Prospect Profile: Leah Redding, Grand Junction Central 2021
The Grand Junction Central girls basketball team is in the midst of an encouraging 11-8 campaign after finishing last season with a 8-16 record. Much of the credit for the Warriors’ turnaround goes to junior Leah Redding, who was the…
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Continue ReadingThe Grand Junction Central girls basketball team is in the midst of an encouraging 11-8 campaign after finishing last season with a 8-16 record.
Much of the credit for the Warriors’ turnaround goes to junior Leah Redding, who was the most productive player as a sophomore on last year’s team but has taken her game to another level this winter. Focusing entirely on driving the success of this year’s team, Redding has long-term hopes that continuing to push herself onward and upward will earn her a chance to play basketball in college somewhere.
Leah Redding“Leah definitely wants to keep playing basketball,” Warriors head coach Mary Doane said. “She’s only a junior so she’s still got some growth in her too. She hits a good number of her outside shots, she’s aggressive and she’s tough. Leah has good skills already and she’s a hard-worker so we’re expecting her to continue to do big things.”
A varsity player since she was a freshman, Redding averaged 12.6 points per game in 2018-19 but is up to 14.3 a night through the first 18 games of her junior season. The 5-foot-5 shooting guard is shooting 31 percent from the field, an improving 23 percent (18 for 80) from 3-point range, and 65 percent (87 for 133) at the free-throw line.
But Redding means much more to the Warriors’ turnaround effort than simply putting points up on the board. A versatile all-around player, Redding is averaging 1.4 assists, 3.6 rebounds and 3.1 steals per game. She leads the Warriors with 56 steals and often makes those takeaways count in the form of transition baskets or assists.
Redding is comfortable in her place as the focal point of the Warriors’ team, and thus-far impressive turnaround season, and is quickly jumping onto several local programs’ radars.