Two Temescal Canyon High Athletes Earn College Scholarships

Amber Alvarez plays outside on the grass and in the sun. Arica Nassar is an indoor sports star all the way. With the exception of being, well, exceptional in their chosen sports, they seem to have little in common.

Their high school coaches disagree, saying that despite their obvious talent, both made Temescal Canyon proud.

Alvarez and Nassar made their collegiate commitments official Wednesday during a lunch celebration on campus. Nassar will play both volleyball and basketball at Oregon State, while Alvarez will play softball for Doane College in Nebraska.

Club sports take up a lot of time, any athlete will agree. Despite that, Alvarez and Nassar never shirked the responsibility of giving 100 percent to the Titans, whether it was fall (volleyball), winter (basketball) or spring (softball).

“Everyone, including Amber, is having a great time. When travel’s done, they come to high school ball and have fun,” Titans softball coach Bruce Atherton said. “That’s what they should be doing, playing for their school.”

Arica Nassar, volleyball, basketball

Here’s a schedule that's tiring to read, let alone follow:

Club volleyball, travel basketball, maintain a 4.3 grade-point average (write Valedictorian speech), Homecoming princess (brush off tiara), volunteer coach for Special Olympics. Somewhere in there, eat and sleep.

That’s what Arica Nassar does. As a result, she is one of the few exceptions in NCAA Division I sports, as she will play two sports for Oregon State.

“That was the condition to get her,” Temescal Canyon volleyball coach Terri Edwards said. “Usually at the D1 level, they don’t like you to (play two sports) and don’t encourage it. She’s such an amazing athlete that they’re willing to give it a whirl. She’s got her work cut out for her.”

Edwards calls Nassar an “amazing kid,” and said if anyone can pull it off, while studying to be a doctor, or maybe a lawyer, she can.

As an athlete, she is special as well. At 6-foot-2, she can nearly dunk a basketball with a 40-inch plus vertical leap. She was a middle blocker on the TCHS team, but will probably move to outside hitter in college, Edwards said. Nassar holds the school record for blocks and kills.

In basketball, she holds the school record for average points per game (22.3) and rebounds in a single game (27 rebounds vs. Temecula Valley). She is a three-sport, four-year varsity player in volleyball, basketball and track/shot put.

“She amazes me because she is getting pulled in so many directions and we talk about scheduling and managing her time,” Edwards said. “She knows what she wants and knows how hard she has to work to get it.”

Amber Alvarez, softball

Because travel softball can take up so much of a student-athlete’s time, some opt not to play high school ball.

That’s not who Amber Alvarez is.

Not only is she the Titans leadoff hitter, she is a team leader, Atherton said. He said he is very proud of her accomplishments.

She turned herself into a left-handed slapper and plays center field, taking advantage of her tremendous speed, Atherton said. Alvarez hit .305 as a junior and her coach credits her with their quick 4-2 start this year.

“Amber’s one of the reasons we’re doing really good this season,” Atherton said. “If she gets on, she’ll normally score because of her speed.”

Lauren Thatcher, an All-CIF water polo player, has not made her decision final, coach Damien Andrews said Tuesday night. Thatcher is still deciding between Michigan, University of the Pacific or San Jose State.