By Kyle LoJacono
At first glance Lauren Brito looks like any other sixth grader, but she is at the top of her class in both basketball and academics.
The 12-year-old Charles S. Rushe Middle School student is in the finals of the iHoops skills competition and is also an A student.
“She’s played basketball since she was in second grade and I get so nervous watching her play,” said Eileen Brito, Lauren’s mother. “It’s not like I’m afraid she’ll get hurt. I just want her to do her best.”
Lauren plays basketball at Wesley Chapel Athletic Association at the Wesley Chapel District Park. The 5-foot point guard originally played softball, but switched to basketball. Now she is on the court either practicing or playing a game five days a week.
“It’s just so much fun to play,” Lauren said.
Lauren entered a local iHoops skills competition hosted by JAMM Stars in Wesley Chapel, where she came in first place in the 11 to 12-year-old girls division. The competition is an obstacle course that tests ball handling and dribbling skills, shooting and passing.
She advanced to the regional competition, which was in Miami in March, where she again came in first with a time of 24.15 seconds. Her victory earned her tickets to a National Basketball Association (NBA) game between the Miami Heat and Detroit Pistons.
“My favorite player is Dwyane Wade on the Heat,” Lauren said. “He has so many skills and plays with his teammates. I try and play like him.”
Lauren even got to meet Wade, who is listed at 6-foot-4.
“I was just like ‘high,’” Lauren said looking straight up.
Each of the NBA’s 30 franchises hosted an iHoops regional competition. In total, 100,000 children from the United States and Canada participated in local skills competitions and Lauren will enter the national contest ranked No. 1 for her age group.
“I was just trying to do my best,” Lauren said. “When I heard I was in nationals I was like wow. I can’t believe this.”
Eileen was even more excited.
“I’m so proud of her,” Eileen said. “It’s the highlight of parenthood for me.”
Lauren was recently featured on Rushe’s morning show to recognize her accomplishments.
“We’re very proud of her and what an honor to be so highly skilled at basketball,” said Rushe principal Dave Estabrook. “Look at all the children that competed in the iHoops competition and it is obvious just how talented she is.”
Lauren will participate in the national competition in Orlando May 14. The Lutz point guard will go against two other girls to see who will be the 2010 iHoops national champion.
“I sometimes get nervous, but I wasn’t at regionals,” Lauren said. “I don’t even really think about it when I’m playing either. I just look for who can take an open shot and I get it to them.”
Sixth graders are not allowed to play in middle school sports, but next year Lauren plans to be a member of the Ravens team.
“I want to play here next year,” Lauren said. “Just the other day I was playing basketball in (physical education) with only boys and my team was winning. All the guys on the other team were getting mad because we were winning.”
Lauren has proven she can compete against the best in her age group on the court, but she also stands out in the classroom.
“She is a very responsible student,” said Lauren’s language arts teacher Hope Rieffer. “She cares about her grades and always has all her work done on time. She is a little quiet, but she gets along with everyone.”
Rieffer said she has had students who participate in sports use that as an excuse for not completing assignments, but she has never heard that from Lauren.
“She is one of my top students,” Rieffer said. “I’d love to have a classroom full of students like her. She does all her work and is still so good at sports.”
Lauren has been able to transition to middle school comfortably, something that her mother was worried about.
“Like most parents I was so nervous with her going to middle school,” Eileen said. “We all hear the stories about bullying, but Rushe has been so good and making it easy for the kids…Her achievement is based on the school. Middle school is such a big change for kids, but this school is amazing at making it easy for them.”
Lauren has found her passion in basketball, but the sport does not run in her family. Her father, Omar, played baseball in high school and college and her little brother, Omar Brito III, is a jazz dancer.
“My husband was a little disappointed the day she told us she wanted to stop playing softball and switch to basketball,” Eileen said. “Now he is just so proud of what she can do. We all are. It is so special.”
