ONTARIO — Two years ago, Aundre Cummings had a vision when he coached Kaleena Smith, Sydney Douglas, and Tatianna Griffin. He saw them playing together in high school and excelling as a group.

“From the early practices, I knew if they stuck together, they could be a great high school trio,” Cummings said.

Now that dream has come true. The trio is playing for Ontario Christian, and Cummings is their coach. They haven’t played their first game together yet, but it’s coming up soon on Thursday.

Kaleena Smith, a sophomore, is returning from last year’s team that finished with an impressive 28-5 overall record and went 2-1 in the CIF Southern Section Open Division. The team now adds two of the top young players in the nation, Sydney Douglas and Tatianna Griffin, both from the class of 2028. With this trio, the Knights are set to be even stronger this season.

The players knew each other before joining the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League (EYBL), but this high school season almost didn’t happen. Last year, Smith was already at Ontario Christian and had standout stats, averaging 34.9 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 6.5 assists per game. Griffin was at Ontario Christian Middle School, the feeder school for the high school team. Douglas, however, played for Etiwanda, a powerhouse program that won back-to-back CIF State Open Division championships. Etiwanda’s coach, Stan Delus, has ties to Douglas’ family—he played high school basketball with her father.

Despite this connection to Etiwanda, Douglas decided to join her friends at Ontario Christian.

“This school (Ontario Christian) is a better fit for her,” said her father, Rome Douglas.

Delus responded to the move by saying, “The family made a decision, and I guess we weren’t the right program for them.”

Douglas explained her choice further: “I wanted to go somewhere that keeps God at the center. And I really wanted to play with Kaleena and Tatianna again.”

Cummings was thrilled by Douglas’ decision to join Ontario Christian. The two teams had faced off in the Section 7 Tournament in June, with Etiwanda beating Ontario Christian by seven points in a competitive game where Douglas was a key factor.

“They beat us in a close one, and Sydney made a huge difference,” Cummings said. “We didn’t expect her to reconsider playing with us. But when her family reached out about joining Ontario Christian, I was all in.”

Cummings is not new to coaching; he has over a decade of experience in travel basketball. However, this is his first time as a head coach at the high school level after serving as an assistant last year. He believes this team will have no issues with chemistry since each player brings something different to the table.

Smith is a 5-foot-6 point guard with quick moves and court vision. Griffin stands at 5-foot-10 and will likely play shooting guard or small forward. Douglas is the tallest at 6-foot-5 and will be relied on for rebounds and post play.

“The best part is that they all play different positions,” Cummings explained. “They aren’t competing for the same role, which helps eliminate any tension on offense. We like to play fast and focus on defense, and they’ve already established their roles during fall league games where we went 17-0.”

Although they’ve only played one high school season together so far, all three players are already attracting attention from top colleges like South Carolina, USC, UCLA, Duke, North Carolina, Michigan, Michigan State, Florida, and LSU.

Smith feels confident about their friendship translating into on-court chemistry. “We’ve known each other since we were younger, so the connection has always been there,” she said. “That summer we played together when I was in eighth grade was special. I think this year will be even better.”

Smith admitted that last year she was focused on that season and didn’t think much about the future until it ended.

“After last season wrapped up, then I started thinking about this year,” Smith added.

Griffin also noted that Smith’s extra year of high school experience will help guide them this season. “Kaleena will keep us on track and make sure we’re doing what we need to do,” Griffin said.

Ontario Christian may have surprised some opponents last year with their strength, but this year everyone knows they’re a force to be reckoned with. The Knights won’t even play any league games this season because their league has already declared them champions based on their dominance.

Smith’s strong performance hasn’t gone unnoticed either—she recently signed an NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) deal with adidas.

“I thought I’d get a shoe deal when I got to college,” Smith said. “But with the new rules and after a great summer playing for Team Taurasi, I started getting calls from different brands. It’s really just a blessing.”