Monique Oliver is in a weird spot.  Last season, she was a key part of the Poly girls’ basketball team’s state title run, but you might have missed the tallest player on the court, who had just transferred to Poly after her sophomore year of high school in Las Vegas.  “Last year, honestly,” she says, “I just didn’t want to get in the way—I was kind of the outsider.”  Her coach, Carl Buggs, agrees.  “Last year this was Jasmine Dixon’s team,” he says.  “Monique was in a new environment, and you know, kids will be kids.  Nobody really knew who she was, they were like, ‘Who’s this girl, is she going to take my spot or what?'”

Cut to: tonight.  Monique Oliver, who has been profiled on ESPN and committed to USC in the offseason, who has been named an All-American, leads her team into the CIF championship game.  All eyes are now on the soft-spoken girl in the middle—need proof?  The Post isn’t the only news outlet running a feature on Oliver today, as she’s the top story at the Press-Telegram as well.

It isn’t hard to see what’s happened in the intervening year—Oliver has gone from crucial role player to a bona fide leader.  On the court, in practice, she’s more vocal, and more focused.  It’s rare that fans (or sportswriters, for that matter) get to watch a player grow up in front of them, but watching Oliver come into her element has been one of those rare treats.  Now, she talks confidently about her dreams, not just for this season, but for her life.

There’s USC in the Fall, a school she’s thought about attending for much of her life.  And then, beyond that, a professional sports career, a relatively new aspiration for prep girls’ athletes.  “I definitely want to play in the WNBA,” says Oliver.  “That’s my dream, to play against Candace Parker one day.  I want to stuff her,” she says, smiling sheepishly.

The new role hasn’t always been easy, especially for a player who describes herself as naturally shy.  “I have had to work on it,” she says, “Because that’s not my element.  But I’ve been communicating more with everybody, and I’ve gotten comfortable around these girls.”  The change came from outside, as well as from within.  “Coach Buggs talked to me about stepping up, my mom did, my dad did, my club coach did…I felt pressured at first, but then I started relaxing and just playing.  Nothing’s really changed, I’m just…focused.”

That focus has wreaked havoc on the CIF playoffs, as Oliver is averaging 14 points on 61% shooting; she’s also pulling down nine rebounds, and notching two blocked shots and two steals per-game.  “Now she’s in that role of being the go-to person,” says Buggs.  “She’s the one we go to when we need a basket, especially inside but you know, she’s probably our best percentage perimeter shooter, too.”

For Oliver, a high school senior who knows where she’s going to college and has a big-time, attainable dream, life’s not too bad.  “Everything’s good, I’m not stressing over grades or anything, thank God.  I’m ready for the game—we get more excited the closer we get.”  With every step forward she takes, Poly fans get more excited, too.  “She’s really accepted that role as a leader,” says Buggs.  “She holds her teammates accountable now—that’s what being a leader is about.”