Aja Phoumiphat (Las Vega, Nev./Centennial) has heard it ad nauseum. She just hasn't listened.
"The first thing people like to point out is, 'Oh, you're short,'" Phoumiphat said. "It's hard to make it D-I, especially being so small."
The 5-foot-5 point guard won three Nevada State Championships at Centennial High School. Then, she earned a Division I scholarship to Chicago State. But outsiders have sown skepticism for quite some time.
"I knew I wanted to play college basketball, but a lot of people didn't think I could make it D-I, outside of my small support circle," Phoumiphat said. "So I use that as motivation."
Phoumiphat is Chicago State's shortest player, and the sophomore has emerged as a conduit of the team's culture. Phoumiphat joins
Precious Adediran (UK, London/Barking Abbey Sixth Form) and
Kourtney Crane (Peoria, Ill./Richwoods) as the three lone returners on a new-look roster guided by first-year head coach
Tiffany Sardin.
"I'm making sure I'm setting an example," Phoumiphat said. "Going my hardest at all times, having integrity, encouraging my teammates and making sure they're comfortable mentally and physically. I don't want to be a mean leader, like a butthead. I'm on top of everyone and there for them."
Phoumiphat's teammates have noticed her initiative.
"She talks, and talking is very important in basketball," junior forward
Christina Britter (Dunlap, IL/Dunlap ) said. "She knows where to be, what to do on the court and how to guide people. She's very driven."
So, just how does an often-doubted, undersized player turn into a three-time state champion and a starting point guard in Division I?
For starters, Phoumiphat has spun her height into an asset, leaning into opponents' natural aversion to bending down to defend her. She started 22 games as a freshman last season, scoring 6.2 points per contest and snagging 32 steals, the second-most on the team.
But Phoumiphat stresses that above all, her triumphs are cultivated between the ears.
"I rely on my speed a lot," Phoumiphat said. "But it's more of a mental thing. It's heart over height. The willpower can be greater than any skill.
"95 percent of the game is mental and five percent is physical. I can't change my height, so I have to use my I.Q. to be better than the next person."
Phoumiphat's elite basketball I.Q. — and understanding of "championship culture," as she labels it — were fine-tuned at Centennial High School in Las Vegas. Under the direction of coach Karen Weitz, Phoumiphat's Bulldogs three-peated Nevada State Championships, winning it all during her sophomore through senior seasons.
This February, Centennial won a Nevada-record sixth consecutive title, the school's 12th in 19 seasons.
"At Centennial, the culture was very different from anything I've ever experienced," Phoumiphat said. "I was very grateful to experience it."
Phoumiphat particularly remembers the 2018 title, an overtime win over Liberty High School. With two seconds remaining in regulation, Centennial trailed, 61-58. Standing near halfcourt, Phoumiphat zipped a chest pass to teammate Jade Thomas, who drilled a corner three to force overtime.
Five lopsided minutes later, the Bulldogs had secured a 74-65 win and Phoumiphat's second ring.
"The second she made that shot, I remember everyone being so happy," Phoumiphat said. "When everyone is all hyped with each other, it's a great feeling. All of the hard practices, arguing, bickering, going at it in practice wasn't for nothing. That's the best part, to have everyone realize it at the same time: We did it."
Still, Phoumiphat felt unfulfilled by her individual performance that night in Reno.
"I didn't play my best, even though we won," Phoumiphat said. "I knew I could have done better."
Fortunately, Phoumiphat was granted a return trip to Reno, as the Cougars trekked there to face the University of Nevada last November.
"Being back there, I was like, 'You remember what happened last time. You have to be better,'" Phoumiphat said.
Sure enough, she delivered her signature performance, pouring in a team-high 18 points.
Nearly a year later to the day, an atypical 2020 season stands a week away — and Phoumiphat remains committed to sharpening the Cougars' culture.
"I want to make a difference," Phoumiphat said. "I want to bring what I learned at Centennial, and throughout my whole basketball career, to Chicago State."
