La Jolla Country Day basketball star Breya Cunningham is SBLive's San Diego Section Athlete of the Year

Cunningham was named the San Diego Section Girls Basketball Player of the Year this past season after averaging a double double for the third consecutive season.

Welcome to a continuing tradition at SBLive California – honoring the male and female athletes of the year in every CIF Section.

Because the SBLive crew gets so immersed in specific sports seasons, it is nice to take a step back to pick a Section honor on a broader scale.

The criteria isn’t too expansive: The starting point is finding athletes who are all-league/all-state performers. Totality of career is also a factor as is winning. Administrator/coach/fan recommendation plays a role as well.

Enjoy as we honor some of California's top athletes!

Breya Cunningham is no stranger to the big stage. Going up against UConn commit Isuneh Brady in the Open Division championship game as a freshman, Cunningham responded with 15 points, seven rebounds, four steals and three blocks to help the Torreys to a 54-37 victory.

Fast forward two seasons, and the five-star recruit has added a second Open Division championship to her resume and was named the San Diego Section Player of the Year this past season.

Cunningham and La Jolla Country Day entered this past season as the top team in the San Diego Section and cruised through the local competition, securing their second Open Division championship in the past three seasons.

“Me and Sumayah (Sugapong) were on the freshman year team when we won it and we weren’t able to last year so being able to do it again means a lot,” Cunningham said.

Cunningham was able to dominate against Mission Hills in the San Diego Section championship game, finishing with 25 points on 12 of 14 shooting and 13 rebounds despite facing double and triple teams in the post.

“It’s very easy because when they triple team me,” Cunningham said after the game. “I know that three people are open so it’s very easy for me to make a move or kick it out (to my teammates).”

The Torreys then began their run in the CIF State playoffs, starting with a win over Mater Dei in which Cunningham had 20 points and eight rebounds. La Jolla Country Day then came up one point short of reaching the state championship, falling to Sierra Canyon 63-62.

Cunningham and the Torreys reached the CIF State championship game during the 2019-20 season before COVID-19 forced the cancellation of the championship games just days prior. After falling a point short of reaching Sacramento again this past season, the Torreys are sure to have their sights set on a state championship once more in the 2022-23 season.

“We’re all gonna stay together for the next year so we can only get better and grow from here,” Cunningham said of next year’s team that is set to return its top eight scorers.

BIO

School: La Jolla Country Day

Sport: Basketball

Next step: Committed to Arizona

Season highlights and accolades: All-San Diego Section 1st team selection, San Diego Section Player of the Year. San Diego Section Open Division champion, CIF State Open Division semifinalist. Averaged 18 points and 11 rebounds per game.

PAST SBLIVE ATHLETES OF THE YEAR

2020-21

Central Section Male: Nate Johnson, Clovis

Central Section Female: Jazmine Soto, Strathmore

Central Coast Section Male: Mikey Mitchell Jr., Archbishop Mitty

Central Coast Section Female: Jessica Oakland, St. Francis

LA City Section Male: Dylan Kordic, San Pedro

LA City Section Female: Jillian Kelly, El Camino Real

North Coast Section Male: Nico Torrez, De La Salle

North Coast Section Female: Natalie Pasco, San Ramon Valley

Sac-Joaquin Section Male: Jadyn Marshall, Stockton St. Mary's

Sac-Joaquin Section Female: Jzaniya Harriel, Antelope

San Diego Section Male: Nick Herrmann, Torrey Pines

San Diego Section Female: Elise Miller, San Pasqual

Southern Section Male: Thomas Southey, Mira Costa

Southern Section Female: Alyssa Thompson, Harvard-Westlake