Alyson Spinas-Valainis was just like any other teenage girl when she went to see "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" on opening night at the movie theater Friday.

But Spinas-Valainis adamantly prefers Stephenie Meyer's books, or J.K. Rowling's ‘Harry Potter' series of novels, to the silver screen.

"I feel like for a person to really appreciate the series, they can't just go see the movie," Spinas-Valainis said Friday before basketball practice in the Davenport Assumption gymnasium. "They have to understand the book, appreciate what the author wrote down."

Spinas-Valainis is much more cerebral than your average high school student, not to mention for an outstanding athlete who is the rock of Assumption's dynasty of a girls' basketball program.

Putting it on paper

Most people familiar with Assumption High School know Spinas-Valainis as a well-built, 6-foot-3 athlete who excels in the post for basketball season and in the pitching circle during summer softball.

But many are unaware of her distinctive talents in the artistic world. She writes fantasy stories accompanied by anime cartoon drawings, a genre of artwork originating in Japan.

"People know that I'm artistic, I do posters in school," said Spinas-Valainis, who has been drawing since second grade. "But it kind of surprises people when in the middle of class, I'll just whip out a piece of paper and start drawing, and people are like, ‘Oh, you draw?'"

Her work is posted on blogs for people worldwide to read and review, and it receives mostly positive feedback.

"When you put stuff online for people to read that you don't know," Spinas-Valainis said, "you get honest reviews, not based on who you are and your relationship with (the reader)."

Spinas-Valainis, who won't turn 18 until June, wants to major in physical therapy in college, but hasn't ruled out minoring in art. She still is undecided on a career path, but while drawing or writing might not be her first choice, this is certainly a lifelong pastime.

"It's something that I do when I need something different to occupy myself with," Spinas-Valainis said. "I'm sure I'll always keep drawing."

Keeping it balanced

Jan Luton, an English teacher at Assumption, has educated plenty of gifted pupils in her eight years at the private Catholic high school.

Having taught Spinas-Valainis in her junior honors English and senior Advanced Placement courses, Luton acknowledges something special in her student.

"Alyson is really a thinker," Luton said. "She's probably a little bit more quiet, doesn't verbalize as quickly or as much, but you always know things are going on (in her head)."

Drawing, as Spinas-Valainis puts it, is a stress-reliever. So while her academics and athletics come first, there's always time to grab her sketchbook and go to work.

"I wouldn't call it balancing, I just say prioritizing it," Spinas-Valainis said. "I can't ever sleep stressed out, so that's just something I do in my free time at night."

With an enrollment of 401 students, Assumption is successful in many sports, so part of Luton's job is preserving the student part of student-athlete. However, she said this wasn't a problem with Spinas-Valainis.

"She's very steady, and she's very well-organized, which doesn't surprise me with her basketball background," Luton said. "She's really on top of things, and she'll do well wherever she goes."

Focusing on the Knights

It'll be up to the professors at Bradley University to make good on Luton's projection, as the Knights' star post player made her commitment to the Braves in early signing on Nov. 11.

Assumption coach Todd Borrison knows how much that will help Spinas-Valainis, particularly drawing the comparison to senior guard Sam Thrapp, who's in the midst of being recruited.

"In the back of those kids' minds, a lot of your attention has to go to answering your mail, answering your phone calls," Borrison said. "When the process is over, it's a lot of weight off the shoulders."

Spinas-Valainis agreed, flashing her widest grin when reminded that her long recruiting periods from spring and summer are behind her.

"I cannot imagine going through recruiting right now," she said. "Even when I decided that Bradley was where I wanted to be, I felt so relieved, not having to worry about it anymore.

"I'm glad I can just focus on (basketball) now."

That's good news for Assumption, seeking its seventh consecutive Mississippi Athletic Conference championship.

The MAC will have its share of tough competitors - Pleasant Valley and Bettendorf are at the top, with no definitive patsy primed to offer easy victories - but the Knights know where they stand and what they're capable of.

"We respect all of our opponents, but this team, we're not going to take a backseat to anybody," Borrison said. "This team can play with anybody when our game is right.

"We're excited about that. We feel like we control the future."

Assumption, which also returns junior forwards Melissa Youngblut and Sam Johannsen, was shocked in the first round of regionals in February by Central DeWitt. The Sabers and Knights are ranked third and fourth, respectively, in the preseason Class 3A poll.

While they might not see each other until the later rounds of state in February, the Knights are using that bitter defeat to drive them this year.

"There really isn't (a ceiling)," Spinas-Valainis said. "Every time we're feeling down, we just remember the game last year and the awful feeling it brought to us. That's a motivator for us, to get better."