Hoop Dreams: Lady Titan’s Four-Year Reign Leads to College

The Lady Titans are hard at play on a Wednesday evening in the West Salem High School gym. Only 24 hours after another win, the varsity girls basketball team is at it again, this time competing against a bunch of boys.

The school’s boys junior varsity basketball team scrimmages against the varsity girls on occasion, and a bystander can see no side has a clear advantage. Every shot is challenged; every move is defended.

Girls Coach Justin Duke likes what he sees. Confidence built against the boys carries over to game time.

In the middle of it all is senior Emma Zuniga, who is wrapping up her fourth successful season. When a boy drives toward the basket, Zuniga uses quick footwork and hands held high to block his way.

That’s what Duke, West Salem’s new head coach, has come to expect. As a standout player and team leader, Zuniga does whatever is needed to help her team, and her teammates, improve.

“She's so dynamic at everything she does. I have never coached a player that can play all five positions on the floor like she can,” Duke says during the practice. “But what's special about her is from the day that I got the job she has reached out and asked, ‘How can I help? How can I help the other girls on the team? How can I help you? What do we need to be the best version of ourselves as a team?’”

“And it's never been once about what is best for her individually,” he continues, “I think that's such a rare quality.”

The Lady Titans, ranked 10^th among the state’s 6A schools by the Oregon School Activities Association (OSAA), are nearing another Central Valley Conference championship. If successful, the title would complete a perfect four-year run during Zuniga’s high school playing days. Quite an accomplishment for a group that underwent the major coaching change to start this season.

“We have five seniors, so a lot of these girls have played together for a long time,” Duke says. “The girls are learning a new system of offense and defense, and we're certainly hitting our stride now.”

For Zuniga, that stride includes playing all facets of the game. She can score; she’s averaging 14 points a game. She can rebound, averaging eight each time she plays. She also distributes the ball, helping others score.

“I do what I’m needed to do,” Zuniga says. “Getting my teammates open and making them look good in their positions is a really big thing for me. I love when my teammates are happy.”

Still, the statistics and accolades have piled up over four high school seasons. Zuniga has compiled more than 1,400 career points at West Salem. She’s a two-time Central Valley Conference Player of the Year, and a three-time all-state honoree named to the state’s second team her sophomore year and an honorable mention as a freshman and junior.

Her resume earned her a scholarship to attend and play ball next year at Portland State University, a Division 1 program. She intends to pursue a pre-nursing degree with a goal of becoming an aesthetic nurse.

"Emma is a versatile scorer and the ultimate competitor,” Portland State coach Karlie Burris says in a statement. “A proven winner and Central Valley Conference Player of the Year, we are thrilled to keep the top talent in the state. She has the ability to stretch the floor with her shooting and can score around the basket while also being a strong, physical defender. Her work ethic, consistency, and ability to score the ball fit perfectly with our style of play."

Zuniga played the center position in her younger years because “I was always one of the bigger kids” and gradually moved to other positions in middle and high school. Now, at 5 feet, 10 inches tall, she is not tall by college standards so her ball handling and shooting skills come into play.

Zuniga had other college options, but she preferred to stay close to home where she could watch her little brother grow up and see sister Sophia develop as a Titan basketball player and wrestler. Family is important; that’s how her love of basketball started.

“I played soccer up until eighth grade, but basketball has always been my favorite thing,” she says. "My mom played basketball, so she's always been like 'Let's play basketball. Let's go play. Let's go shoot.' It's always been our little bonding moment.”

Tani Zuniga played high school ball, but she says resources were limited in her small town. “I wanted to provide Emma with as many opportunities as possible seeing that she loved the game.”

Those efforts are paying off, and soon Tani and husband Gene Zuniga will be shifting from hard, wooden high school bleachers to more comfortable seats inside Portland State’s Viking Pavilion. Come next season, their daughter will be a college student and an NCAA athlete.