The start of
the 2021-22 basketball season is almost here, and Xavier Prep coach Jennifer
Gillom figures her team might as well face a few early challenges instead of
waiting around. In theory, it will help the Gators get better.
That challenge
will be playing four of their first five games on the road (Mesa Westwood,
Phoenix Sunnyslope, Phoenix Pinnacle and Phoenix Sandra Day O’Connor)
sandwiched around the lone early home game (Phoenix North).
Xavier will
play 18 regular-season games, along with two tournaments, the Nike Tournament
of Champions in the southeast Valley just before Christmas and a national
tournament in Stockton, Calif., honoring the late Dr. Martin Luther King, in
mid-January.
Xavier has
been close to raising the 6A Conference state championship trophy over the last
few seasons. It finished as state runner-up to Surprise Valley Vista in 2018
and 2019 and fell to Valley Vista in the semifinals to finish 13-4 last season while
the Monsoon went on to win it all again.
The Gators
are young (only one senior) but play much older, especially after last season,
when some talented freshmen came aboard and made a big adjustment. Most of the
better players saw action what seemed like 24-7 since the end of last season in
club ball and Xavier’s participation in summer leagues.
Two key
players (Mia Davis, Hannah Young) transferred to other schools in the Valley after
the season. However, Davis apparently is out for the 2021-22 season due to a serious knee
injury.
The Xavier
returnees have Gillom eager to get the season going after she watched them in
practices over the first two weeks of November.
“We have
only been practicing two weeks and it has been fantastic,’’ said Gillom, who
often is measured when handing out compliments. However, the ability possessed
by this group makes it difficult to refrain from touting its potential.
“They look
sharp together and the chemistry is very good,’’ Gillom said. “I’ve actually
seen improvement in every player every day.’’
Two of the
top three scorers are back as sophomores. They are Sarah Miller and Dom
Nesland. The 5-foot-10 Miller averaged 13.5 points and the 5-9 Nesland averaged
9.2 while serving as the team’s primary point guard. Both also crash the boards
with regularity. Miller averaged 5.5 rebounds and Nesland 4.0.
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Sarah Miller (Photos by Don Ketchum). |
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Dom Nesland. |
Junior
Sienna Cherwinski also is a factor in the backcourt, particularly from long
range. She connected on 25 3-pointers last season. Sophomore Maureen Ulrich
provides some flexibility in the backcourt.
The lone
senior is 5-9 Toni Garcia, who displays hustle, particularly under the basket,
every time she steps onto the floor.
A promising
sophomore is Gosie Alilonu. Junior forward Gabi Trbovic has a nice shooting
touch, particularly along the baseline.
Two freshmen
to watch are guard Lucy Sanford and forward-post Cece Mlat, who stands 6-feet-6
and is intimidating on defense and on the boards. Her offense is a work in
progress.
“It’s pretty
encouraging out there,’’ said Miller. “We pick each other up. We’re in good
condition. I think we’ve improved a lot
since last year.
“We play
good defense, and our offense is good. We can all score, which creates a
dilemma for the opposing defense about who to cover.’’
She said she
was drawn to Xavier by its all-around environment.
“It’s a
great community atmosphere. I know I will go to college some day and will need
to have good time management skills, and Xavier is already helping with that.’’
It is her
goal to be a complete player.
“Coach gives
me the option sometimes to look at what the defense is giving me and to try to
take advantage.’’
Nesland is
capable of being “Dom’’-inant at times. She refined her game over the summer,
playing for a club team in the Bay area backed by former Phoenix Suns player
and NBA coach Jason Kidd and will try to do more of that next summer for a Los
Angeles-based team affiliated with Phoenix Mercury guard Diana Taurasi.
She already
has been contacted by colleges and hopes to have a decision by this time next
year, to allow her to play her junior and senior seasons “stress-free.’’
Before that,
there is the business of helping Xavier extend its reach far into the state
tournament.
Nesland said
she will try to “get everyone involved on offense,’’ dishing the ball off at
just the right moment.
“I think
coach trusts me,’’ she said. “But there’s a lot to playing this game. You have
to do a lot of everything to win.’’
If the
season falls into place, the Gators will be doing a lot of everything to get a
lot of wins.
2021-22 XAVIER PREP VARSITY
BASKETBALL ROSTER & SCHEDULE
Roster
Head coach – Jennifer Gillom. Assistants – Patrick Mangosing, Rikki
Mulloy.
Players
Gosie
Alilonu, So.; Juliet Botiller, So.; Sienna Cherwinski, Jr.; Kalyn Doss, So.;
Toni Garcia, Sr.; Annie Kopp, Jr.; Sarah Miller, So.; Cece Mlat, Fr.; Dom
Nesland, So.; Aniyah Roberson, So.; Lucy Sanford, Fr.; Gabi Trbovic, Jr.;
Maureen Ulrich, So.; Sofia Zielinski, So.
Schedule
(Games at 7 p.m. unless otherwise
indicated).
Times, locations subject to change.
Nov. 30 -- @
Mesa Westwood.
Dec. 3 -- @
Phoenix Sunnyslope.
Dec. 6 –
Phoenix North.
Dec. 9 -- @
Phoenix Pinnacle.
Dec. 10 -- @
Phoenix Sandra Day O’Connor.
Dec. 14 –
Scottsdale Chaparral.
Dec. 18-21 –
Nike Tournament of Champions, locations and times TBA.
Jan. 4 –
Anthem Boulder Creek.
Jan. 6 -- @
Gilbert Perry.
Jan. 7 -- @
Chandler Basha.
Jan. 11 –
Chandler High.
Jan. 12 –
Phoenix South Mountain.
Jan. 19 –
Surprise Valley Vista.
Jan. 21 –
Chandler Hamilton.
Jan. 24 –
Chandler Basha.
Jan. 27 -- @
Chandler High.
Feb. 1 –
Gilbert Perry.
Feb. 3 -- @
Tucson High.
Feb. 8 -- @
Chandler Hamilton.