Ali’a Matavao
6-0, F
Henderson, Nevada
Liberty High School

From Henderson, Nevada, Ali’a Matavao was named the 2021-22 Gatorade Nevada Player of the Year out of Liberty High School.

At 6-foot, Matavao averaged nearly a double-double last season, scoring 13.2 point and grabbing 9.8 rebounds while picking up 3.1 steals per game.

She was named the 5A Player of the Year and was named to the Las Vegas Sun’s Super Seven Team.

Matavao is a teammate of Amari Whiting on the Natalie Williams Basketball Academy that competes in the Adidas 3 Stripes Select circuit.

Coach Whiting on Ali’a:

“Ali’a is not only a great player but an amazing person. She was the Gatorade Player of the Year for the State of Nevada as a junior and has the ability to impact the game in a variety of ways. She has a motor that won’t quit. She’s a big, athletic wing that embraces physicality. Her size and physicality will play to our advantage on both the offensive and defensive boards and against teams who want to play with smaller lineups."

• 2021-22 Gatorade Nevada Girls Basketball Player of the Year
• Averaged 13.2 points, 9.8 rebounds and 3.1 steals per game this past season, leading the Patriots (18-2) to the Class 5A Southern League Tournament semifinals.
• The Class 5A Player of the Year, Matavao was named the MVP of the 2021 Page Arizona Holiday Championships and the Page Holiday Classic.
• She was an All-Southeast League Honorable Mention selection as a freshman despite playing in just nine games because of a knee injury
• A member of her church choir, Matavao has volunteered locally as an ambassador for the Victory Club, a drug-free advocacy program, and she has donated her time as both a peer mentor and as a photographer for the Liberty High football team.
• Matavao has maintained a weighted 3.92 GPA in the classroom. She will begin her senior year of high school this fall
• Played AAU on 3SSB circuit