Girls Basketball:

By Brian Reed-Baiotto, Sports Editor

At first glance, Flintridge Prep senior Kaitlyn Chen isn’t going to strike fear in an opponent.

She isn’t the biggest, fastest or most athletic player in the San Gabriel Valley.

Over her four years at the La Canada school, however, Chen has compiled a resume on and off the court that would match up against anyone.

And from the first to final whistle of each game, Chen has been nothing short of a game-changer.

In four short years, she’s earned Prep League MVP honors three times and the Rebels have won 95 of the 113 games they’ve played, including a 48-0 mark in league games.

Chen has set a number of school records, including most points, assists, rebounds and steals and she will almost certainly go down as Prep’s greatest girls basketball player of all time.

Aside from all of her physical skills, Chen is an even bigger star in the classroom.

Her 4.2 GPA, work ethic, character, intellect and basketball skills helped pave the way for Chen to attend and continue her basketball career at Princeton University in 2020-21.

While we look back in awe and great respect at her magnificent career, Chen and the Rebels will open CIF-SS Division 2AA play tonight (Thursday), when they host Arcadia (14-13) at 7.

Chen is loved by her teammates, coaches and friends, because of the way she treats people, including an ability to live without an ego and making every single teammate, be that large contributors or those who only get a couple of minutes per game, feel like they were the star and not Chen herself.

In her mind and heart, every girl that wears the Flintridge Prep uniform is just as responsible and creditworthy for the Rebels winning nearly 90-percent of their games over the past four years.

She got her character and guidance from her parents, Sandy and Yeh Chen, and she’s grown into a young woman that refuses to settle for anything less than excellence, and that includes being the best daughter, friend, teammate, person and student that she can be.

Her friends all describe her a goofy, funny, loyal and yet when it’s time to be serious, get No. 1 the ball, because she’s going to put a dagger in a Rebels opponent nearly every time she’s given the opportunity.

In her four years at Prep, Chen averaged 12 points per game her freshman year, 21 in 2017-18 and then 18 and 19 points, respectively, over the past two years.

But keep in mind, Flintridge Prep blew out a lot of opponents this season alone, especially in league, where the Rebels outscored their Prep League opponents by a margin of 804-348.

And because of the lopsided scores, Chen hasn’t seen as much action as she did earlier in the season, which would certainly have padded her stats.

True to character, though, Chen doesn’t spend a second regretting playing time. She’s all about every teammate having equal status and being just as happy for their success as she is for her own.

The ‘golden’ or ‘magic’ number for many high school basketball players is to reach the career 1,000 point club.

As the Rebels head into tonight’s playoff game, Chen is just 96 points from the 2,000 point club, which means she could reach that mark realistically if Prep were to make at least a run to the semifinals.

We’ve mentioned what a prolific scorer that Chen has been from the beginning of her prep career, but her 869 rebounds, 395 assists and 275 steals over these past four years are all new school records as well.

Whether Prep were to bow out early in the playoffs or make a run at a D-2AA title, the San Gabriel Valley basketball scene should take a step back and realize how much Chen accomplished and how well she represented the sport, the SGV, the school, program and her family.

Thank you, Kaitlyn, for your success and humility, and doing it the right way.

You are one impressive young lady and we’re all excited to watch you take your game to the next level.

Until then, here’s hoping you guys go on a deep run.

Quotable:

Flintridge Prep co-head coaches, Jayme Kiyomura-Chan & Kevin Kiyomura: “With every year that passes, Kaitlyn has grown into even more of force to be reckoned with. She puts in countless hours of training outside of what the team does, and it shows. She knows when to score and when to dial it back to allow her teammates to shine. She is the epitome of an amazing teammate and leader. As captain, Kaitlyn is our floor general, scorer, rebounder, encourager, and enforcer. Kaitlyn has truly taken the reins and made this team hers.

Her teammates adore Kaitlyn, because she makes it about us as a team and not her. She doesn’t like to be in the spotlight and would much rather see her teammates succeed and be praised. She makes everyone around her feel special and included. We most appreciate her work ethic “grit” “Mamba mentality” and competitive nature. She hates to lose, and is the most fierce competitor we’ve ever had the pleasure of coaching.

Kaitlyn has set a standard of excellence for our program. She truly embodies what it means to be a great teammate and captain. She’s taken our program to the next level by getting all of her teammates to buy in, she recognized early on that she couldn’t do it alone, and that “WE” are greater than “ME”. Kaitlyn we wish you and the Princeton Tigers women’s basketball team nothing but success. Although we will miss you tremendously, we thank you for leaving a legacy! Go Rebels!”

Prep senior captain, Kaitlyn Chen: “Making the decision was really tough since the schools I came down to were all really great options. When I finally decided on Princeton, I felt a lot of pressure relieved off my shoulders because I knew I was going to a place that I loved with amazing people and great opportunities for the future. I don’t really get frustrated with playing time because I know if we want to go deep in playoffs we need our bench to be ready and the only way they’ll be game ready is by playing in games. Offensively, I’m not necessarily looking to score as much as I can, but more facilitating and setting my teammates up.

Although we are an older team this year, I feel like we aren’t as mature as we were last year. Ali and Maddy brought a lot of poise and maturity, which is hard to replace. If everyone does their job and we remain focused through the whole game, I feel like this team has the potential to go far. I’ve never played on a Prep team with this much talent, we just have to play the right way, together.

There are so many people who have helped me along the way, from coaches to my parents and teammates. Coach Jayme and Coach Kevin have played such a huge role in taking me in and making me a better person. Coach Tam my first club coach taught me how to be tough, and Coach George my club coach for Cal Storm helped develop my game, both skillset wise and mentally. My parents have been there for me through it all. They’ve put in so much time driving me to practices and games, and have done nothing but support me and have my back. Andie Kim has been there with me through everything both on the court and off the court. I couldn’t possibly ask for a better best friend.”

Prep senior captain, Andie Kim: “Kaitlyn is and always has been goofy and light-hearted. She is the type of friend who can brighten your mood in any situation, and her laughter is contagious. Kaitlyn has been my best friend for 10 years now and she has never once failed to put a smile on my face. Whether we’re sitting in our pjs watching Netflix, or going out with friends, anything with Kaitlyn by my side is guaranteed to be memorable. As a teammate, Kaitlyn manages to maintain her cheerfulness, yet also transforms into a leader. When she speaks, people listen. And of course, when words fail, her actions on the court speak volumes. She is the player you undoubtedly give the ball to when there’s 10 seconds left and you’re down by 2. Kaitlyn is obviously a fantastic basketball player and I’ve been able to witness her growth firsthand. However, it’s her character, not talent that makes her such a good teammate. I respect her balance. Kaitlyn embodies the phrase “work hard, play hard”. She is always in the gym both before and after practice; she works incredibly hard. At the same time, she is very social and loves going out with our friends. This is the balance that I admire. She has the ability to fit school, basketball, and friends into one schedule which is certainly not easy.”

Prep senior, Olivia Stevens: “Kaitlyn can change the energy in the room as soon as she walks in. She always has a smile on her face and cracks the best jokes. She is someone who I can always count on to pick the team up and get us going in the game. She is someone who you can always hang out with. Whether it’s just us playing candy crush or getting dinner, she makes it a fun time. She has become such an accountable, goofy person and I couldn’t ask for a better teammate and friend. Kaitlyn never lets her emotions get the best of her. She will never yell or criticize her teammates and she uses her words to better us rather than tear us down. She is very humble. You will never hear her talking about Princeton or her record-breaking stats. I am the one always having to hype her up. She doesn’t give herself the credit she deserves. Kaitlyn is an amazing player and deserves the world. On the court, she shares the ball and never plays selfishly. I respect and admire the way she presents herself. She truly is an amazing person.”

Prep freshman, Ashley Chea: “Kaitlyn is the type of teammate that will cheer you up and get you hyped even if you are at your least. Even if Kaitlyn is having a bad day, she always has a smile on her face and the goofiest personality. Kaitlyn is someone I can count on for absolutely anything. She’s basically a sister to me and the team wouldn’t be how it is today if it wasn’t for her. On the court, she never complains about anything and changes the energy in every room she steps in. I respect the fact that Kaitlyn is always there for me and she is the least selfish person I know. She puts her friends and family first before herself and that’s something that I really respect about Kaitlyn. I have learned to work hard through the tough times. I know that Kaitlyn gets frustrated sometimes when she’s playing ball, but she always keeps her composure and always plays through it. I’ve also learned to be a leader on and off the court. She always has a leadership mindset whenever she’s around people and I think that’s one of the reasons why Kaitlyn is so successful.”

Kaitlyn Chen’s Stats (per-game average) by Year:

2019-20: Chen averaged 19 points, seven rebounds and four assists over her senior year. Total points: 483 (183 in league), rebound total: 185 (88 in league), assists: 107 (60 in league), steals: 65 (36 in league). Free-throw attempts: 77 of 93 (18-24 in league).

2018-19: 18 points, nine rebounds, four assists, three steals. 525 points (52 percent from field, 80-percent from the free-throw line, 252 rebounds. and 35 3-pointers.

2017-18: 21 ppg, nine rebounds, four assists, three steals. 614 points, 52 percent from the field, 45 3-pointers, 69-percent free throws.

2016-17: 12 ppg, eight rebounds, three assists, two steals. 49 percent from field., 48 eight 3-pointers, 40 percent from free throw line and 206 rebounds.

Kaitlyn Chen’s School (Career) Records:

Points: 1,904

Rebounds: 869

Assists: 395

Steals: 275

Flintridge Prep Girls Basketball Records Over Chen’s Career:

Regular Season:

2019-20: 22-4, 12-0

2018:19: 25-4, 12-0

2017-18: 24-7, 12-0

2016-17: 24-3, 12-0

95-18 regular season record, 48-0 in Prep League games.

Playoff Record:

2018-19: 4-2

2017-18: 4-2

2016-17: 1-1

Combined postseason record: 9-5