Susy Trujillo

Patrick Laverty

Susy Trujillo claims she has never been a confident basketball

player.

Making four three-pointers in a row to start a game and going on

to score a career-high 23 points can change that.

The Costa Mesa High senior has become her team’s No. 1 scorer,

leading the Mustangs in points in four of five contests this season,

and as her numbers continue to grow, so does her confidence.

“I’ve never been a confident player,” Trujillo said. “But it helps

knowing that I am a good player and I can help the team.”

Perhaps Trujillo’s biggest contribution was simply returning to

the team this season. She didn’t play with the Mustangs during the

summer and wasn’t even going to return to Costa Mesa until the school

year had already started. With some coaxing from her teammates, she

not only came back to school, but also returned to a basketball team

that could use her experience.

“What can I say, I like this school,” Trujillo said. “The

[basketball] program itself was a big influence and the team is just

a big family. It’s a big help.”

After averaging better than five points per game last season

coming off the bench, Trujillo gives the Mustangs, who have five

sophomores on the team, needed experience and scoring. It’s

particularly helpful since Trujillo, at 5-foot-7, is among the taller

players on the team.

The Mustangs don’t start a player taller than Trujillo and their

starting center is just 5-3.

“We haven’t had a team this young or this short in a long, long

time,” Trujillo said.

Yet, going into Wednesday’s clash against Los Amigos, the Mustangs

were 3-2 and have a strong chance to extend the program’s consecutive

playoff appearance streak to 15, which is priority No. 1.

On the road to the playoffs, Trujillo and her Mustangs are just

looking to gain some respect, something that doesn’t come easily to a

team of that size.

“As much as [other teams] don’t respect us, nobody respects a

short team,” Trujillo said. “But win or lose, we gain our respect.”

Trujillo is certain to gain more respect herself from opposing

defenses if she keeps up her scoring average of more than 13 points

per game. Teams will have to take notice of her setting up behind the

three-point arc if she has any more games like Saturday, when she hit

five shots from long range.

The funny thing is, Trujillo hopes teams do respond with extra

pressure on her, because though she might not be the most confident

player, she has the utmost confidence in her teammates.

“I hope we get that,” Trujillo said. “There’s not a secret player

on this team.”