Avalon Munoz
Avalon Munoz is a true renaissance woman. When we meet the 2020 Edison High School valedictorian, she was coming from art class, hands covered in paint. “I love to make things!” she said with a cheery smile. Not only is this academic all-star passionate about ‘making things,’ she also leads the Edison Golden Bears girls basketball team as their star point guard. Because of Avalon’s success in the classroom and on the court, she was recruited to play basketball at the University of Texas Permian Basin in Odessa in the fall.
“I will be playing Division II basketball and majoring in computer science,” she said. “With the scholarships I have, I will be graduating from college basically debt-free.”
Avalon, who broke Edison’s girls basketball career scoring record with 1,536 points, says that her parents have been her biggest supporters. They were constantly encouraging regarding her academics and were always in the stands at her basketball games.
“My parents always put high expectations on me, especially with sports, and to have time management skills to balance both my academic and sports,” she said. “I am blessed to have my parents go to my games. They have always been a big part of my school life.”
And having a lot of support for parents and coaches alike was extremely important for the 5-foot, 2-inch point guard. Because of her height, Avalon knew that she was going to have to work twice as hard as other players to get the results she wanted on the court.
“Ever since I started basketball, we knew height was going to be a situation,” she said. “They are always looking for taller players who can shoot over or have longer legs for quicker speed. I always knew I had to work hard so people can see my work ethic and see that as a contributing factor, and not put me down based on my height.”
Avalon also participated in varsity track and field, National Honor Society, robotics, and the SAISD’s Student Athlete Leadership Council. Her favorite classes are her math and computer programming classes, and she utilizes her math skills on the court.
“Playing basketball is like math,” she said. “You need to find a triangle to get from point A to point B sometimes if someone if standing in your way. I think it is fun just finding the little spaces that other people don’t see. ‘Where’d she see that?’ or ‘How’d she get that steal?’ people will ask. I just enjoy the fast pace and how basketball makes your mind think on the spot.”
Angie Johnson, head girls basketball coach at Edison, says she is sure Avalon is going to achieve whatever goals she sets for herself.
“Her work ethic in the classroom is the same as it is on the court. She is very humble, and she doesn’t know how to do anything but give 100% in everything that she does,” she said. “Avalon is the epidemy of what we are trying to instill in all of these freshmen as what a student athlete should be."