FOWLER – At the tail end of her freshman season on Fowler’s varsity team, guard Danika Serrano knew she made the right choice to play basketball.
A couple years ago, the Redcats barely lost a closely-contested game to Lindsay 51-50 in the opening round of the 2023-24 Central Section D-V Playoffs. But despite the agony of defeat, it was a good day and performance for Serrano. At that moment, Serrano, now a junior, knew she could produce in the biggest moments.
“It was my freshman year, our first playoff game; even though we lost, I played my part and I did the best I could,” said Serrano. “I was making my points, and it was just a good day for me.”
That good day eventually foreshadowed bigger and better things for Serrano and the Redcats. Nearly three years later, Serrano has blossomed from a young player looking for a role on the team to becoming one of the best players at her position.
According to stats in MaxPreps, Serrano currently leads Fowler in points per game (15.5), field goal percentage (45%), assists per game (5.4) and steals per game (5.8). These stats place her in the top 10 in the Section and among the top 15 in the State in assists.
“It makes me surprised, but it makes me feel accomplished,” said Serrano. “It’s honestly crazy.”
Attending all of the youth camps at Fowler High, bouncing that orange, leather ball for the first time as a little girl, planted the seeds of what became a growing desire to play the game.
“We have little camps here at the high school, and I would go to them when I was little,” said Serrano. “I play multiple sports, so I was kind of into it already, and I’ve been playing ever since I was little.”
Serrano, who also plays on both the Redcats’ varsity volleyball and softball teams, fit in rather well on the basketball team. She quickly discovered that delivering kills in front of a net or lacing a single down the right field line on the diamond could actually help her growth as a shooter and team leader.
“Staying in shape, running, being able to jump high, that helps a lot,” said Serrano. “And that’s pretty much it.”
During the course of her development on the basketball court, she said she found her role on the team, forging an identity of toughness on the court, mixed in with timely scoring and adept passing.
“I knew my role was to play hard on defense, and we had a really good point guard this year, so I wanted to help throughout, and I knew I had to get down the court,” said Serrano. “And I felt I just had to step it up and be tougher on the court.”
That toughness and desire to win has enabled Serrano to have a breakout season that has her ranked among the best at her position in the Central Section and the state.
“I feel like I excel at all the stuff I do on the court,” said Serrano. “I’m really good at passing; I really look for my team a lot. And when it comes to scoring on my own, I do find a way.”
Serrano’s play, combined with teammates Elyse Reinaga and Aubrey McInerney, give Fowler a dangerous trifecta of scorers and defenders. And as the Redcats (11-4) get ready for league play to close out their regular season, Serrano has her eyes set on helping this team contend for a Northwest Sequoia (NWS) League title, and possibly more.
“I’m pretty confident in our team. We’ve grown a lot since last year, many years before, and I know we can do it,” said Serrano. “We just got to keep playing our game.”
Surprisingly, Serrano believes her best game is yet to come. With one more season left of her hoops career at Fowler, tossing this season’s stats and rankings aside, it’s scary to think about what she’ll be capable of as a senior.
“I’m going to keep working, and I feel like my mentality is to be like, spot on next year,” said Serrano. “It can still have improvement this year, and I feel like next year it’ll be top notch.”
