High School Girls Basketball Year End Awards 2024

Heart and Soul Award

Ava Patti of Rocky River

Ava Patti reminds me of Reggie Miller. A player who could score five points in 3 seconds in the most pivotal moment of the game before you even realize what happened. Countless times over her Pirate career I saw Patti pull off this feat late in the games when the Pirates were down or tied or in need of putting a game away. She just has the next level to her, that switch she can flip at anytime, and just takes things over. She is the heart and soul of that entire schools athletic program, not just basketball, I’m talking the entire program! She refuses to lose and knows how to get everyone involved when she has too.

I’m positive I’m not the only one who sees just how special she is either, here are comments from her head Coach Jamey Pfahl and also her teammate and best friend, Maeve Kelley.

Coach Jamey R. Pfahl had this to say, ”

“It is Ava’s nature to give maximum effort and energy to EVERYTHING that she does.

Whether Ava is being a great teammate, a great student, a great player, a great sister, being a great role model for the youth in our community, or just being a great friend. Ava Patti pours her “HEART and SOUL” into EVERYTHING that she does, thus raising the level of every room, field, or gym that she enters.”

Teammate and close friend Maeve Kelly had this to say, ”

“As someone who knows Ava, there is no one better fit for this award than her. Ava is the type of person that will give all of her energy and effort to achieve whatever goals she wants. Whether that be breaking the school record or being the most supportive teammate, she will give it all to achieve her goals. She is an incredible athlete and basketball player and the hardest working person I know, and will not let anything overcome her. Most importantly, she has character. She truly is such a caring person and you can see that with how she treats her teammates and her coaches and the level of care she displays with anyone in her life. Ava‘s heart and soul are shown through the passion she displays with her friends, family and teammates, but also on the court, and that’s why I believe she is so deserving of this award”