Xavier Prep basketball fans, your wait is almost over.
A new season is about to begin, and the 2016-17 version of
the Gators looks to be very competitive with a group of young players who
already have a significant amount of experience.
Xavier tips off the season on Monday (Nov. 21), when
next-door neighbor Phoenix Central visits the Activity Center. Tipoff is 7
p.m., and will follow earlier games for the junior varsity and freshmen.
The schedule then shifts to Goodyear, where the Gators will
compete in the Scorpion Shootout at Desert Edge. Dates of that event are Nov.
25 and 26.
“I think we are going to have the best team that Xavier has
had in many years,’’ said senior guard Brittany Robinson. “This is my fourth
year on the varsity, and I can say that this will be the tightest (compatible),
most competitive team we have had.’’
The Gators produced an 18-9 record a year ago, falling to
Phoenix Horizon in the Division I state tournament. There is a sense that they
will be more improved this year and above all, healthier.
The team lost 6-foot-2 senior Vanessa Murphy to graduation –
she now is at Grand Canyon University in Phoenix. She averaged 14.8 points, 9.7
rebounds and 3.6 blocked shots, but Gators coach Stephen Moss says he has the
players who will be able to make up for it.
Those players are two 6-1 juniors, Montana Oltrogge and Katie
Hassett. Both have been slowed by knee injuries over their first two seasons,
but now are healthy, Moss said.
The nucleus of the team will be 6-foot junior Alana Kelley,
5-6 sophomore Leilani McIntosh and 5-9 sophomore Paris Moore.
Kelley had a strong sophomore season when she averaged 13.3
points, 10.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, made 51 percent of her field goals and 72
percent of her free throws. She was invited to national team tryouts in the
summer. She will primarily be an inside player for XCP but might be called on
to play some guard as she was in club ball, a spot where she might wind up in
college.
McIntosh is the Gators’ sports car, zooming up and down the
floor and getting involved in virtually every aspect of the game.
She entered her freshman season with a great deal of
promise, but had to prove she belonged.
“It took a few games for me to get used to things,’’ she
said. “Then I started to feel more comfortable.
“I know I’m supposed to be the playmaker. I need to remind
everyone sometimes where they are supposed to be and to make good decisions. I
need to step up and be more vocal.’’
She said the Gators have been working hard on defense in the
early days of practice.
“If you play good defense, that helps make the transition to
offense easier,’’ she said.
McIntosh averaged 10.1 points. 4.9 assists and 4.9 steals.
Moss said that because she does so many things on offense,
that her defense often can be overlooked. She already is receiving attention
from colleges.
“She is one of the best point guards in the state, if not the best,’’ Moss said.
Moore’s specialty is defense, where she averaged about 4 ½
steals last season. She has long arms that help her harass opponents, but the
most important aspect for her, Moss said, is her quick feet.
“She can cut just about anybody off on defense. It’s those
quick feet,’’ Moss said.
Robinson should be one of the first players off the bench,
with perhaps an occasional start, depending how the Gators match up against
their opponent. She knows her primary role is to hit three-pointers whenever
possible.
“That’s just about all I practice,’’ she said.
According to Robinson, the team has a strong work ethic.
“We know how to work hard,’’ she said. “We are able to dig
down deep. I think it will help us in close games, because we had a lot of
close games last year and now we are more experienced.’’
Xavier Prep Gators
2016-17 varsity basketball roster
Head coach – Stephen Moss. Assistant – Jennifer Gillom.
Players – Payton Davis, Jr.; Katie Hassett, Jr.; Alana
Kelley, Jr.; Mary Long, Jr.; M.J. Machen, Sr.; Leilani McIntosh, So.; Paris
Moore, So.; Montana Oltrogge, Jr.; Addison Putnam, So.; Brittany Robinson, Sr.;
Isabel Wirth, Jr.
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