WARDEN – After a 43-point performance in Warden’s 86-80 win over Granger, Warden sophomore point guard Anthony Gutierrez was named Athlete of the Week by the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association last week.

“My teammates got me some open looks,” Gutierrez said. “(Granger) knew who I was, they knew I was going to shoot the three-ball. I was working off the ball, I really didn’t get that many layups. Most of my points were from threes.”

Even his coach, Brent Erdmann, noticed that there was something different about Gutierrez that night.

“His dad sits on the bench with me, and I said it right away in warm-ups – ‘He looks different,’” Erdmann said. “He warmed up ready to play, and you could just tell he had something going that night.”

Gutierrez, who said one of his strengths on the court is his three-point shooting, has developed into a leader for the Cougars both on and off the court.

“I give all the credit to my teammates,” Gutierrez said. “They gave me screens, most of my work comes off the ball and that’s all from my teammates. I’m glad I have teammates that are not selfish, and I’m not selfish myself, so we all work together. If anybody catches fire we’re going to live with that, and I caught fire that game and we were working with that.”

Putting in extra work grabbed the attention of Erdmann, who named the sophomore one of the team’s captains.

“He’s a leader, both mentally and physically,” Erdmann said. “He comes out to practice every day, I mean the kid is working really hard. Being so young, it’s an interesting thing. He comes in and he works so hard that kids are starting to look at him like ‘Okay, we’re going to work that hard too.’”

Gutierrez started playing basketball when he was eight years old, having previously wrestled. He said the competitiveness and team aspect of the game was what garnered his interest.

“I was a wrestler at first, I was introduced to the game by Bryce McPartland and I fell in love with the sport,” Gutierrez said.

Prior to playing on the Warden High School team, Gutierrez played AAU basketball in Moses Lake and Yakima. The sophomore said his decision to play in Yakima was to get more exposure and experience.

“Going from middle school to high school, the pressure – for example, the defense – it is a whole different game,” Gutierrez said. “These guys are bigger, stronger, faster. Going out to these out-of-state tournaments, there are some guys that are really good. Playing against those guys has really helped me in high school.”

With solid performances from beyond the arc, Gutierrez said that teams have started to focus on his three-point shooting. To counter, the sophomore has spent time working on driving into the paint and pump fakes.

“My best skill’s probably my three-point shot,” Gutierrez said. “A lot of teams know me for that, so I had to step my game up and learn how to get to the hoop.”

However, it’s not just Gutierrez’s three-point shooting that makes him a presence for opposing teams to prepare for.

“I play tough defense, I like to get my teammates in positions to score,” Gutierrez said. “I like to score myself, but I make sure I get my teammates open so they would do the same back to me. I look forward to my teammates first, I know how to get them open.”

Like many great players, Gutierrez spends training for basketball outside of practice. Whether it’s training with his dad and MacPartland, getting shots up in the morning or lifting weights, Gutierrez’s commitment had led to other players following in his steps.

“He’s not in here just at practice time – he’s here mornings, he’s here nights, he’s lifting weights, he’s doing the extra things,” Erdmann said. “The other kids see it, so I think it’ll go over to the rest of the team.”

With the high-scoring outings gathering attention, Erdmann noted that Gutierrez also leads the Cougars in assists this season.

“He does give the ball up enough for a point guard, any kind of pressure he’s been able to handle which is nice to see,” Erdmann said. “He gets us into position.”

While Gutierrez’s actions lead his teammates, he garners inspiration from watching NBA Hall of Famers.

“I liked watching Allen Iverson, he has some tough moves, he can shoot the three-ball and he can get to the hoop,” Gutierrez said. “Curry, he shoots the three-ball and I like that.”

Even though Gutierrez has had some strong performances this season, he still has bigger goals in mind.

“I’m looking forward to definitely going to the playoffs and going far there,” Gutierrez said. “I’m always looking forward to the next game, and the biggest goal is to go to the playoffs.”

Ian Bivona may be reached at ibivona@columbiabasinherald.com.