Menlo's Hannah Paye is the Prep2Prep CCS Sophomore of the Year. She led the team in scoring with 12.6 points per game and made 81 three-pointers (2.6 per game).

There were only two upperclassmen on the team this season — Donya Dehnad (7.8 ppg) and Olivia Ferrando. Paye was given an extended role after averaging 5.9 points per contest in her freshman year.

In 2013, Menlo won the Central Coast Championship. Its star, forward Drew Edelman, went on to play at USC. This year, the focus was on Paye and on freshman point guard Sam Erisman.

"We only had one upperclassman for the majority of the season. I saw myself as a leader," Paye said. "I wasn’t a captain, but definitely felt I was one of the players that my teammates looked up to. I see myself as a utility player, someone teammates can lean and depend on. I was a scorer this season and someone who could put points on the board."

Paye, the daughter of former Menlo star athlete and former Stanford quarterback John Paye (her coach), said confidence was a key for her in 2013-2014.

"Last year we had a lot of go-to seniors and my confidence was a little shaky. I didn’t play as well as I could have. I felt more pressure to play better and keep on improving. (This season) I was able step up and fill my role and be one of the leaders on the team."

Part of Paye's contribution is remaining unflappable - being that poker player at guard that won't bring her teammates down or raise the hopes of opponents.

"I value my mannerisms on the court, for staying level-headed throughout the game no matter how the game is going," Paye said. "I keep my emotions in check and I think it helps my teammates stay in check. I would most like to improve my accuracy, building fundamental skills … making easy shots will help improve my game a lot more."

Besides being a key ballhandler, Paye puts the ball in the basket, often from long range (81 made 3-pointers). She views that as an integral contribution.

"I enjoy shooting the three," she said. "I pride myself in that shot. I struggled a lot with my form switching from being right-handed to left-handed. As the season went on more people realized I was a 3-point shooter so it was harder."

A big part of a guard's responsibility is keeping everyone involved, including Erisman, the freshman point guard. Paye took that responsibility seriously.

"Sam is a very young, very skilled player. I felt that although I could depend on her, I was a leader to her. She is very strong-minded and I had to make sure she was grounded throughout the game and the season."

NOTE: We would like to thank our readers for all of the nominations you sent in for the season-ending CCS basketball awards. It is a daunting task to narrow down our selections to just the top few as we recognize there are lots of great players who make contributions on the court that are not necessarily well-documented but mean a great deal to the success of their teams. We salute all of the players that have made this a wonderful season of CCS basketball.