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Lone Peak senior Naia Tanuvasa goes up for a layup during the 6A semifinal game against Corner Canyon at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Feb, 28, 2024.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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Lone Peak senior Naia Tanuvasa drives to the basket during the 6A championship game against Copper Hills at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, March 1, 2024.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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Lone Peak senior Naia Tanuvasa goes up for a shot during the 6A quarterfinal game against Westlake at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Monday, Feb. 26, 2024.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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Lone Peak senior Naia Tanuvasa goes up for a layup during the Region 3 game against Lehi in Highland on Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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Lone Peak senior Naia Tanuvasa goes up for a layup during the Region 3 game against Lehi in Highland on Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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Lone Peak senior Naia Tanuvasa drives to the basket during the Region 3 game against Skyridge in Highland on Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2023.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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Lone Peak senior Naia Tanuvasa heads the ball during the 6A semifinal game against Layton at Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman on Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2023.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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Lone Peak senior Naia Tanuvasa traps the ball during the 6A championship game against American Fork at America First Field in Sandy on Friday, Oct. 20, 2023.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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Lone Peak senior Naia Tanuvasa heads the ball during the 6A semifinal game against Layton at Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman on Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2023.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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The Lone Peak girls basketball team found itself in an unusual place as it headed to Arizona for its first Nike Tournament of Champions game on Dec. 18.

The two-time 6A defending state champs were struggling.

Injuries and illness had taken a toll, as had facing some excellent competition in the early part of the season. The result was that the Knights were just 3-4 on the year, including having lost three straight.

And waiting for Lone Peak at the competition was IMG Academy from Bradenton, Florida, a team ranked in the Top 5 nationally.

The odds appeared to be stacked against the Knights, particularly with senior guard Shawnee Nordstrom limited as she fought off a lingering illness.

The Knights needed something special … and, as she has many times in her career, senior guard Naia Tanuvasa answered the call.

“She showed what she is capable of,” Lone Peak head coach Nancy Warner said in a phone interview earlier this week. “It was what the team needed with others out or not at 100%. It was a team effort but Naia guarded one of the top guards in the country and scored 21 points.”

Nordstrom, who only played a few minutes, got a front-row seat to watch Tanuvasa take her game to another level.

“To see her do her thing was just amazing,” Nordstrom said. “She’s just worked so hard for those type of moments.”

When the game was on the line with Lone Peak down by a single point, Warner said the play was drawn up for the senior. Tanuvasa got fouled on the possession and stepped to the free throw line with the outcome resting squarely on her shoulders.

“When I got fouled, I actually wasn’t too stressed,” Tanuvasa said. “I felt like I was pretty calm. I was just able to make my free throws and it was super exciting. It felt so relieving to finally beat not just a good team, but IMG. It was really special.”

That 61-60 upset victory for the Knights epitomized what Tanuvasa meant to the Lone Peak basketball team during the 2023-24 season.

Her talent, drive and willingness to work to be what the team needed her to be is why the Daily Herald is pleased to recognize Tanuvasa as the 2024 Utah Valley Girls Basketball Player of the Year.

“It’s always nice to just get a reward like this after working so hard,” Tanuvasa said. “You don’t need the reward, but when you get it, it’s nice to know that your hard work has been noticed.”

Nordstrom said she has no doubt that Tanuvasa has earned the recognition.

“She often doesn’t get the recognition she deserves,” Nordstrom said. “She takes the hit for everyone else, often defending the best player on every team we play. And her offense has been completely next-level this year as she had to step into that role. None of us could’ve done it without her this year, so she completely deserves the honor.”

Tanuvasa had to make a tough decision about dedicating more of her time to improving her basketball skills.

She is also an excellent soccer player and played key roles for the Lone Peak girls soccer team over the last few years, including earning the 2022 Utah Valley Girls Soccer Player of the Year award.

But although she still loves soccer, she decided to focus more on hoops instead.

“I love both sports and both are a lot of fun, but I knew that if I wanted to go anywhere with one of them, I’d have to focus on one a lot more,” Tanuvasa said.

She credited her family, especially her parents, for supporting her efforts by taking her to practice whenever she wanted to go.

Nordstrom recalled a number of great clashes on local basketball courts when she and Tanuvasa, along with other family members, would go at it.

“She’d give it to me and I’d give it to her,” Nordstrom said. “I think that’s a good thing about us. We would push each other. We have our different strengths and weaknesses, and we know each other really well. She’s just super athletic, strong, quick and can do everything. You need to look out for whatever moves she has up her sleeves.”

Warner said that Tanuvasa’s biggest strength is that she has always been committed to the process of improving and it has paid big dividends.

“She is dedicated to getting better and that’s been the key to her success,” Warner said. “She never settles but will always keep working. I love that she has such fierce competitiveness and she brought it every day, but she is also so coachable. It’s been so fun to watch her improve her skills.”

But while Tanuvasa competes hard at everything she does on the basketball court and soccer field, Nordstrom said that in her every-day life her friend is one of the most inclusive people she knows.

“She is one of the best examples in my life,” Nordstrom said. “She helped me fit in when I came to Lone Peak and ever since then we’ve been best friends.

“Being around her, she’s just a kind soul. At school, she sees someone who is by themselves and she always includes them. She’s just really kind and loves to serve. She is unselfish and just always loves to give.”

Tanuvasa values the relationships she had with members of the team far more than the wins or the personal achievements. She said her favorite memories from the 2023-24 season were just hanging out with her teammates before and after practices, joking and having a good time.

The next stop for the Lone Peak star is at BYU, where she looks forward to being a walk-on for the Cougar women’s basketball team but also to having the college experience in Provo.

“I had some other options but BYU has always been my dream school,” Tanuvasa said. “My brother is there and I just love the community there, the standards that are set there. And it’s close to home, so I really wanted to go there.”

Warner — who also played her college basketball for the Cougars — said she is confident that Tanuvasa will find success if she stays true to the principles that have gotten her to this point.

“She understands work and will put in the time,” Warner said. “She just needs to be patient with herself. She needs to keep grinding and not get frustrated. My advice to her is to stick to the process and love what she’s doing.”

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