New girls coach hopes to teach same success she enjoyed at SV

Former St. Vincent playing star Shannon Carroll is now varsity girls basketball coach for the Mustangs.|

First-year girls varsity head coach Shannon Carroll takes the helm this basketball season for the Lady Mustangs, who officially open the season on Tuesday with a game at St. Helena. Carroll replaces former Vice Principal Art Walker, who is no longer at the school after a 2-year stint on the Keokuk Avenue campus.

Carroll is no stranger to the St. Vincent hardwood program; she played four seasons of varsity basketball for the school from 2009 through 2012. Her Lady Mustang squad captured the North Central League II title in 2012 with a perfect 14-0 record coached by Empire veteran Jim Fagundes.

“I played for three coaches at St. Vincent and it is my hope that I can model some of the best methods used by each of them,” Carroll said as her new team filed into DeCarli Gym on a late Friday for a pre-season practice. “I would like to have a part of the game to work on at each practice.”

The new coach went on to college at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo while keeping an eye on the progress of the Lady Mustangs as the seasons passed.

“I always thought that I would like to coach, and when this opportunity came around I applied,” she said. “I didn’t watch them play except for the alumni game when we came back to play. One of the first things we need to do is to establish a regular summer program. The parents should know that it will always be available.

“If we have the players to do it I like the up-tempo game,” she said. “The pass-and-cut offense used by the Warriors could be part of what we do on the high school level.”

Time will tell if the 13-member squad will be able to take on a rather ambitious schedule this year that includes games against both much larger neighboring public schools - Casa Grande and Petaluma.

“In 2012 we played quite a few bigger schools when Jim Fagundes was here,” Carroll said. “I think that’s OK, but it will be good for us to have a balanced schedule, too. Our schedule was almost full when I got it, but we managed to add San Dominico recently. They play pretty well.

“We have a team this season made up mostly of guards,” Carroll observed. “It’s going to take some player rotation and movement for us to get players in position to score along the baseline.”

It will be a veteran group of players who will open the season for the Lady Mustangs, headed by 4-year, all-purpose guard Clare Galton. Galton earned her way into the regular rotation midway through her freshman season and has been a mainstay since. The experienced senior has the ability to see the entire floor, and is not afraid to make a crucial pass.

“I will expect some leadership from Clare,” said Carroll.

Junior shooting guards Sully Henry and Julia Murphy give St. Vincent balance and an ability to score from both sides of the floor. Henry came up from the junior varsity to lead the team in scoring in 2016 with an average of 7.8 points per game. Many of her shots came from behind the arc.

Murphy (6.3 ppg) was a little more inconsistent, but she scored 13 points in both Mustang wins over El Molino and Tomales. Her outside shot makes Murphy a threat to score from either side of the floor.

Sophomores Allesandra Ditzio and Sophia Licata have also caught the eye of Carroll and both have earned early season minutes on the floor. Ditzio, a natural athlete, can be one of the players who rotate inside and be a scoring threat. Licata moves up from the junior varsity with the poise to play against varsity competition.

Defense could be a strong point for the 2017 Mustangs as swift guards Lauren Vollert and Katie Gross return. “I like man defense,” explained Carroll, “it will depend on our players’ ability to execute.”

Gross has been a question mark for St. Vincent after sitting out the season last year with injuries. In 2015, she was one of the best defenders in the area on any level.

It’s far too early to predict playing time for the young Mustangs as sophomores Alexandria Saisi, Alyssa Smith and Olivia Badaglia are competing for spots on the team along with seniors Samantha Giron and Grace Peterson.

Carroll will get some strong strategic support this season from assistant coach Doreen Carroll. The coach’s mother acted as the Lady Mustang junior varsity coach for three seasons.

Both Carroll and her mom agree on one key coaching asset before the season begins. “I think that I respond well under pressure,” said the new St. Vincent coach. Doreen nodded in the affirmative.

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