Southridge’s Shanaii Gamble is the Miami-Dade 7A-5A Girls Basketball Player of the Year
Shanaii Gamble had already played a part in establishing one South Florida girls basketball program into a contender.
For her senior year, another opportunity presented itself when she transferred to Miami Southridge.
Gamble showed once again she was one of the premier athletes in the state, nearly averaging a double-double while leading the Spartans to their best season in six years.
Gamble’s efforts earned her the Miami Herald’s Class 7A-5A Girls Basketball Player of the Year honors for Miami-Dade County.
“I’ve been putting in a lot of time and effort to get this so it feels great,” Gamble said.
Gamble averaged 18.4 points, 8.5 rebounds and 3.7 steals per game this season to help Southridge advance to the Class 6A regional semifinals before losing to eventual state champion Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas.
Gamble factored in greatly in recent years in turning Somerset Silver Palms into one of the better teams in South Florida. But when their coach Ben Drummer accepted a job to coach at Southridge, she and others made the move with him.
Gamble’s skills at both ends of the court quickly turned the Spartans into a contender as they scored victories over established programs like Miami High, Miami Christian and Lourdes during the season.
“We got to a point they hadn’t been in a long time so it was good to put the school’s name on the map,” Gamble said. “I just played the game and didn’t let any pressure get to us.”
Gamble, who has also excelled in flag football during her high school career, won’t be with the Spartans as they try to take the next step toward their goal of one day becoming state champions.
Her next move will be to continue to develop her all-around game at Long Island University where she has signed to play.
