Western Hills' Yaya Parrish ignores doubters, scores like Kobe

Remember that 14-game stretch in February 2003 where Kobe Bryant averaged 40.6 points per game, never scoring less than 30 in a single outing? Or maybe his scoring run in March 2007 that saw him average 56.5 points over four games?

Generational feats like those aren't easily forgotten, and while they generally occur at the college or professional level, Western Hills High School freshman Keviya "Yaya" Parrish is putting together a season for the record books.

It started on opening night at Withrow, when she scored 41 points on 59 percent shooting. She followed it up with 45 points against Lockland, then another 41-point performance against Taft. It's not often you see head-turning performances like those in the first week of the season, let alone from a freshman.

"It took a lot to get here to this position. She's learned a lot. She is not the same player she was a couple years ago or when I first got her. She's a way better player on and off the floor. I feel like this is just the beginning of a very bright future," Western Hills head coach LaRonda Castleberry said.

Parrish is currently averaging 38.2 points per game, shooting 55.1 percent from the field and 37.7 percent from 3-point range. She has single-handedly outscored her opponent on five occasions. And when she's not splashing the nylon, she's grabbing 9.1 rebounds and 6.8 steals, and dishing out 4.8 assists.

Yaya Parrish already owns the Western Hills single-game scoring record

One might think that one of Parrish's performances in the first week of the season was enough to break the school record.

She came close to Tonya Hunt's record of 48 points on multiple occasions but didn't eclipse it until she scored 51 in a Jan. 7 win over Withrow.

"I didn't even know I had that many points. I was passing the ball. Everybody was scoring," Parrish said.

Just like her early-season stretch, she backed up her record with 50 points in a win over Woodward, 53 against Mt. Healthy and 51 against Aiken.

Hunt, a 1990 graduate who teaches at Cincinnati College Preparatory Academy, wasn't initially aware of the record but found out through social media.

"I was getting tagged on Facebook with, 'Somebody's broken your record!' So I had to connect with (LaRonda), because she played basketball with my daughter," Hunt said.

Hunt's 48-point performance came against Taft, the team her dad, Freddie Hunt Sr., coached.

"He was proud because he taught me everything I know," Hunt said.

She estimates Western Hills won by a score of 60-50 and, because she scored 80 percent of the Mustangs' points, she was often double-teamed by her AAU teammates who played for the Senators.

Hunt knew her record would get broken at some point but didn't think it would take 36 years. Prior to Parrish, the most prolific performance by a Mustang was Lamiya Gooden's 40-point game against Shroder on Feb. 2, 2023.

Hunt was in attendance on Jan. 21 to present Parrish with a commemorative basketball celebrating her record.

Yaya Parrish models her game after several elite scorers

While she wears Bryant's signature shoes on the court, Parrish looks up to the Indiana Fever's Kelsey Mitchell. She was the 2014 Ohio Ms. Basketball recipient at Princeton, is currently the fourth all-time leading scorer in Division I women's college basketball (Ohio State University), and was a WNBA MVP candidate in 2025.

Parrish went to Princeton Middle School and has trained with Kelsey and Chelsea Mitchell.

"That's family," Parrish said.

She hasn't thought about her college career much but has her sights set on Louisiana State University because that's where Flau'jae Johnson plays.

Since she arrived at Western Hills, Parrish has learned to tune out the outside noise. She struggled with anger issues and disassociating with those around her. With Castleberry's help, she can now keep a level head in tough circumstances.

Throughout the year, she has also heard people say that she should transfer for a better chance to go to a Division I college, or that she's only putting up big numbers because she plays in the Cincinnati Metro Athletic Conference.

She pays the doubters no mind.

"I heard someone say that because I don't play against any competition, but I did it against Aiken and Woodward. I don't really have anything to say. It's just hating at this point," Parrish said.

Castleberry added: "I feel like all the girls are talented. It shouldn't be about if it's a CMAC or GMC school. It may look easy because everybody sees 50 points, 40 points, 30 points, but they don't physically see what she has to go through."

In the later stages of games, Parrish will take every opportunity to catch her breath. Deciding when to take her out to get rest and a drink is its own chess match because of how much she means to the team. Even when she's doubled over with her hands on her knees, she finds a way to keep going.

"It's evident with her on the court that, just like myself, her talent didn't come from nowhere. We had to work hard, and it looks like she works hard, and what she does is amazing," Hunt said.

LaRonda Castleberry takes pride in her alma mater

A 2018 Western Hills graduate, Castleberry played with Hunt's daughter, Jordan. The Mustangs never had a winning record during her career, a goal that she has already accomplished as a first-year coach and the youngest in the CMAC.

"Last year, they were 2-16, so we broke the first goal, which was to go over two wins. My second goal was basically to change the narrative of West High because the narrative that was here was horrible. They didn't know what teamwork was. They didn't have the love and support, so my goal was to show them that I'm here, on and off the floor. I didn't want them to just play basketball, I want them to be a family, win or lose," Castleberry said.

The Mustangs are also defying preseason expectations. They were ranked last in the CMAC preseason poll and weren't expected to beat Aiken or Woodward. They're currently 14-4, beat Aiken for the first time since December 2023 and beat Woodward for the first time since January 2023.

When it comes to her players, Castleberry wants to be the "coach I never had." She is a mentor for them on and off the court, constantly keeping in contact to drive them to be the best version of themselves.

"She's the best coach I've had since Lincoln Heights. She really taught me a lot, more than I've ever been taught by anybody," Parrish said.

While Castleberry has taken the reins to the program, one of her assistants, Jhavier Lee, is putting his own spin on the team culture.

At the start of the season, he showed up in a cowboy hat to fit in with the Mustang mascot and give Western Hills a western theme. He was serious about it and the team loved it enough for him to continue wearing it.

"If he doesn't have his hat on, it's a problem. They'll be like, 'Where's your hat?' He has every color. You're not going to see him at the game without his cowboy hat," Castleberry said.

The Mustangs are currently tied with the 2022-2023 team for the most wins since at least 2007-2008, which is as far back as the league website goes. The next step is to win out in the regular season before seeing what the DI state tournament draw has in store.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Western Hills freshman Yaya Parrish the top scorer in Southwest Ohio