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Gilbert girls basketball ascending to new heights

BY REMY MASTEY

GSN Contributing Writer

Multiple Final Four appearances and winning seasons for the past five years set a difficult standard to live up too. But with the arrival of new head coach Colton Walker in 2020 and a young team hungry and ready to win, the Gilbert Tigers girls basketball team have sent shockwaves across Arizona.

Despite a 23-7 record in the 2019-20 season, something did not feel right for the Tigers. While their play on the court was spectacular, the team was not gelling as a unit and struggled to bond off the court. Upon Walker’s arrival, the culture slowly but surely started to change at Gilbert and something different seemed to be brewing on the horizon. Walker taught the Tigers to embrace each other as teammates and encouraged bonding off the court which would ultimately benefit the players when they go to battle for one another. “He definitely brought us all together,” senior captain Nicole Evenson said. “The off-the-court aspect that coach Walker has brought has really helped a lot, that’s what made the difference for us.”

The Tigers entered the 2020-21 season without any seniors on their roster. Regardless of the team’s lack of experience, each girl pushed one another and played as if they were an experienced veteran. The Tigers finished the season with an impressive 13-7 record making the 5A Conference playoffs. Although the team eventually lost to the Flowing Wells Caballeros, they showed off their potential and were far from defeated. Walker sent a strong message to the team that any player, no matter what age, can get an opportunity on the team. “If you can get it done, you can get it done,” Walker said. “Each player can always move up and they can always move down. It’s always fluid, which is a great thing.” This message was especially demonstrated when Walker decided to name sophomores Meisha Caserio and Morgan Evenson captains, which is usually not traditionally done. Both girls, despite their age, were more than qualified to be captains of the team because of the hard work and leadership qualities they bring to the court every day. Going into the 2021-22 season, the Tigers rallied around the motto, ‘one pursuit.’ Notwithstanding their state championship aspirations, all the Tigers want to do is to reach the level of play they know they are capable of and improve as the season progresses. “The one pursuit you can say is the state championship but the one pursuit that we are really after is to be better than we have been and play to the level we know we are capable of,” Walker said. “Nothing else matters before that.” The Tigers really took the one pursuit motto to heart as they revamped their offense from the 2020-21 season that was extremely successful. While keeping bits and pieces of their strategy from the prior year, Walker and the rest of the team felt that a change was necessary. Instead of moving the ball up the court at a fast pace, the Tigers opted for more of a slow offense so the players have more time to set up plays, run more screens and make sure the ball is moving allowing everyone to have a chance at impacting the game. It is complicated to get accustomed to a new offense but there is nothing that these girls could not handle. With the new and improved offense intact and all the girls returning for their second season with one another, the Tigers started the year with a bang. The Tigers are 12-4 and were recently on a 7-game win streak where they are not just winning but thrashing their opponents by 15 or more points. Despite the pressure of the playoffs looming ahead, the Tigers are not focusing on the future, rather they are making sure to complete each task at hand.

“I’m not focused on who we play next month, I’m not focused on what I’m doing on Saturday,” Morgan said. “Just think where your feet are, my feet are not on Saturday, my feet are not on the playoffs, my feet are on the present and what I can do to make an impact.”

Added Caserio: “They are like family to me,. We love each other, and they mean everything to me. We gained such a great connection by going through the journey and trying to win states together.”

Gilbert girls basketball coach Colton Walker has started to help change the mindset of the team now in his second year, as the Tigers are primed with young talent and have the ability to make a run at the 5A

title. (Dave Minton/GSN Staff)

Nicole Evenson is one of the few seniors on the Gilbert girls basketball roster and has seen the program transform under head coach Colton Walker. She believes he brought the team closer together. (Dave Minton/GSN Staff)