By Jason Cruz
NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
Welcome to the first edition of The Layup Drill for 2025. In this edition, we’re going to take a look back at 2024 and check out some of the top performers of the year.
Shohei Ohtani
Los Angeles Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani smiles as he prepares to bat during the sixth inning in Game 2 of a baseball NL Division Series against the San Diego Padres, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
It was the year of Shohei Ohtani as the Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter seemed to break a record each month of the Major League Baseball season.
He is the sole member of the 50/50 club (50 home runs and 50 stolen bases) and led the Dodgers in the regular season to one of the best records in Major League Baseball.
Ohtani won the Associated Press’ Male Athlete of the Year for the third time.
Also, he and his wife are expecting their first baby in 2025.
Brian Woo, Steven Kwan, Tommy Edman
All three players had great seasons in 2024.
Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Bryan Woo before a baseball game against San Francisco Giants in San Francisco, on July 3, 2023. (AP Photo/Josie Lepe)
Woo, the Seattle Mariners pitcher, fought off injuries to end 2024 with a 9-win, 3-loss record. He struck out 101 over the course of the season with a 2.89 ERA. He also had a near no-hitter in 2024.
Cleveland Guardians’ Steven Kwan (left) during the third inning of a baseball game in Kansas City, Mo., Sunday, June 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Colin E. Braley)
The 27-year-old Cleveland Guardians outfielder had another outstanding year. In his third season in the major leagues, he was awarded his third straight Gold Glove for his superior fielding ability. Not only did he contribute on the field, he was a solid hitter at the plate with 14 home runs and 83 RBIs, with a batting average of .292.
Tommy Edman of the St. Louis Cardinals batting during a game against the San Diego Padres on September 22nd, 2022. (Photo by Ryan Casey Aguinaldo)
Edman was traded from St. Louis to the Los Angeles Dodgers in July. The infielder did not contribute to the Dodgers until the 2024 National League Championship Series. Edman was the MVP of the series against the Mets, sparking the Dodgers to the World Series. Edman hit .407 during the series and had 11 RBIs.
Camryn Bynum
Camryn Bynum (Photo from the Office of Governor Tim Walz & Lt. Governor Flanagan)
Minnesota Vikings defensive back Camryn Bynum is one of the reasons the Vikings are Super Bowl contenders. Bynum, a Filipino American, is also the de facto “Celebration Coordinator” for the team after a turnover or touchdown. Bynum and his teammates have paid homage to dance routines in “White Girls,” “The Parent Trap,” “Camp Rock 2: the Final Jam,” and “High School Musical.” Bynum has had his own solo performances as he performed a dance from an Usher video and did the whole routine from infamous Australian breakdancer “Raygun.”
“I literally think my life is a movie,” said Bynum. He attests to the team’s 14-2 record doing a bit with having fun and the in-game “entertainment” does look fun.
Kam Fabiculanan
Kam Fabiculanan, from a UW Football 2024 poster
The UW defensive back was the star of the first-ever Filipino Heritage Night at the University of Washington. Fabiculanan was one of the major leaders for the Huskies in the mass exodus of players after former UW coach Kalen DeBoer bolted for Alabama.
Natalie Nakase
Golden State Valkyries General Manager Ohemaa Nyanin, left, announces their new head coach Natalie Nakase, formerly a first assistant coach with the Las Vegas Aces, right, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, in San Francisco, Calif. (Yalonda M. James/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
The WNBA has taken off in popularity thanks to some new exciting superstars. The San Francisco area announced plans for an expansion team in September 2023. The Golden State Valkyries will be playing in the WNBA starting in 2025 and the head coach will be Natalie Nakase.
Nakase is a third-generation Japanese American that grew up playing basketball in Orange County, California. She went on to play in college for UCLA. After her time at UCLA, she became the first Asian American to play in the National Women’s Basketball League. After time overseas playing, she came back to the United States to pursue coaching opportunities. She first started as a video intern in 2012 for the Los Angeles Clippers. In 2017, she went on to become an assistant coach to the NBA G League development team for the Clippers. In 2018, she became an assistant for the Los Angeles Clippers. She then moved on to join the WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces coaching staff and became the first Asian American woman coach to win aWNBA title with the Aces in 2022.
Nakase was chosen to coach the Valkyries expansion team in October 2025.
Marcus Freeman
Marcus Freeman (U.S. Department of Defense photo by Sgt. Kamren Chotalal)
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman has steered his team to the cusp of the College Football National Championship. After an upset loss to Northern Illinois at home on Sept. 7, the Fighting Irish reeled off 10 straight wins and then went on to defeat Indiana in the first round of the College Football Playoff.
Freeman, whose mother is Korean, is in his third year coaching the Fighting Irish. The 38-year-old has a 31-9 overall record for Notre Dame. After Brian Kelly resigned, Freeman was promoted from his position as defensive coordinator to head coach.
Freeman was born at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio. His father was in the U.S. Air Force and met his mother while stationed in South Korea. He played college football at Ohio State University and played one year in the NFL in 2009 before deciding to coach.
Dave Roberts
Dave Roberts (Photo by U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Elias Carrero)
Sure, if you have Shohei Ohtani on your roster, it should be easy to win the World Series. But Roberts was able to manage with an oft-injured pitching staff and complement Ohtani with players like Teoscar Hernandez and Tommy Edman. He became the first Japanese American manager to win the World Series twice. He won it with the Dodgers in 2020 during the COVID-shortened season.
Summer Olympics
The Summer Olympics in Paris did not disappoint when it came to the United States Women’s Gymnastics team. The team won gold in the all-around competition and Simone Biles won gold in the individual all-around competition.
Sunisa Lee, of United States, competes on the vault during a women’s artistic gymnastics qualification round at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Suni Lee earned a Bronze medal in the all-around final. She became the first Olympic athlete since 1980 to come back and medal in the all-around. Lee had won the Gold in 2020. In 2024, she also won a Bronze medal in the uneven bars in addition to the team Gold.
Lee’s return to the Olympics was due to dedication and hard work, as she had battled injuries throughout training to make it back to the Olympics.
Lee Kiefer, right, reacts as she competes with Canada’s Yunjia Zhang in the women’s team foil semifinal match during the 2024 Summer Olympics on Aug. 1, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Lee Keifer won two gold medals with her performances in women’s foil and women’s team foil. Keifer’s mother was born in the Philippines and immigrated to the U.S. when she was young.
United States’ fencer Lee Kiefer, Lauren Scruggs, Jaqueline Dubrovich and Maia mei Weintraub celebrate on the podium after winning the gold medal of the women’s team foil final match competition during the 2024 Summer Olympics on Aug. 1, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Paia mei Weintraub won a gold medal as part of Team USA in team fencing. The 21-year-old is part Singapoeran and was a fencer for Princeton University.
Torri Huske reacts after winning the women’s 100-meter butterfly final at the 2024 Summer Olympics on July 28, 2024 in Nanterre, France. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
American swimmer Torri Huske won three medals in the pool, including the 100-meter butterfly, a silver medal in the 100-meter freestyle, and the women’s 4 x 100 freestyle relay. Huske, a Stanford student, is Chinese American.
Team USA from left: Brody Malone, Asher Hong, Fred Richard, Paul Juda and Stephen Nedoroscik, of United States, celebrate their bronze medal during the men’s artistic gymnastics team finals round at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, July 29, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
American gymnast Asher Hong was part of the men’s team that earned the Bronze medal in team gymnastics. It was the first medal by the men’s team since the 2008 Olympics. Hong, a Stanford athlete, delivered with a flawless vault in team competition to help Team USA place third overall.
Jason can be reached newstips@nwasianweekly.com.