School’s out for summer, but elite student-athletes are busier than ever. They are attending skills camps, improving their strength and conditioning, traveling the country for prestigious competitions, and navigating the wild world of recruiting. In this new Summer Daze series, The Herald checks in
with local prep standouts to see how they are handling their exciting but hectic summer sports schedule.
Mokun Fajemisin — Lynnwood High School basketball — Class of 2012
Rewind
Known for making an impact all over the court, Mokun Fajemisin is a certified stat-sheet stuffer.
The powerful, speedy Class of 2012 basketball player from Lynnwood High School averaged 17 points, 10 rebounds, three blocks and two steals per game for the Royals this past winter. The 5-foot-11 Fajemisin was a Wesco 3A First Team post and a member of The Herald’s 4A/3A All-Area First Team.
This summer she has been busy playing with her Seattle-based club team, Tree of Hope Elite. Recently, the team won its preliminary bracket and advanced to the championship round semifinals of the MidSummer Nights Madness tournament at the University of Washington.
Fajemisin’s team features two other well-known local players: Jackson guard Kelli Kingma and Stanwood post Rachel Swartz.
What’s next
In addition to working with her personal trainer, Fajemisin will spend the rest of July practicing with the Tree of Hope Elite and playing in Fila-sponsored tournaments in Southern California and Louisville. The first tourney, Fila Showtime Nationals, takes place in Santa Ana at legendary Mater Dei High School, whose famous alumni include Heisman Trophy winners John Huarte and Matt Leinart.
“I really want to win it this year,” Fajemsin said of Showtime Nationals, “because we’ve gotten third (place) two years in a row. Slow starts always kill us.”
Pay to play
This year the per-person cost to play for Tree of Hope Elite was $1,800, said Elite head coach/Tree of Hope assistant director Damian Young. The fee covers travel and lodging, but not food.
The recruiting trail
Other than having a desire to play Division-I hoops, Fajemisin has a fairly wide-open approach to her college search. “I would like to stay on the West Coast, but if I have to venture out I will,” she said. “I have interest (from several coaches) but I haven’t really narrowed my list. I’m just keeping my options open until I get back (from Louisville) and look at each school and figure out what I want in a program.”
Killer workout
In between team practices and tournaments, Fajemisin is trained by former UW player Gary Gardner, who also trained Kristi Kingma and Brett Kingma. “Those are always really hard workouts. I get a lot out of those,” Fajemisin said. If she is about to play in a big tournament she primarily does shooting drills, but otherwise she focuses on one-on-one, wing and post-up moves.
Big bro
The recruiting process can be tricky, but Fajemisin has been getting sage advice from her brother Simi Fajemisin, a 6-9 Lynnwood High grad who plays hoops for the University of San Diego. “He’s helped me out when I wonder what questions to ask,” Mokun said. “He’s asked me questions about what I’m looking for (in a college) to help me have a clear focus on what I’m interested in.”
Movie madness
“I’m a really big movie person, so I like to go out and watch movies a lot,” Mokun Fajemisin said. This summer she has seen “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen,” “Green Lantern,” “Bad Teacher,” “Horrible Bosses,” “X-Men: First Class” and — most recently — “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2.” Interviewed by The Herald before she watched the Harry Potter film, she picked her favorite: “X-Men was really good. It was surprising.”
Ear candy
Fajemisin enjoys listening to rap music. Some of her favorite artists are Kanye West, Big Sean, Jay-Z and KiD CuDi. She especially likes West’s most recent album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, one of the highest rated releases of 2010.
Snack time
Don’t expect to see Fajemisin scarf a Five Guys cheeseburger or a slice of pizza before a game. She sticks with much healthier snacks. “I eat a lot of bananas. They help with cramps because of all the potassium,” she said. “And I eat carrots before every game.”
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
