The Upper Keys Weekly is proud to partner with the Coral Shores Athletic Department in choosing “The Male and Female Athlete of the Week.” Recipients are chosen on qualifications of athletic excellence, academic standing and community involvement. We thank our future leaders and the CSHS Athletic Department for allowing us to share a little “Hurricane Pride.”
LEXY BRITO
Lexy Brito, a three-sport star at Coral Shores, is this week’s choice for the Upper Keys Weekly Female Athlete of the Week. Brito led the girl’s basketball team toward a high seed in the District 16-AAAA, hosted by Coral Shores on Feb. 3. For the season, Brito is averaging 10.6 points per game, with 5.2 rebounds and 4.3 assists from her shooting-guard role. She had a season high of 25 points in a recent huge win over Key West.
“Lexy is the true definition of a team captain,” said head coach Pat Meyers. “She has put up some excellent numbers despite playing much of the season with a fracture of her non-shooting (left) hand. Lexy is one of the most unselfish players that I’ve ever coached. She has the ability to average 25 points a game, but she makes us a much better team by distributing the ball and involving all of her teammates. She is the true definition of what a team captain should be.”
Brito will graduate with a remarkable 16 varsity athletic letters, which ties a Coral Shores record with 1986 grad Kerry Cooley. She is the reigning Co-Girls Basketball Player of the Year, along with teammate Lucia Rodriguez.
Brito has decided on Florida Southwestern University as her next academic and basketball home. She has received a great deal of basketball interest from a number of colleges, but made her determination of Florida Southwestern after a visit this past week.
Brito personifies the term community service. Her most recent involvements include participating in the UKF-Hurricane Michael Relief Mission, the UKF-Hurricane Irma Relief Mission, the ICC-Boat Show, the UKF Plantation Key Nursing Home visitation program, the Upper Keys Rotary-Nautical Flea Market and AYSO Soccer, where she has served in both coaching and officiating capacities.
JASON CASTILLO
Coral Shores senior shooting guard Jason Castillo has been selected as The Upper Keys Weekly Male Athlete of the Week. Castillo averaged 16.5 points per game and shot an impressive 41 percent from three-point land — connecting on nine threes — in the Canes’ 61-55 win against MAST Academy and their tough 65-50 loss to state-ranked Palmer Trinity.
“Jason is such a huge part of our program,” said Canes head coach Jarrod Mandozzi. “He is the perfect role model for our young players and for what we want our program to be about. He takes a lot of pride in being a Coral Shores Hurricane basketball player and captain. He’s spent a ton of time working on his own game, but he also is constantly helping our young players with their game.”
Castillo has a 4.0 unweighted grade point average with a 4.536 weighted GPA. His 1520 SAT score included a perfect 800 on the math portion. In September, he became the first student in Coral Shores history to win the prestigious distinction of College Board Scholar for National Hispanic Students. He is currently on the “deferred entry” list for Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). His secondary options are Duke University and Georgia Tech.
Castillo’s community service efforts with the Upper Keys Foundation and Special Olympics are also exemplary. His UKF involvements include: the Hurricane Michael Relief Mission; Christmas caroling at the Plantation Key Nursing Facility; multiple other gift-giving trips to PKNF, the Upper Keys Rotary Giant Nautical Flea Market and the Key Largo Bridge Run. He has been deeply involved in the flag football and soccer components of Special Olympics.
