Athlete of the Week: Poway High’s Claudio lacks height, but not much else on court

Sierra Claudio has not put much thought into playing college basketball. The Poway High point guard has always figured at 5-foot-1 there was little hope of her services being desired at the next level.

But the senior might want to start entertaining the idea, because her leadership on the floor combined with her feistiness on defense is beginning to overshadow her lack of height.

“I never thought anybody would want a little 5-1 girl,” Claudio said. “But when I played Saturday, (Titans coach Jay Trousdale) told me he thought the Palomar College coach might be interested in me playing for him. That was really flattering, so I have to think about it.”

It’s hard not to focus on Claudio when she takes the court. She often is the shortest player on the floor, but even more noticeable is her relentless, in-your-face defense and her ability to disrupt opposing ball handlers.

“I want (spectators) to think I am a scrappy player and I want the girl with the ball to be uncomfortable,” Claudio said. “I try to be in their face, screaming ‘ball, ball, ball.’ I try to tap the ball away and get steals that lead to layups down the court.”

That has many times been the case. Claudio is averaging five steals/deflections per game this year. On many occasions her thievery has led to easy buckets for the Titans, which entered this week with a 10-1 record.

“I think she plays with a chip on her shoulder,” Trousdale said. “She is one of the smallest players on the court, but she is also one of the toughest I have ever coached and I have been coaching for over 30 years.”

And her toughness translates on the offensive end of the floor, too. Claudio often drives right at 6-plus footers without fear of contact. She will take the layup or dish to teammates when defenders collapse on her.

She takes pride in being a pass-first, traditional point guard but can finish at the rim or shoot the 3-pointer when needed. She is averaging nine points and three assists per game.

“I am definitely pass first over everything else,” said Claudio, who was named to the all-tournament team at the Santa Barbara Tournament of Champions two weeks ago. “I think everyone on our team is like that. We have a real selfless team. There is not just one person always looking to score. Everybody can score on our team.”

Claudio is in her third year on the varsity and second as a starter. She is a two-year captain and her name can be added to the long list of outstanding point guards to come through Poway.

“She is not just a defensive player,” Trousdale said. “She is a good passer, a good shooter and she is also a very good leader. We can add her name to the long list of excellent point guards we have had in our program.”

And maybe someone will be adding her name to a college roster.