#20 HUNTER HERNANDEZ
Year: Freshman
Position: Guard
Height: 5-9
Hometown: San Jose, Calif.
High School: Archbishop Mitty HS
Major: Business
 
 
Hunter Hernandez has been playing basketball for as long as she can remember. She grew up around the sport, and when she saw several of her older family friends go on to play in college, she knew that she wanted to do the same.
 
By the time she was in middle school, she had given up both soccer and softball to focus on basketball and her goal of reaching the next level.
 
Hunter was self-motivated and knew what she wanted to accomplish from a young age, but her growth both on and off the court would not have been possible without the support of her family.
 
"My parents have always been really supportive of me and they've sacrificed a lot for me to play basketball," Hunter said. "My dad coached me when I was younger, and my sisters played as well so we would always go outside and rebound for each other."
 
Hunter also credits her high school coach, Sue Phillips, for her development as a basketball player.
 
"In high school I got pushed by my coach to reach limits I didn't know I could go to," Hunter said. "She always worked with me and she really cared, which made me work even harder."
 
That hard work paid off right away for Hunter, who was named the Central Coast Section Freshman (2018) and Sophomore (2019) of the Year at Archbishop Mitty High School. She helped the Monarchs to back-to-back league and section titles, and was looking forward to going even further into the postseason as a junior before she was sidelined with an ACL injury over the summer.
 
"It was my first serious injury and at first I didn't know what to do; it seemed like basketball was over," Hunter recalled. "But then as time went on, it forced me to work on the fundamentals and it just made me appreciate basketball a little more."
 
Not losing sight of her goals, Hunter continued to put in the work during rehab. She was determined to get back out on the court as soon as possible, and that's exactly what she did. Rejoining her teammates just six months later, Hunter helped Archbishop Mitty win the 2020 Nor Cal Championship and advance to the state championship game. Then, adversity struck again.
 
Two days before the title game, the Monarchs found out it wouldn't be played due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
"It was a tough situation," Hunter said. "But, just being able to get that far through the playoffs, and the amount of games we had, it was more than some of the other sports got. We went as far as we could so that was a great accomplishment."
 
Throughout the tough times, Hunter, who signed her National Letter of Intent with UC Irvine as a junior, was also able to lean on her future coaches. The strong relationship she built with the Anteater staff throughout her high school career proved to be the difference in Hunter's college decision.
 
"It was their constant support, especially when I got hurt," Hunter said of her commitment to UCI. "They were the first people to call and ask how I was doing, which meant a lot. It just showed they cared beyond basketball."
 
Now, Hunter is ready to live out her lifelong dream of playing collegiate basketball when she suits up for her first official game as an Anteater on Nov. 9.
 
"It's such a different level than high school, but the transition has been pretty easy because of my coaches and teammates," Hunter added. "I'm really looking forward to the season, and going to the (Big West) tournament, trying to win a championship."