Tasha Humphrey has kicked off her high school hoops career with a bang.

As a freshman, the 6-3 post player averaged 25 points and 8.3 rebounds while leading Gainesville (Ga.) High School to the 2000-2001 Class AAA state title. Despite suffering from food poising, she poured in 23 points in the championship game. "I just know I had to put it all on the line," she told the Augusta Chronicle after the game.

This past season, Humphrey nearly matched her freshman feats, averaging 23 points, 12 rebounds, four assists, and four blocks per game. She took the Red Elephants on a 22-game winning streak that ran all the way to the Class AAA semifinals, before they finally fell 44-42 to Northeast Macon.

While Gainesville came up short of a title repeat, Humphrey still amassed a bunch of honors. She was named Metro Atlanta Girls Prep Player of the Year and Girls' All-State Class AAA First Team by the Atlanta Tipoff Club and Class AAA First Team by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. She was also chosen for the second team of the Parade All American Team.

Humphrey's game improved in leaps and bounds this past season, according to Gainesville Head Coach Manson Hill. "She's not forcing things as much. She's passing out of double teams better. She recognizes defenses better. She's not turning the ball over as much. Her leadership's gotten better," Hill said in the Macon Telegraph in March. "This year not only is she one of our best players, but she's one of our leaders."

Not just a gifted hoopster, Humphrey was also named All-Region last year in volleyball and softball and finished fifth in the state in the shot put after winning the regional title.

In June, Humphrey's mother Brenda Hill was named as an assistant coach at the University of Georgia. The former associate head coach at Gainesville High School, Hill was a standout player herself. She was named the 1987 NAIA National Player of the Year as a senior at North Georgia College. She's long harbored dreams of becoming a head coach, so this job is an important step in that direction.

"I'm very excited and honored to have been considered for this coaching position,'' Hill said in a University of Georgia press release. ''The opportunity to work under the tutelage of Coach (Andy) Landers surpasses the dream of playing for him. I know with my abundance of experience, knowledge and love for the game of basketball I will be an asset to the program."

Hill's new position prevents her from commenting on her daughter's potential college choices. But Humphrey's high school coach says her mother's new job won't influence where she chooses to attend college. "I know from Tasha that Georgia is one of the schools that she was considering on its own merits, but she also is considering a lot of other schools," said Coach Manson Hill in the Athens Banner-Herald. '"Brenda is going to let Tasha make up her own mind."

Article written by Gball Associate Editor Jim Catalano.

Nominate someone you know as a High School Hero. Email us at info@gballmag.com.