Jordin Canada is girls’ basketball player of the year

Lots of parents have named their sons Jordan after Michael Jordan, the NBA Hall of Famer.

There could be a day parents name their daughters Jordin after Jordin Canada, the junior point guard from Los Angeles Windward who might be the best in the nation as a ball handler and facilitator.

She has been selected the girls’ basketball player of the year in Southern California by The Times.

At 5 feet 7, she towered over opponents by the way she controlled games in helping Windward win its first 32 games until a 60-45 loss to Oakland Bishop O’Dowd in the CIF state championship Open Division final.

“We accomplished so much more than just getting to the state game,” Canada said. “We made history. Considering we had eight players, a lot of people said we couldn’t make it this far, and we ended up going 32-1.”

Canada was at her best in the Southern California Open Division regional final against Santa Ana Mater Dei. She had 14 assists in a performance that left fans squealing in envy and excitement.

She focused this season on improving her leadership on and off the court. She finished averaging 17 points, 7.3 assists and 4.9 rebounds a game.

“My coach told me the biggest thing I had to work on was being a leader and making sure my teammates felt comfortable,” she said. “It was more than basketball. It was spending time after basketball, talking to them, calling them when I could.”

Canada had been the focus of an intense recruiting scene, but she ended the process after making an unofficial visit to UCLA days before the state championship game and deciding to make a commitment to the Bruins.

Canada still has another year of high school remaining and much to look forward to with more passes to make and wins to orchestrate.