LA JOLLA, Calif. (KGTV) — La Jolla Country Day Girl's Basketball has built a reputation as a national powerhouse. The program has produced talent in the likes of WNBA Superstars Candice Wiggins and Kelsey Plum.
During their college careers, Wiggins won the prestigious Wade Trophy, awarded annually to the best player in women's college basketball. Plum held the NCAA all-time leading scoring record for several seasons before moving into second once Iowa standout Caitlin Clark broke her record in 2024.
The list goes on for the top-tier talent produced by head coach Terri Bamford and the Torreys' program. Like Wiggins and Plum, three more alumni from La Jolla Country Day Girl's Basketball are playing pivotal roles for teams in the Women's NCAA Tournament.
At UC San Diego, sophomore guard Sumayah Sugapong was instrumental in securing the Tritons’ historic tournament bid. It's the first time ever a program secured a spot in the tournament in their first year of eligibility.
Sugapong's standout performances earned her the title of Big West Championship Most Outstanding Player.
Meanwhile, at San Diego State, freshman guard Naomi Panganiban made the Mountain West All-Tournament Team while helping lead the Aztecs to a conference title.
Sugapong ('23) and Panganiban ('24) played together at La Jolla Country Day for three seasons, where they led the Torreys to two Open Division section championships — the highest division in California high school basketball.
WATCH: Coach Bamford reflects on the characteristics that made Sugapong and Panganiban great players
During those seasons, the team was ranked among the top 12 in the nation.
Now seeing their game translate to one of the highest levels of college basketball, Bamford is excited to see her alumnae take the stage in the tournament.
“For me as a coach, I’m just excited to be part of their journey,” Bamford said. “Credit to them — their hard work, consistency, and relentlessness. I’m really proud of where they’ve gone.”
As two former Torreys represent the hometown universities in the tournament, another alum is representing San Diego across the country with a college powerhouse, No. 1 seed South Carolina.
After transferring from Oregon, Te-Hina PaoPao helped lead the Gamecocks to the program's third national championship during her junior season. She earned All-American Honors that year as well.
WATCH: See the segment focusing on PaoPao below
PaoPao ('20) left behind a legacy during her time at La Jolla Country Day.
She helped lead the team to one of its best seasons in program history, posting a 32-1 record and ranking as the #1 team in the nation in 2019-2020. The team did not compete for a state championship that year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Her outstanding play in high school earned her a spot as a McDonald's All-American, one of the most prestigious recognitions an individual high school basketball player can receive.
Bamford remembers when PaoPao first arrived to Country Day, she already had her eyes set on becoming a household name in the program.
"Kelsey came in and said to me, 'How do I get my banner on the wall?' She says, 'Okay, I'm going to do it,' and she did it," Bamford said. "Tahina was following like, 'You know, I'm the next one coming through here.' [PaoPao] grinds really hard, so just excited for her and her journey."
Now PaoPao is looking to lead the Gamecocks to back-to-back national titles. If successful, South Carolina would be the first team since the 2016 UConn Huskies to repeat as champions. They'll start their quest to repeat on Friday against No. 16 seed Tennessee Tech.
Sugapong and UCSD enter the tournament as a 16-seed. They'll take on Southern University on Wednesday night in one of the First Four matchups.
Panganiban and SDSU earned a 14 seed and will play against No. 3 seed Louisiana State on Saturday.
"I just want to wish them good luck. Super proud of where you've come and what you're doing for just not yourself but our program, carrying on the legacy. Good luck. We're rooting for you," Bamford said.
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