2021 Girls Basketball Player of the Year: Saniya Rivers

The Coastal Preps Girls Basketball Player of the Year is senior Saniya Rivers from Ashley.

Saniya’s Accomplishments

Saniya Rivers will go down as one of the greatest girls high school basketball players in the history of North Carolina. 

She capped her illustrious career by averaging  a remarkable 36.8 points, 11.5 rebounds, 5.3 steals, 5.1 assists and 1.4 blocks to help Ashley finish 15-2 and reach the 4A East final.

Rivers scored at least 20 points in every contest and surpassed the 40-point mark on eight occasions. She set a new school record with 51 points in a 73-32 win over Laney in the regular season finale. Rivers also had 10 double-doubles and one triple-double.

The South Carolina signee finished her high school career with a record of 96-12 and four Mideastern Conference titles. She scored 2,501 points, which is 16th in the history of the NCHSAA. 

Rivers was named the N.C. Gatorade Player of the Year in 2019 and 2020 and she is the heavy favorite to win the award again this year. The state winner will be announced on May 27 and the national winner will be announced in June.

More about Saniya

Favorite Food(s): Pasta dishes – lasagna, alfredo, etc.

Favorite Restaurant(s): Fish Bites and Ruby Tuesday’s

Favorite Movie(s): Hush, 9/11 and Love & Basketball

Favorite TV Show(s): Martin, The Oval and 9-1-1

Favorite athlete(s): Kevin Durant, Diamond DeShields and Chelsea Gray

Favorite memory from the season: Beating Millbrook in the Elite 8. We weren’t expected to win, so the fact that we led the majority of the game and pushed through some physical and mental adversity meant the world!

Favorite memory from your career: I’ll never forget the time we almost lost to Laney on their Senior Night (in 2020). The gym was packed, the crowd was booing me and it was a physical game all around. It came down to my two free throws to take us into overtime and later we won it.

Favorite thing about your school or team: We NEVER let our drama off the court impact our teamwork on the court. Our difference NEVER outweighed our common goal, which was to win.

Favorite vacation you’ve taken: My family and I took a trip to Florida with some friends or ours. We stayed for the weekend and made lots of memories.

If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?: Bahamas

Are you a fan of roller coasters? If so, what is the best roller coaster you’ve ridden?: Negative!

Do you like breakfast, lunch or dinner best?: Dinner

What is a skill you are bad at that you wish you could master?: Photography with an actual camera

What app on your phone do you use the most?: Instagram

Which local restaurant has the best hamburgers?: Winnie’s Tavern/P.T.’s Grille

What toppings do you like on your pizza?: Cheese and Bacon

What was your favorite TV show as a child?: Zoey 101

If you could have dinner with any 3 people (dead or alive), who would they be?: Maya Angelou, Michael Jordan and Kevin Durant

How did you pass the time during the COVID-19 lockdown? Sleeping. I also spent a lot of time catching up on Netflix series and movies.