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Ever since she was 5 years old, ears have surrounded Samantha Brunelle when she hits the basketball court. Now that shes the highest-ranked sophomore basketball prospect in the nation, all eyes -- including two that belong to Geno Auriemma -- are upon her.Some say scoring is in her nature, and the Brunelle family traces that to their vast backyard.A decade ago, Rod and Katie Brunelle put down asphalt and put up a portable hoop so their only child could hoist a few shots in their vast backyard. The Brunelles live on a 300-acre family farm at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Ruckersville, Virginia.Samanthas uncle Billy runs the farm -- countless dairy cows and turkeys -- but Samantha handles the basketball department, honing her game on a half court surrounded on three sides by enough corn to make an Iowan envious.A year ago, Brunelles mother surprised her by painting white lines on the asphalt court. Free throws, 3-pointers, out of bounds -- they were all marked. Katie went even further by painting a yellow 33 inside the free throw area.That court is amazing, said Samantha, who wears No. 33 for her high school team. I put my headphones on, and I can shoot, and I can think. Its a peaceful time for me.That court represents utopia for Brunelle, but it has helped cause chaos for her opponents. As a freshman at William Monroe (Stanardsville, Virginia) last season, she broke two state records. Her 28 rebounds set the single-game Virginia mark, and her 650 points crushed the state record for points in a season by a freshman.Undeclared for college, Brunelle averaged 23.8 points, 17.5 rebounds, 3.2 blocks, 2.5 assists and 1.7 steals per game. She matched her uniform number and scored 33 points in her high school debut. She had a high of 52 points last season. The Central Virginia Player of the Year, she had a game in which she went 18-for-18 from the foul line.Her numbers explode off the page, and thats despite the fact that she faced constant double-teams and junk defenses, William Monroe coach Jess Stafford said. Theres nothing you can do at this level to keep her from putting the ball in the basket. Its in her nature to score.Hoops above allThat nature, of course, has a lot to do with Samanthas parents.Rod, now a realtor, was a 6-foot-3, 215-pound outfielder and first baseman. He was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 15th round in 1985 but never made it past Class A ball. He averaged .277 and hit 21 homers over four seasons.Katie, now the principal at William Monroe Middle School, was a 5-foot-10 post player at Division III Bridgewater College in Virginia. She later became the head high school basketball coach at Orange County (Orange, Virginia) before settling in as an administrator.Between Rods love for baseball and Katies devotion to basketball, it was mom who knew best. When the couple took newborn Samantha home from the hospital, the baby girl was wearing a pink dress and tiny, white, high-top sneakers.She was going to be a basketball player, Katie said with a laugh.Brunelle tried other sports. She competed in travel softball and volleyball leagues, and she was an aggressive hitter in both those endeavors. But there was something about basketball.One day when she was in seventh grade, Brunelle came home from practice and told her mom she wanted to be the best basketball player in the country. Katie explained that reaching that goal would take hard work and laser focus. The next day, Samantha announced to her parents that she was quitting softball and volleyball to devote her athletic energies to basketball and her quest to be the best.A unique tasteDespite all her basketball success, Brunelle is still a kid at heart.Ive never seen her have a bad day, Rod said.She has a go-kart -- it has some fender damage from when she drove it off an embankment -- and she has had loads of fun driving. She loves to joke around; telling people their shoelaces are untied when they actually arent is one of her favorite gags.She enjoys dancing, even when her teammates tell her to stick to basketball. At the very least, shes unafraid to try any move and post it on Twitter. Her latest attempt is Hit the Quan.I know the move, Brunelle said. Whether it looks good or not, I dont know.More than go-karts, practical jokes and dance moves, she loves ketchup. She puts it on just about any food, and she makes sure shes never too far from her favorite condiment.I always keep a few packets in my purse, she said. And I keep a miniature tube in my locker and in my lunch box -- just in case.Her penchant for ketchup sometimes disrupts her clean basketball look.I was wearing a white jersey, Brunelle said in citing an example. I was eating a hot dog at Jasons Deli, and my coach told me, Dont get any stains on your uniform. Sure enough, on my first bite, I got ketchup all over my jersey.It happens every time.Strong rootsTheres more to Brunelle than ketchup stains and dance moves, though. Shes an excellent student, with a 4.25 GPA. Shes interested in studying business and communications. A recent presentation won her third place in the state as part of the Future Business Leaders of America.In July, she culminated her impressive freshman year by helping USAs U17 team win a bronze medal at the FIBA world championships in Zaragoza, Spain. It was her first trip abroad but likely not her last.She got her first college scholarship offer when she was in seventh grade (Wake Forest), and Connecticut coach Geno Auriemma has already been to two of her practices. But Brunelle, who plays AAU ball for the Boo Williams program and coach Mike Davis, said its too early to decide where she will enroll. She plans to take several official visits in the next few months -- she has already visited a handful, including Virginia, Maryland, South Carolina and Texas -- to start exploring her choices.Even so, she remains humble. When USA Basketball invited her to their U17 Colorado tryouts in May, Brunelle, playing against older girls, surprised herself by making the team.She received an even bigger shock when she returned home from Colorado. Hundreds of Greene County residents lined the streets to celebrate her accomplishment. She received a police escort once she crossed the county line, and that took her to her high school, where more friends awaited.There were a massive amount of people with signs saying, Sam, we love you! Stafford said. There was a guy with a tractor who had a sign. There were people on pickup trucks. There were news crews waiting for her at school.Sam had tears of joy. She had no idea this was coming. Shes a humble kid who just happens to be pretty good at basketball.Brunelles police escort went down Route 33, naturally.Its nice coming from a small town, she said. I have a community that is so loving and caring. I wouldnt want to be anywhere else. Albert Pujols Jersey . "I dont know that were close," said general manager Alex Anthopoulos. "I just think, right now, the acquisition cost just doesnt work for us right now. I dont know if I can quantify how far off or things like that that they might be but I would say we continue to have dialogue. Vince Coleman Jersey . 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Johnson had 19 points to lead six Wildcats scoring in double figures, and Kansas State pulled away in the second half to beat Colorado State 89-70 Saturday.Barry Brown had 14 points and Xavier Sneed added 12 for Kansas State (10-1), which won its fifth in a row since its loss to Maryland on Nov. 26.Johnson, who fouled out with just under two minutes remaining, also had 10 rebounds for his third career double-double.You get six guys in double figures, assists to turnovers of 17 to 9, and our rebounding was a huge thing, said Kansas State coach Bruce Weber. We got some timely offensive rebounds and a great start to the second half that broke their spirits.Prentiss Nixon had 30 points to lead Colorado State (8-3).Up by seven at the break, Kansas State stretched its lead 58-41 with a 14-4 run to open the second half. The surge featured two 3-pointers by Kamau Stokes and Johnson rim-rattling, one-handed dunk off an offensive rebound.By the time Johnson converted a 3-point play with 9:33 left, the Wildcats were up by 20 points, and the Rams could make little headway the rest of the way.I feel we have not peaked, but I feel we are in a good place, Brown said. We got a lot of guys involved. A lot of guys in double figures. The bench really picked us up and gave us a lot of energy in the first half and we carried it over to the second half.Nixon said a lackluster defensive effort was at thhe center of the Rams double-digit loss.ddddddddddddWe werent guarding anybody, Nixon said. They were getting open looks. We played terribly.Kansas State led 44-37 at halftime, using a 9-0 run to surge in front after Nixons 3-pointer had pulled the Rams to within a point.Brown capped the burst by converting a 3-point play.BIG PICTUREKansas State: A Wildcats strength this season has been their balanced scoring and it was once again on display in their latest victory. The game marked the eighth time this season that at least four Wildcats had scored in double figures.Colorado State: Nixon led all scorers with his 30-point game but it wasnt enough to keep up against the diversified offensive display by the Wildcats. The Rams were hurt by turnovers (14) and defensive breakdowns that saw Colorado State allow a season high in points.ONGOING UPSIDETheir strong start notwithstanding, Johnson said he continues to see an upside for the Wildcats. I think we played well as we have, he said. I thought our defense lagged a little bit in the first half. There is always room for improvement.UP NEXTKansas State: Rounds out its non-conference schedule by hosting Gardner-Webb on Wednesday night.Colorado State: Finishes a five-game home stand by returning to Moby Arena on the Fort Collins campus and hosting Loyola Marymount. ' ' '