. Photo credit: Steven Mercado
Sendy Valles is in her first year as a Cougar and already one of this year’s top athletes for the women’s basketball team.
The junior communication studies major transferred to Azusa Pacific last fall from Long Beach State, where she also played basketball and was part of a Division I program on a full-ride scholarship.
At Long Beach State, Valles was teammates with former Cougar guard Amanda Sims, who transferred to APU the year before Valles did. After Valles played for Long Beach an additional year, she decided it was not the place for her. She talked with Sims and decided to give APU a shot.
Transferring from a Cal State University to a private Christian university was a huge culture shock for Valles. Not only did she have to adapt to mandatory chapel requirements and a Christian worldview, but it was also a change to switch from Division I to Division II.
“Here at APU, people really care about your well-being, whereas in Long Beach, I just felt like a number,” Valles said. “My coaches here care a lot more about us, and I think it is just a more positive atmosphere.”
Valles was elected captain her first year as a Cougar, and her peers and coaches believe she will stay a leader on the team while she finishes her education at APU.
“Sendy is a very vocal leader and obviously really good at basketball,” junior guard Katie Powell said. “She is a smart player because she thinks through things before she acts and has a lot of knowledge when it comes to basketball.”
Her teammates and coaches describe her as reliable, looking to her to come through if something needs to happen in the last minutes of the game.
“I think Sendy is consistent; she is definitely one of our best players,” assistant coach Danielle Foley said. “She knows that one of the main goals on the team is to score points and she does that consistently.”
Whether it’s a win or loss, Valles takes responsibility for her mistakes during the game and leaves the court determined to improve.
“I think it’s awesome we come from different places, and she has a lot of basketball experience from past schools,” junior center and captain Emily Nordberg said. “So, bringing together ideas from different schools and pasts is always a good thing because we are creating a new culture on how we want the team to look.”
This season there were seven returning women and seven new ones on the team.
“Sendy has done really well living up to her expectations on and off the court, things like school, chapel, and practice,” Nordberg said. “Instead of sitting back and refusing to adapt to the culture here, she has definitely embraced these things.”
The Cougars are currently 9-1 in conference play and are half a game behind the Academy of Arts in San Francisco. Valles and her teammates have played well and need to maintain their current level of play if they hope to win the conference.
“We need people that can score baskets and Sendy has definitely stepped up and done that,” Foley said. “She can play inside and outside, which is a
huge advantage to us going into every game for the rest of the 2014 season.”