RUPERT — These days, girls in Rupert and the Magic Valley want to be like CJ Latta.
The signature bun, Nike headband and glasses.
The unmistakable look of one of the state’s top girls hoopers, one who smashed just about every Minico record and signed her National Letter of Intent on Wednesday to Utah State University, where she earned a full-ride scholarship on the women’s basketball team.
Latta, who began her career in fourth grade on the boys teams, thanks to her advanced talent, chose USU over 17 Division I offers.
The saga of a prolific career started there. With the boys. An individual drive to succeed. Hours in a gym daily and with a ball attached to her like a magnet.
“Every time you see CJ, she had a basketball in her arm,” Steve Latta, the girl’s father, said. “Everywhere she went. It didn’t matter if she was going to church or she was in the school. She had a basketball.”
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The senior standout, a prolific, high-volume and efficient shooter, crushed a state tournament scoring record with 95 points in three games during the 2023 4A tourney.
Anna Bateman, Minico’s girls basketball coach, said the team’s record board will be updated at the end of the season and CJ Latta’s name will accompany nearly every category.
“She has impacted our Minico program so much that way,” Bateman said.
CJ Latta led the state last season with 25 points per game and scored 32 on Tuesday night in the Lady Spartans’ loss at Jerome.
CJ Latta, in the Minico library full of friends, family and teammates, thanked them for their constant support but the family pointed the compliments back toward her. All of the accomplishments, Steve Latta insisted, originated in his daughter’s hard work and dedication. The support comes with it all.
The work and skill led C.J. Latta to the top of Minico’s record books and to the center of attention among young Minico fans.
“This kid is just an icon,” Jennifer Latta, her mother, said.
Lady Spartans coach Anna Bateman said a little girl dressed as CJ Latta for Halloween and many others attend games with glasses, a bun and a headband. Just like their role model.
“It means the world,” CJ Latta said. “It is awesome when I go to the games and see these little girls yelling for me… I think it is one of the reasons why I play the game. I think it is cool that I have an impact on these little kids’ lives. It really means a lot.”
She will soon begin her career at USU and study sports medicine. She said the Aggies play style fits her game with a read-and-react offense that allows her to positively impact the squad. C.J. Latta added she chose USU in part because of the proximity to home, which allows family to attend the games.
This year’s USU roster includes Minico graduate Taylia Stimpson and College of Southern Idaho graduate Livia Knapp. Stimpson, who also attended CSI, will exhaust her eligibility at the end of the season.
The Lady Spartans (4-2 overall, 2-1 Great Basin Conference) host league-leading Twin Falls at 7:30 p.m. Thursday. Minico, defending conference champions, seeks a repeat and a state title.
“Everybody has got this will,” C.J. Latta said. “They want to win. They have got this work ethic, so I think that is going to help us. We are going to go pretty far with that. It is pretty important there.”
The Lady Spartans will seek those goals, and plenty of hopeful hoopers will marvel at the Minico star’s talents.
“You know you have impact when you see little girls who want to grow up and be like you,” coach Bateman said.