Garfield’s Katie Fiso is The News Tribune’s 2024 state girls basketball player of the year

Even the best must deal with and overcome doubts.

The News Tribune’s 2024 state girls basketball player of the year is no exception. In fact, though she and her Garfield teammates just completed a historic run in the 3A ranks that saw the Bulldogs win four straight state titles, it was as recently as early January that those doubts arose in Katie Fiso.

“it’s just the overall perspective of basketball,” said Fiso, a senior who has committed to play for the University of Oregon beginning in the fall. “Everybody sees the accomplishments. But nobody sees the hard times. I hold myself to a high expectation. I put a lot of pressure on myself.”

It wasn’t as if things were going completely wrong for the Bulldogs. But they also weren’t clicking as Fiso was accustomed.

The team, by and large, was fairly young. Fiso, who was also the TNT’s state player of the year as a junior, took ownership and a bigger leadership role as Garfield chased history – trying to become the first big school in Washington to win four titles in a row and just the second at 1A or above.

“She’s the ultimate leader out there, man,” Garfield coach Roy Smiley said of his star. “Every timeout she’s pumping her fists, telling her teammates they can do it. So her instilling that confidence, that’s the true leader that she is.”

For whatever reason — the cheerleading, the leadership — it simply didn’t resonate in Fiso’s own head. Her confidence may even have waned slightly, though as she pointed out, very few saw the struggles. After all, Fiso averaged 24.6 points, 4.2 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 2.5 steals a game as Garfield went 21-3 overall.

But they did lose twice to Lakeside for the first time since anyone could remember. They were not the top seed to the 3A playoffs, instead taking a No. 6 ranking into the state regional round.

Fiso’s own expectations bore down.

“Ever since I was a little kid, I’ve had the pressure to be great,” said Fiso, who received her first “offer” to play college basketball when she was in the seventh grade. “Getting the earlier attention that most kids don’t get, it’s just always been in the back of my mind. There are people out there that get it and they peak out in the eighth, ninth grades. I never wanted to be one of those kids.”

She used the attention, and even the doubts, to motivate her to always find ways to improve herself and her game. Off the court, she got better than good grades, earning a 3.64 grade point average. She volunteers with organizations like Push for Dreams and the Seattle Sports Institute, where she mentors young girls.

On the court, she just won. And won some more.

Even the first Saturday in March, with history on the line, Fiso made the plays when her team needed it most. Tied with top-seeded Mead at 56-56 with just two minutes left on the clock in the fourth quarter of the championship game at the Tacoma Dome, Fiso hit massive 3-pointers on consecutive possessions to lift the Bulldogs to an ultimate 62-59 win.

“All those doubtful moments,” Fiso said. “You think about whether this is the right thing for yourself. And those last two minutes, I had an opportunity to prove myself right. I just remembered all the hard work. There are definitely a lot of lows. You can use those lows as motivation.”

Others would seem to agree.

“I believe Katie Fiso is the best player in our state,” Emerald Ridge coach Arvin Mosely told Gatorade when Fiso was named the Washington Player of the Year earlier in March. “She’s played the toughest teams in Washington while being in the spotlight her entire career. And when it mattered most in the championship game, she delivered.

“There are other great players in our state, for sure, but Katie has separated herself with her next-level skill set, her willingness to set her teammates up and her ability to slice through all the junk defenses thrown her way.”

As she takes the next step in her journey and evolution, Fiso said she already is hearing comparisons to former Oregon guard Sabrina Ionescu, who now stars for the New York Liberty of the WNBA. It is Fiso’s goal to one day play in the league.

“Any team that wants me,” Fiso said. “Put me on it.”

And she admires players like Ionescu and currently Caitlin Clark of Iowa, who both did change the game in their time in college. But those players also put Fiso in mind of what she wants.

“I’m excited for the process,” Fiso said. “I am focused on being the best Katie Fiso I can be. I love this sport so much. I feel like it’s my purpose to change the game somehow. And I know, without learning from those low moments, there would be no high moments.”