Cardinal Newman’s Anya Choice readies for new basketball challenge

Anya Choice, Cardinal Newman’s do-everything senior guard, is leaving her high school alma mater to play on a bigger stage this fall ― specifically, UC Santa Barbara’s Events Center, affectionately known as “Thunderdome.”

Her legacy at Cardinal Newman, however, will not soon be forgotten.

Choice’s 2,026 career points is the most ever amassed by a girls basketball player at Cardinal Newman and at precursor school Ursuline, which merged with Cardinal Newman beginning with the 2011-12 season. Additionally, Choice’s 43 points versus powerhouse Salesian of Richmond in the second round of the North Coast Section Open Division playoff tournament was the highest single-game point total in Cardinals basketball history, boys or girls.

“It’s crazy and it’s a blessing,” Choice said of the records. “It will always be great to look back at my name in the record books.”

The 5-foot-8 Choice is also the most decorated player in Cardinal Newman’s history, earning eight major accolades for the 2019-20 season as she guided the Cardinals to a 29-4 overall record (10-0 in the North Bay League Oak Division, where she was MVP), a deep playoff run and an end-of-season MaxPreps ranking of 18th in California and 84th nationally.

Choice’s senior season awards include: Cal-Hi Sports Ms. Basketball California finalist (top six players in the state) and California All-State 1st Team; MaxPreps California All-State 2nd Team; SportStars Magazine NorCal Player of the Year; Prep2Prep North Coast Section Player of the Year and 1st Team All-NCS; and the San Francisco Chronicle Bay Area Player of the Year.

“I think Anya is the most talented player to ever play in this county,” said Cardinal Newman coach Monica Mertle, head of the program for the past nine years. “She is a basketball junkie. She has been in the gym her whole life and is committed to growing her game. Anya is definitely one of the most competitive players I have ever coached.”

Choice’s senior-season production (801 points, 24.3 points-per-game average, 78 3-pointers) eclipsed her production from an amazing junior season (641 points, 21.4 per-game average). She scored 496 points as a sophomore, her first year as a starter, and 268 points coming off the bench as a freshman.

“My game improved in every aspect between my freshman and senior years,” Choice said. “Without the hard work, I would never be where I am today.”

Choice’s bag of tools as a Cardinal included driving the lane, running the fast break, dishing to teammates after drawing a crowd, canning 3-pointers, snatching rebounds and often playing man-defense on the opponents’ top scorer.

“I take a lot of pride in my defense. I hate it when someone scores on me; it hurts. I like to frustrate the other team’s players on defense,” Choice said. “I like running the fast break. It kind of crushes the other team’s spirits when you score that quickly.”

Despite all that went right this season for Choice, the ending for the team did not go as planned. Cardinal Newman lost to St. Joseph Notre Dame of Alameda, 67-58, in the NCS postseason final, with Choice in foul trouble for much of the game before fouling out in the fourth quarter. The Cardinals subsequently succumbed to Archbishop Mitty of San Jose 64-40 in the semifinal round of the state playoffs.

“It hurts that I didn’t get to win a state title,” Choice said. “It is definitely disappointing this year that we didn’t reach our own expectations, but we made it farther than the public’s expectation for us. I am proud of my team and how far we got in the playoffs.”

Mertle said one of the biggest improvements she saw over the four years coaching Choice was her ability to deal with adversity and not get down on herself.

“Anya bounces back quickly; she didn’t do that as a freshman. She has self-confidence, which comes from preparation,” Mertle said. “She uses adversity to fuel her.”

Choice agreed with Mertle’s assessment of her ability to stay resilient.

“I used to get down on myself because I hold myself to high standards. Now I realize how important it is to move on to the next play,” Choice said. “I focus on my teammates when I’m having an off night.”

Another area of maturity for Choice was her increased role as team leader, which culminated in her being team captain her senior season.

“Being a team leader is an overlooked quality. Speaking up when needed changes the whole team dynamic, especially when games are on the line,” Choice said. “Monica definitely pushed me to be a team leader. She taught me how to be mentally tough and how much it affects my game.”

Choice said she has the mindset of a scorer but also strives to be a complete player. She says she her favorite NBA player is James Harden because he is so unguardable.

“I just love the way Harden plays the game,” Choice said. “I have taken a lot of my moves from him. I got my step-back jumper from him.”

Choice will play for UCSB on a full athletic scholarship. She was heavily recruited and offered scholarships from Boise State, Hawaii, the University of Portland, Cal State Northridge and San Jose State.

“I picked UCSB because of the connections I formed with their coaches,” Choice said. “Also for the history of academic and athletic success.”

Choice, who has played Amateur Athletic Union club basketball since the fifth grade, finished high school with a 3.5 GPA and said she is leaning toward a career in law, although her freshman year she will be an undeclared major.

Choice said she knows the college game will be tougher and faster and acknowledged she needs to get stronger and log time in the weight room. She said she has been hitting the weights in her backyard in the offseason. She also said she needs to get her shot off quicker and work on tighter dribbling to be a success at the college level.

“My goal for the first year at UCSB is to come and make an immediate impact with the team. My goal is to become a starter,” Choice said. “I am looking forward to moving away and being on my own, learning and seeing the college environment.”

Mertle said she has no doubt Choice will be a success at UCSB.

“Anya has a chance to earn minutes and play a significant role as a freshman,” Mertle said. “We are going to miss her. I wish I could coach her forever, but she is ready to move on and be challenged at the next level.”