The girl teammates call "Yazzy" sometimes has her name mispronounced "Yasmine" and sometimes "Jasmine" (it's actually Yaz-meen). By whatever handle, Yazmeen Goo spells trouble for opponents.
The 5-foot-9 senior guard averages 13.5 points, 1.5 assists and two steals per game for her Westmoor High team. The Rams (11-6, 7-0) are in first place in the PAL-North and play at 3 p.m. Saturday at University Prep in Redding.
"She has an ability to see the court, attack the basket and get everyone involved," Westmoor coach Mike Keough said. "She's unselfish, which is both a positive and negative. I'm still waiting for a big explosion from her. Sometimes she turns on (the offense) a little too late."
It's not that Goo isn't capable. In an easy win against Terra Nova last week she scored nine first-quarter points but then turned into an assist machine and finished with only 12 points, while dishing out seven assists.
"I've always been a pass-first point guard," Goo said. "I've developed my court vision and as I've gotten older I've become more aware of what's going on."
Goo does things on the court most girls can't. Against Terra Nova she grabbed a rebound under the hoop, whirled and left-handed a baseball pass to a teammate at the opposing free throw line.
A lefty, Goo pounds the rock on the perimeter, takes the ball right off the dribble and whips passes one-handed to teammates who often deposit the ball in the basket (she's shooting for Westmoor's school assist record).
The Alaska-Anchorage signee can also take the ball to the hoop or hit the occasional 3-pointer. She has 10 3-pointers on the season.
"She's improved her 3-point shot," Keough said. "She has kind of a slow release, but she knows when to put the ball up."
Said Rams' teammate Tiara Cobbins: "I've known her since fourth grade and she's always in control of the game. She knows when to pass the ball and when not to and she's an all-around good point guard who plays good D."
And what about personally, Cobbins was asked.
"She's easy to be around and she's friendly and weird in a good way."
Sometimes Goo is a little flaky too, like the time she had to miss an out-of-state travel-ball game because she left her basketball shoes at the hotel.
"My coach was mad at first, but he got over it," Goo said.
Goo grew up in Daly City and started playing rec ball when she was in the third grade. Her first team was called the Heat and her and her father, Solomon Goo, coached.
"I wasn't really that into it at first," she said. "I played soccer and was a midfielder. But later I got more passionate about basketball. My dad and I connected more through basketball than soccer."
Her father played at nearby Jefferson High and her mom, Kristy, was a cheerleader at Jeff. One way or another, Goo seemed destined to be in a Daly City gym standing out. She's done just that for three-plus seasons for a Westmoor program that has averaged 20 wins a season.
Last season Westmoor went 22-7 overall, won the PAL-North with a 12-0 record and made it to the CCS second round before losing to Lynbrook.
Goo has played travel ball in recent years and it was at a tournament in Oregon where an Alaska-Anchorage coach spotted her.
"After the game he contacted my dad and gave him some information and then we emailed him," Goo said. "He told me about his school and I was interested."
The mountains and open country of Alaska were a change for Goo who regards herself as a city girl, but that appealed to her. So did the Alaska-Anchorage staff and players who she called "very welcoming."
Goo signed with the Seawolves in November.
Come playoff time, opponents may not be so welcoming. They'll get in her face, hand-check her and make things as tough as possible on the star point guard. But, as always, she'll get her points ... and of course assists.
John Murphy may be reached at jmurphy@prep2prep.com. Follow him on Twitter @PrepCat
