By Zach Smart
Rene Ahwal is the classic case of a gym rat who embodies the “Ms. Everything” mentality on the hardwood.
As a senior, Ahwal embraced a multi-faceted role as a shot maker with poise and the ability to deliver pinpoint passes and spark the break. Ahwal’s purity of vision as a point guard enables her to make her teammates beneficiaries of her presence, albeit her unselfishness rapidly dissipates under heightened pressure. Whether she’s attacking from the baseline for a traditional 3-point play, popping out for a straight-away 3-pointer, or slithering her way to the rim and sidestepping traffic on a thorough take, she’s able to take leadership matters into her own hands.
The Class of 2022 guard is an accurate depiction of a diamond in the rough caliber recruit. She doesn’t come with the same lofty expectations, buzz, hype, and hyperbole as a heavily touted recruit, albeit she has the intangibles which translate instantly to the next level of play. When you consider she’s a high level academic kid, the 2022 combo guard has all the tools and intangibles to be a late bloomer on the recruiting market.
As a 12 PPG scorer with multiple games of 20+ points, the Winter Springs guard shouldered the leadership reins for a veteran team.
Ahwal, she of the full throttle competitor mentality, brings the type of fluid athleticism that enables her to trigger the uptempo attack and also attack the run defensively. She’s versatile enough on that side of the floor to guard the ball and simultaneously defend the rim .
“I realized during my sophomore year that I wanted to make the game a livelihood,” said Ahwal, a high academic student athlete.
“I started falling more in love with it and realizing this is the path I wanted to pursue.”
Point guards, naturally, are an extension of the coach. The innate leadership abilities seen by her head coach, Jerry Saunders, has helped her commandeer the team’s offense and evolve into a vocal leader.
“Coach Saunders and I have a really good relationship and he really helped me become a leader by always pushing myself to be the best and holding me to a high standard.”
