Headstrong guard earns scholarship

On Sunday, Cafferata proved prophetic. Nopuente, who is an incoming senior at Westmoor High, verbally committed to play at the University of Idaho. High school athletes can't sign with a school until the official signing period begins Nov. 8. Nopuente is believed to be the first Westmoor girls' basketball player to earn a Division I basketball scholarship straight out of school. She was floored when she learned she had earned a full ride.

"It was kind of shocking," she said. "In the last few weeks, I knew there were some teams interested, but you never know if it's going to happen. It's a dream come true. I'm so happy that I'll be able to play college ball and continue my dream of playing in the WNBA. It's a perfect match. I talked to Idaho's coach and it seems like we have a similar approach in playing the game."

Scoring record

Nopuente has averaged 18 points per game in three varsity seasons. Cafferata said her star point guard is 400 points away from breaking Renee Robinson's all-time state scoring record. For Nopuente, 17, the scholarship fulfills a goal that didn't seem possible even a few years ago.

Nothing has come easy for Nopuente, not even basketball. In the eighth grade, she was the third-string point guard on her AAU team. Quick, fearless and sometimes unpredictable, some of Nopuente's previous coaches have tried to rein her in. The 5-foot-6, 130-pound athlete considers her style as, she said, "Up-tempo and fierce. Give me the ball and I'll make things happen."

On the court, she can be poetry in motion, running and slashing to the hoop while sacrificing her body along the way. High school's version of Allen Iverson - small, athletic and tough - Nopuente is nearly unstoppable on the fastbreak. With a potent first step and an outside jumper to match, she can score in a variety of ways. But it's her can-do attitude that allows the undersized guard to be as successful as she is. Her determination is simply off the charts freaky; Cafferata said he's never coached anyone with as much heart.

Much of her inner strength has been built upon overcoming adversity. Born in the Philippines, Nopuente came to the United States when she was 7. She hasn't seen her biological father in eight years, and her stepfather, whom she looked up to as a role model, died in a motorcycle accident three years ago. And because of her mom's busy work schedule, Nopuente serves as a second mom to her three younger siblings.

"He didn't do much of anything," Nopuente said, referring to her biological father. "So I don't really think about him too much. Losing my stepfather was tough, but you have to have the strength to keep going."

"She's overcome so much to get to this point," Cafferata said. "I've worked with her on her game and it's been a great journey. I've thrown her out of practice before, and now she's a leader. She's going to a program that plays the perfect type of system to suit her game. You don't pass up a WAC (Western Athletic Conference) school that likes to run."

Loses temper

Like a lot of great athletes, Nopuente's greatest strength can also be her Achilles heel. She's so headstrong and stubborn at times that she can lose her temper during a game, but she's improving on her mental toughness.

"I know I have to work on my mental state," she said. "I am stubborn, but I'll get out of it. I try not to let those things get the best of me."

Nopuente credits much of her success to Cafferata. The two have helped resurrect a Westmoor program once in shambles.

"Nobody thought I was any good at basketball until I met Corey," Nopuente said. "It was funny because the very first time I met him, I asked someone 'is that our coach with the weird hair?' He's played hoops, he's been through a lot and he can understand me. He's developed my playing style and made it complete. If it wasn't for Race Express, I wouldn't be getting a scholarship. I might be just another girl sitting on the bench somewhere."

Instead of being a footnote, Nopuente has made history.