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The Oklahoman’s Super 5 Player of the Year developed an ‘alter ego,’ in becoming a star
ANA LLANUSA, CHOCTAW
Height: 6-0 Position: Guard Class: Senior The story: Llanusa becomes the first girls player to be named to the Super 5 team all four years. She led Choctaw to the Class 6A state championship in her fourth state appearance. The Oklahoma signee averaged 19.5 points per game and finished at No. 23 on the state’s all-time scoring list with 2,249 career points.
Ana Llanusa calls it her game mode.
For the past four years, Llanusa has dominated the high school basketball court across the state and pushed Choctaw to new levels. But what fans have watched on the court is a different Llanusa than off the court.
“She’s a sweetheart, a fun girl to be around, cares about people off of the court,” Choctaw coach Ryan Maloney said.
On the court, well, she’s known to be different.
The kind-hearted Llanusa becomes ferocious at times. A switch turns and she can take over a game with her aggressiveness and skill.
Meet BeyoncéAna.
It’s the alter ego of the state’s top basketball player and Oklahoma signee. A necessity, she said, to push her to greatness.
“I feel like I’m more mean when I’m on the court,” Llanusa said. “I’m not a very mean person, but when I’m on the court I come off really aggressive. That’s the whole BeyoncéAna. She’s aggressive. Ana’s not.”
Llanusa is The Oklahoman’s Super 5 Player of the Year.
She averaged 19.5 points and 5.6 rebounds while leading Choctaw to the Class 6A state championship in her fourth state tournament appearance.
This season, Lllanusa became the state’s all-time leading scorer in Class 6A state tournament games with 210 points. In the process, she led Choctaw’s rally past Putnam West, played through foul trouble late against Edmond Santa Fe and was in control against Deer Creek.
“Sometimes you have to turn it on,” Maloney said. “Sometimes players like her to win a big game have to do extraordinary things and that’s what she did in the state tournament. She went out there and made some unbelievable plays.”
Llanusa credits the persona she created for a class her freshman year.
She was assigned to design a CD and cover. A talented dancer and tumbler, she had grown to idolize Beyoncé, who had created an on-stage alter ego — Sasha Fierce.
What happened next was natural. BeyoncéAna was born.
“She’s my idol,” Llanusa said. “She’s a feminist and she is just a really great person, I think. She just really loves what she’s doing and always wants to make a difference in other people’s lives through what she’s doing, and that’s what I want to do, too. I look up to her a lot.”
It became second nature to the point the persona became her Twitter name.
And it didn’t take long for the Choctaw student section to catch on. They started chanting her alter ego’s name at a game soon after. It stuck.
And it became the thing that helped Llanusa land an OU scholarship offer following her breakout freshman year. It helped push her to eight state tournament games and No. 23 on the state’s alltime 5-on-5 career scoring list with 2,249 points.
“It’s like a hype thing,” Llanusa said. “It’s just like game mode. When (Beyoncé’s) on stage she
"Sometimes you have to turn it on. Sometimes players like her to win a big game have to do
extraordinary things and that’s what she did in the state tournament.
ANA LLANUSA, CHOCTAW
Height: 6-0 Position: Guard Class: Senior The story: Llanusa becomes the first girls player to be named to the Super 5 team all four years. She led Choctaw to the Class 6A state championship in her fourth state appearance. The Oklahoma signee averaged 19.5 points per game and finished at No. 23 on the state’s all-time scoring list with 2,249 career points.
Ana Llanusa calls it her game mode.
For the past four years, Llanusa has dominated the high school basketball court across the state and pushed Choctaw to new levels. But what fans have watched on the court is a different Llanusa than off the court.
“She’s a sweetheart, a fun girl to be around, cares about people off of the court,” Choctaw coach Ryan Maloney said.
On the court, well, she’s known to be different.
The kind-hearted Llanusa becomes ferocious at times. A switch turns and she can take over a game with her aggressiveness and skill.
Meet BeyoncéAna.
It’s the alter ego of the state’s top basketball player and Oklahoma signee. A necessity, she said, to push her to greatness.
“I feel like I’m more mean when I’m on the court,” Llanusa said. “I’m not a very mean person, but when I’m on the court I come off really aggressive. That’s the whole BeyoncéAna. She’s aggressive. Ana’s not.”
Llanusa is The Oklahoman’s Super 5 Player of the Year.
She averaged 19.5 points and 5.6 rebounds while leading Choctaw to the Class 6A state championship in her fourth state tournament appearance.
This season, Lllanusa became the state’s all-time leading scorer in Class 6A state tournament games with 210 points. In the process, she led Choctaw’s rally past Putnam West, played through foul trouble late against Edmond Santa Fe and was in control against Deer Creek.
“Sometimes you have to turn it on,” Maloney said. “Sometimes players like her to win a big game have to do extraordinary things and that’s what she did in the state tournament. She went out there and made some unbelievable plays.”
Llanusa credits the persona she created for a class her freshman year.
She was assigned to design a CD and cover. A talented dancer and tumbler, she had grown to idolize Beyoncé, who had created an on-stage alter ego — Sasha Fierce.
What happened next was natural. BeyoncéAna was born.
“She’s my idol,” Llanusa said. “She’s a feminist and she is just a really great person, I think. She just really loves what she’s doing and always wants to make a difference in other people’s lives through what she’s doing, and that’s what I want to do, too. I look up to her a lot.”
It became second nature to the point the persona became her Twitter name.
And it didn’t take long for the Choctaw student section to catch on. They started chanting her alter ego’s name at a game soon after. It stuck.
And it became the thing that helped Llanusa land an OU scholarship offer following her breakout freshman year. It helped push her to eight state tournament games and No. 23 on the state’s alltime 5-on-5 career scoring list with 2,249 points.
“It’s like a hype thing,” Llanusa said. “It’s just like game mode. When (Beyoncé’s) on stage she
"Sometimes you have to turn it on. Sometimes players like her to win a big game have to do
extraordinary things and that’s what she did in the state tournament.
