INDIANAPOLIS (USBWA) – The boys and girls basketball teams at Palisades Charter High School in California, who completed winning seasons while coping with the trauma of the January wildfires that destroyed much of their campus and left several players without their homes, have been named the winners of the 2025 Perry Wallace Most Courageous Award and 2025 Pat Summitt Most Courageous Award by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association.
For the first time in nearly a half century that the USBWA has recognized extraordinary courage, the award will be presented to high school athletes.
Coach Adam Levine and Elizabeth Tierney of the girls team will represent the Dolphins at the USBWA Women’s Awards Brunch, Friday at 10 a.m. ET at the Hilton Tampa Downtown.
Coach Jeff Bryant and Julian Cunningham of the boys team will be honored at the USBWA Men’s Awards Luncheon, Monday at 11:30 a.m. CT at the Grand Hyatt San Antonio River Walk.
“In the face of incredible challenges brought on by the Palisades Fire, our boys’ and girls’ basketball teams showed incredible grit, courage, and team camaraderie in a chaotic time,” said Rocky Montz, the school’s athletic director. “Despite having no home facility for games or practices, our teams embraced traveling to different gyms, bringing energy and passion wherever they went. With many families losing everything due to the fires, no teammate was left behind. Both teams are a wonderful example of what we hope high school athletics can be, and we thank them all for the example they demonstrated for our community.”
Hours after the fire began on Jan. 7 in the Highlands area of the Pacific Palisades, flames reached the school’s campus. Each team had multiple players whose families lost their homes. The Dolphins completed their seasons despite the loss of their home gym for practices or games. The boys team had a record of 21-12 and finished in second place in the Western League with a record of 9-3. The Dolphins were a California Interscholastic Federation State Division 3 Regional Semifinalist. Cunningham, a sophomore center, was an All-City selection.
The girls team had an overall record of 17-16, including a record of 8-4 for a third place finish in the Western League. The Dolphins were a CIF State Division 3 Regional Semifinalist. Tierney, a junior point guard, was an All-City selection.
“It felt as if the entire world was with us tonight,” Bryant said after the boys team played its first game following the fire. “…Told the guys if they want to do something for their families, go out there, play hard, have fun and watch how much joy that brings to their parents and community.”
USBWA executive director Malcolm Moran said the response of the teams to the devastation all around inspired the organization’s board members. “Our awards are defined as demonstrating extraordinary courage reflecting honor on amateur basketball,” he said. “Although we had never honored a high school athlete, the decisions became very clear the more we learned about the hardships the teams had to overcome.”
The school has created its Raise Pali fundraising campaign (go.PaliHigh.org/RaisePali) to help cover the extensive costs of relocation and the eventual rebuilding of the campus.
The 2024-25 season marks the 48th that the USBWA has presented a Most Courageous Award. In 2021, the Most Courageous Award was named for Perry Wallace of Vanderbilt University, the first African-American scholarship basketball player in the Southeastern Conference. Past recipients include Steve Kerr, Pali High Class of 1983, who was recognized in 1988 while at the University of Arizona; David Rivers of Notre Dame, Landon Turner of Indiana and coaches Jim Valvano of North Carolina State and Nolan Richardson of Arkansas.
In 2012, the last of Pat Summitt’s 38 seasons at the University of Tennessee, an annual recognition for women’s basketball was created in her name. Honorees have included Lauren Hill of Mount St. Joseph University, Holly Rowe of ESPN, Kendall Currence of Northeastern, Angelique Francis of Little Rock and University of Southern Mississippi coach Joye Lee-McNelis.
The U.S. Basketball Writers Association was formed in 1956 at the urging of then-NCAA Executive Director Walter Byers. With more than 800 members worldwide, it is one of the most influential organizations in college basketball. The USBWA has selected an All-America team since the 1956-57 season. For more information on the USBWA and its award programs, contact executive director Malcolm Moran at (814) 574-1485.