A lone player’s sneakers squeak in the North Gym. Sophomore Kayla Bibb, 21, sits on a chair nearby brandishing the words “EC Warriors.”

Bibb is decked in EC Warriors basketball gear from head-to-toe, a testament to her dedication to the team.

“Before I started playing (at El Camino), I kind of lost my passion for the game,” Bibb said. “I’ll always remember this, my old coach at Serra (High School) was like, ‘Go see the Wizard to get a heart,’ so I used to take the game so serious (that) I kind of shut my heart off.”

Bibb began playing basketball as early as the age of 5 years old with her father influencing how she viewed the game.

“There’s one famous picture of me holding a basketball and a popsicle in the other hand and I think I’m barely three,” Bibb said.

Bibb’s career as a player at women’s basketball player started in 2016 during her freshman year at El Camino.

“My first season I got Freshman of the Year, but I was kind of more reserved and laid back a little bit more,” Bibb said. “This season I took it to a whole other level.”

The “other level” aided her in being named to the California Community College All-State First Team and awarded the South Coast Conference Player of the Year.

Head coach Steve Shaw attested to Bibb’s growth as a player over the two seasons that she has been under his guidance.

“Last year she was an outstanding performer for us, but we had a couple of other players that were maybe the key players, for the lack of a better word,” Shaw said. “From the first month of the year to the end of our season she was playing just outstanding basketball.

Shaw added that she improved on the court during this recent season.

“She increased her stats in every category during that phase of the year and that was the time of the year we were playing our most important games,” Shaw said.

According to Bibb, the best part of being on the Warriors is building connections beyond just teammates.

“This team is a family, it’s not just a team experience, it’s a family,” Bibb said. “Car trips are the best trips actually because of the music right before the games and then we fall asleep after the games.”

Bibb’s blood-family, her father, Corwin “Cory” Bibb, praised the way Bibb approaches not only how she plays basketball but also her sportsmanship off of the court.

“She’s never been a selfish player,” Cory Bibb said. “I guess I’m biased but she’s always been a great kid.”

As Bibb closes this chapter of her life and looks towards transferring, she still hopes that she can progress as a player and a person.

“I hope my personality and basketball mix can help my personality grow better,” Bibb said. “Because it really has an impact on my life.”