From the moment Brynn McGaughy stepped on campus, Central Valley head coach Jason Wilson knew his new star forward was different. At 6-foot-3, the preseason Colfax transfer flashed guard-like perimeter skills from the start — facing up defenders, facilitating for teammates, and dropping threes with ease.

But for all of her flashy highlights, the five-star recruit dominated the interior like few high school players can. Post moves, pretty touch shots on nearby floaters, you name it: McGaughy could do anything and everything she wanted.

“We felt like we had already had a pretty deep and talented team already,” Wilson said, “and so we were just hoping that (Brynn) could add to it.

“And she obviously did.”

In her lone year at Central Valley, McGaughy never lost. The Bears steamrolled opponents and claimed the 3A state title earlier this month at the Tacoma Dome, a storybook conclusion for the state’s best player. She posted an 11-point, 11-rebound double-double in the March 8 championship, a 39-34 win over Lakeside (Seattle).

“A perfect season, it’s hard to do,” McGaughy told The News Tribune. “But the work that our team and coaches do… I feel like it was inevitable.”

Battling through an ankle injury all tournament long, Wilson remembers asking his star ahead of the 3A title game: “Hey, can you give me one more?”

“Oh yeah, I’ve got one more for you,” she replied.

The accolades are pouring in — McDonald’s All-American, Gatorade Player of the Year, WIAA 3A Tournament MVP — and McGaughy still isn’t satisfied.

Eyeing a local legacy with the Washington Huskies next, the Central Valley standout is The News Tribune’s All-State Player of the Year.

“I never would’ve guessed that a kid with that kind of pedigree and all the accolades she had before even coming into this season... would be such a nice and humble kid,” Wilson said. “But she really is a sweetheart, and everything she’s had come to her, she’s very deserving of. She’s just a really good kid.”

McGaughy knew this team had the roster to make noise by Week 1. A handful of nagging injuries, a challenging gauntlet of challengers at the Tacoma Dome — nothing would stand in their way. It was a mindset, McGaughy deemed it. A refusal to go down.

“We love to win more than anything,” she said. “I think that’s what it was.

“It’s why we beat everybody by double-digits up until the state (tournament).”

A crazy-but-true stat: Central Valley won their first 24 games this season by double digits, a well-oiled machine with routine victories by 20+ points.

“Whatever we need her to do, she didn’t bat an eye,” Wilson said Monday. “Early on in the year, you kind of just take it easy (with a new player) and you want to build that relationship and see what she can do. ... But as you get along and get more comfortable, you can start to challenge her in different ways.

“Whatever we asked of her, she tried to do the best of her ability, and that’s what was cool about it. If she wasn’t that way, I don’t know if we’re as successful as we were.”

McGaughy netted a total of 31 Division-I offers when the dust settled last spring, and the decision intensified: Would she join the blue bloods of Duke or North Carolina? Would she follow in the footsteps of Central Valley alum Lexie Hull and play for Stanford? Would she take her talents to Iowa, or join the Ducks in Oregon?

Would she stay home?

A trip to Montlake put all debate to bed.

“On my first official visit to Washington… I knew right away,” McGaughy said Tuesday. “That’s why I’m so grateful and happy about it. I really didn’t have to think on it.

“It was crystal clear.

“Just the people and the culture there, their vision for me as not only a basketball player but a person, too. … My (UW) head coach, Tina Langley, wants me to grow as a person and strive as a woman.”