Recent Bethlehem Catholic High School graduate, Kalista Walters, has received more accolades than one could count, but the highlight of her career took place on Jan. 20 when she scored her 2,000th point, or her 2,001st to be exact, after rebounding her own shot that had rimmed out during Becahi's game against Easton.

Even so, Walters, Bethlehem Press's Female Player of the Year from Becahi, was more concerned about getting the win, which they did, than that 2,000th point.

Becahi girls basketball coach Jose Medina said, "She was very determined to be the best at what she did, and her humbleness, you can't teach those things."

If first impressions mean everything, then Medina, in his inaugural year as head coach for the Hawks, was right about Walters.

"I was impressed with her strong work ethic. She would come before practice and stay after practice. You hear about those intangibles, but when you actually see it, it leaves an impression, how hard she works," he said.

For Walters, things didn't come naturally at first.

"When I was little, I wasn't very good. There were always girls better than me. Then, I started working with my dad. First I was okay, and then I was better, and seeing that progress, that was the motivation," she said.

Even with all the accolades this past season, League MVP, All-Area First Team, and First Team League All-Star, Walters still made improvements to her game, resulting in an average of 22 points and 9.7 rebounds per game, as well as 73% free throw shooting.

"She developed a face-up game. Her back used to be to the basket a lot, but she caught the ball in the perimeter and was able to score facing the basket. She was able to shoot from the perimeter better and her free throw percentage went up," said Medina.

Walters' confidence increased exponentially when it came to shooting threes.

"E squared," Medina said. "Energy and effort."

Walters' strengths, her ability to score with either hand, her rebounding, and her blocking were in alignment with her passion and her drive.

"No one had to kick start her. She kick started herself," said Medina. "She never played down. She played one way, and that's why she was able to score 2,000 points."

In addition to Walters' athletic ability, she was able to communicate well with the younger players on the team.

"She took the time to really talk to the other girls, and she had good relationships with the freshmen. She also went about her business, which was great for them to see," Medina said.

Personally, Medina felt that the coach-player relationship he had with Walters was characterized by good give-and-take.

"She's a strong-minded player, and with good players, there's going to be some give-and-take. Kalista is one of those players who needs to know why, and once she understood that, she was very coachable," he said.

What Medina brought to Walters' game was good transition work and good help defense.

"We were an athletic and fast team, and I definitely think we did better running, transitionwise," Walters said. "We already clicked, and we were really close. All of us played AAU together, and the freshmen looked up to the starting five."

What Walters brought to the Hawks' game was her ability to recognize when they needed to score and taking the initiative to get those points.

The Hawks were crowned East Penn Conference champions and District 11 3A champions this past season. By the end of Becahi's run in the PIAA state playoffs, Walters had accumulated 2,273 career points.

She will attend the University of Pittsburgh where she will major in chemistry.

"I really liked the coaching staff, and I was never coached by a girl before," she said. "I'm looking forward to playing with new girls where everybody is competition."

The realist in Walters knows that she will be going from top to bottom once she gets to Pitt.

"I'm not big anymore, so I have to have more game. I'm small for a post player," said Walters. "My dad always used to tell me, especially with college, you have to do something different to be different."

Doing something different includes the mental aspect of the game.

"Always," Walters said. "You always have to reevaluate everything. We'd watch films, see what we did wrong and what could be better. It's not the best part [of the game]. All basketball players want to be on the court, but it's very essential."