Girls Basketball Preview
The cupboard isn’t completely bare for the Cape Coral Seahawks, but the start of a new high school basketball season brings about significant change.
The Seahawks won 19 games and their first-ever district title last season, led by accomplished seniors Alexiss Griffin, Jardin McCarthy and Christine Gaywood.
Those three provided experience, leadership and strong balance, offensively and defensively.
With all three lost to graduation, the Seahawks face an obvious challenge as the girls’ season tips off next week.
Seahawks assistant Kirk Myers, who works alongside wife and head coach Olivia Myers, said the team is focused on “playing hard and, hopefully, surprising a few teams this year.”
Many teams carry a similar approach. The new season arrives with much uncertainty, after the FHSAA’s reclassification.
Cape belongs to the 10-school District 4A-11 with Mariner, Ida Baker, North Fort Myers, Fort Myers, Riverdale, Cypress Lake, Estero, Lemon Bay and South Fort Myers.
Island Coast begins its first full varsity season in 3A-12, along with Bishop Verot, Dunbar and Gateway Charter.
South Fort Myers and Cypress Lake have momentum after last season. South finished 26-4, losing in the 4A state semifinals, and Cypress Lake reached the regional semifinals.
Cape claimed its first regional appearance by winning the District 5A-15 Championship over North Fort Myers.
The Seahawks had won 17 games each of the previous two years before breaking through last year with their finest postseason run.
In their sixth year guiding the team, Olivia and Kirk Myers continue to stress defense and team basketball. This season they look to play uptempo, taking advantage of team speed.
Senior point guard Jomaris Vazquez-Lopez is the Seahawks’ most experienced player, and sophomore shooting guard Kassandra Griffin figures to take a step forward after a promising freshman year.
Though the Seahawks topped North in the district final last year, the Knights pulled off the district’s biggest upset when they defeated Barron Collier 57-54 in the semifinals.
It was the signature win in another successful season for the Knights. They went 14-11 overall after posting a 19-7 mark in 2007-08.
Fifth-year coach Kathy Padilla said the Knights should rely on their usual speed and quickness.
As the Mariner Tritons embark on a new campaign, they have only one direction to go – up.
The Tritons were 0-25 last year and are a combined 2-48 over the past two seasons.
Second-year coach Jeremy Dearinger said the effort is there, but the players must increase their basketball I.Q.
“The girls work hard and are determined,” he said. “We just now need to combine their efforts with a better understanding of the game.”
Dearinger said it’s going to take a team process to make the Tritons more competitive, rather than relying on one or two players to carry the burden.
The Ida Baker Bulldogs are coming off a 7-17 record last year. They’re going through a transition with new coach Ashley Underhill taking over for Craig Witte, who guided the team the past four years.
The Bulldogs have had moderate success on the court, but have yet to break through compared to other sports at the school.
Underhill said she likes the direction they’re headed because of the young talent that has joined the team and the dedication the players have shown in the workouts and practices leading into the season.
“We lost eight girls last year, but have a strong core group of girls that really joined together over the summer,” she said.
Hannah Del Negro, a 5-foot-6 guard, is one of two freshmen expected to start. Senior forward Cheyanne Ross and junior point guard Shanelly Brown bring experience.
Island Coast begins its first full varsity season after a positive mixed season last year. The Gators went 8-4 in their JV games.
Senior shooting guard Lindsay Ellis and senior point guard Immon Pomerleau give the Gators a talented 1-2 punch.
“Both of those girls are accomplished players,” second-year coach Jerry Ellis said, “and I feel like we have a good group of young freshmen. We have some kids that are going to make a difference down the road.”
The Gators’ nucleus includes sophomore Mary Mahone and junior Natalia Mendez. Both should help around the basket.
Bishop Verot has a new coach in Father Chris Beretta, the school’s principal. Beretta has been a key assistant for boys coach Matt Herting the past 10 seasons.
He takes over for former coach Brooke Kolheim, who accepted a coaching position at the University of Indianapolis.
The Vikings return four seniors and should get a lift from senior transfer Katlyn Payne. The 6-foot guard/forward, who comes from the Chicago area, has signed with Florida Gulf Coast University.
Senior guards Merceda Dacosta and Kaitlin Lanman, and senior forward Jessica Garda (5-10) return, and another senior, Allie Mitchell, hopes to join the lineup in December after rehabbing an injury.
Junior guard Taylor Kramer and sophomore guard Liz Norton add to the Vikings’ nucleus. The Vikings were 17-11 last year.
“The team has high expectations for success, but will face a challenging schedule early,” Beretta said.