Girls basketball MVPs were multitalented stars

In some games, a single great athlete can carry a team.

But as the competition intensifies, that becomes more difficult. Even the most breathtaking heroics can't happen without the help of teammates.

It's the perfect pick, the well-timed pass or the help boxing out that give those gifted athletes the opportunities to shine. This year's Deseret Morning News Most Valuable Players didn't just take advantage of perfect opportunities, their leadership elevated the play of those around them. Hard-working and self-effacing, this year's MVPs aren't just gifted athletes, they're great teammates.

5A MVP: Megan Marks, Bingham

This senior loved getting in the game as much as the next player. But some of her favorite moments, she said, have been spent on the sideline cheering for her younger teammates.

"I wouldn't want it any other way," said the BYU-bound forward. "If everybody scores eight to 10 points, no other team can stop us."

And no other team came close in the tournament, where Bingham's closest game was a quarterfinal win over Layton by 13 points.

Coach Rand Rasmussen prides himself on not relying on one player for points or rebounds. He subbed liberally, and his starters averaged around 19 or 20 minutes per game.

But make no mistake about it, he said. Marks is one of the best players in any classification, not only because she can score, rebound and pass like a point guard, but because she is the consummate team player.

"Marks is the glue to this team," Rasmussen said after the 5A championship. "We wouldn't be here without her."

Assistant coach Kelly Harris said Marks' leadership is the kind you can't quantify.

"Her leadership on and off the court, there is no substitution for that," he said.

She averaged 9.4 points and 2.2 blocks per game. She was a two-year captain and is an honor student who also participated in varsity volleyball.

4A MVP: Jessica Saliby, Orem

This senior forward plays in pain a lot of the time, but you wouldn't know it from talking to her.

"She's probably playing at 70 percent," said Orem coach Ross Reed of Saliby, who broke her leg last year and had to have a titanium rod implanted for stability. "That titanium throbs in the cold weather, but she never complains. She just plays."

Saliby was a team captain who picked up her game just when the region champions needed it most. Also a softball player, Saliby finished the season averaging 14.6 points and 13.2 rebounds per game, but often her contributions weren't captured in statistics.

"She's always got a smile on her face," Reed said. "She's always trying to pick everyone else up. She likes to have a good time, and she works extremely hard."