Athletes of the Week Dec. 13

December 13, 2024

Amalia Fruchtman

Just a junior for the Vikings, this 6-foot-1 forward can do it all on the hardwood, from playing the post position and snagging rebounds to taking on point guard responsibilities, bringing the ball up and dishing off assists. She recently scored a career-high 37 points against Smyrna, 24 coming in the paint on 15 attempts. She snagged 14 rebounds while passing off three assists. She also had a strong game in a tough three-point loss to this same Smyrna team Dec. 7, in the A.I. du Pont Tip-Off Tournament. "Amalia posted 26 points, 12 rebounds and two blocks while serving as the point forward for the Vikings, handling the relentless Smyrna pressure," said Cape coach Pat Woods. "She plays every position on offense and can guard any position on defense. Her leadership and encouragement of the younger players in the program have been exceptional." Amalia plays with an incredible amount of joy, and it spreads to everyone in the program. It is hard not to smile when you watch Amalia play.

Kha’ Nihya Johnson

At the opening game at the Fred Thomas gym, if one heard, “Watch out for KJ!” it would take less than a minute to realize No. 20 is eighth-grader Kha’Nihya Johnson, who lit it up last year for Beacon before being reassigned to Fred Thomas her eighth-grade year. KJ had 22 points as the Freds rolled over Georgetown 38-12. KJ is an outside-to-inside, full-court talent who can shoot with either hand close to the basket. Dribbling with her head up, KJ is an unselfish player looking for open teammates. Fred Thomas followed up the home win with a 34-9 road win at Laurel. KJ scored 21 points and had six steals. “It’s so fun coaching so much talent. She makes everyone around her elevate their game and play better. She’s coachable and wants to find things in her game to improve. I love being able to push her to new levels and open up new areas of her game. I feel extremely lucky to get to coach her and be a part of her basketball journey,” said coach Renada L’Italien. Last season. KJ led Beacon to a perfect 13-0 record, including a 29-23 victory over Fifer in the Capital Classic final.

Tyson Johnson

A strong guard for the unbeaten Fred Thomas Middle School boys’ basketball team, Tyson is primarily a football player just learning how to be a basketball player. The steep learning curve is not so challenging when you have Tyson’s physical gifts and athletic intelligence. Coach Haywood Burton, who also coached Tyson in football, said, “Tyson is an all-around player. Can handle, shoot and defend. He is averaging 19 points and three rebounds over two games, and is captain along with Jayson Cohen and Jameson Pease.” Johnson lit it up at the Fred Thomas gym on opening night, scoring 28 points in a 53-33 win over Georgetown Middle School. Jayson Cohen, another eighth-grade football guy, added 11 points in the victory. Fred Thomas heads to Selbyville Middle School for a game at 4 p.m., Monday, Dec. 16, before facing off with district rival Mariner Middle at 5:15 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 19.

Faith Re

A senior honor roll and Academic Challenge student at Cape, this multitalented guard recently scored 23 points against a strong Smyrna squad to match her career high in the 2023 season against Polytech. She sank five three-pointers in the process. As a sophomore, she set the record for three-pointers with 69. She now has a total of 11 threes in the first three games and is averaging 16 points per game. She is also averaging three steals, three assists and five rebounds per game. "Faith has taken on a larger role on and off the court," said Cape head coach Pat Woods. "She is helping with a lot of the ball-handling duties as well as her typical scoring. She has been a great leader, making sure everyone is clear on expectations, and also taken care of and supported. She has been an example for all of our players of what hard work and dedication can produce. I’m so happy to see her reaping some of the fruit from her labors."