Practice Breakdown: Cardinal Gibbons Chiefs

My latest practice breakdown took me to <strong>Cardinal Gibbons</strong>. The Chiefs finished 25-4 last season before falling to <strong>Lake Highland Prep </strong>in the Class 4A state semifinals. Cardinal Gibbons will need to replace <strong>Jennifer Whitlow</strong> and <strong>Jehylen Thomas</strong> from last year’s group<strong>. </strong>Whitlow led the Chiefs averaging 12.5 points per game and signed with <strong>St. Leo University</strong>. Thomas led Cardinal Gibbons in rebounds with 7.7 per game and is playing volleyball at <strong>Indian River State College</strong>. Let’s jump into the breakdown... 2023 <strong>Ashleigh Battle</strong> is the Chiefs’ engine in the backcourt. The 5-foot point guard averaged 6.5 points and a team-best 7.1 assists as a freshman. Battle has a strong handle and a jolt in her first step when she attacks the basket. Her small frame should not be underestimated by anyone. Head Coach <strong>Kevin Gordon</strong> is looking for Battle to increase her scoring to double-digits this season. Battle could really help Cardinal Gibbons with just a slight uptick in that department. Look for her to be aggressive attacking the rim in the early going. 2021 <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="215662" first="Sharale" last="McCormick"]</strong> is the lead returning scorer from last season. The 5-foot-10 shooting guard averaged 11.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 2.9 steals as a junior. Moreover, McCormick shot 92 percent (60/65) from the free-throw line according to MaxPreps. The <strong>Flager University</strong> commit is athletic off the wing and can knock down open shots from outside. McCormick duels her athleticism on the defensive end where she can guard multiple positions. Look for her to repeat as a First Team All-County pick this season. 2022 <strong>Chloe Cellar</strong> moves over to Cardinal Gibbons after playing for <strong>University School</strong>. The 5-foot-9 wing/guard averaged 12.9 points per game and was named 5A 2nd Team All-County over in Davie. Moreover, Cellar scored 20 or more points three times last season for the Sharks. Her potent scoring ability should set up nicely in the Chiefs’ offensive set. I think this is a situation where Ashleigh Battle can dribble penetrate and kick it out to Cellar for open shots on the perimeter. Cellar is also an excellent student with a 5.033 GPA in AP/Honors classes. 2023 <strong>Taylor Williams</strong> will look to step-up into a bigger role this season. The 5-foot-8 wing/guard averaged 3.1 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.1 steals as a freshman. Williams was active on defense during practice and has good size for the position. She could be a big X-Factor with some of the losses from last year’s group. 2024 <strong>Alexandra McAullife </strong>will be a key player to watch early on. The 6-foot forward has the size to be a factor in the team’s frontcourt. McAullife will be tested out of the gate as Cardinal Gibbons plays four games in five days this week. Nothing says welcome to the high school show like that kind of grind. It will be interesting how McAullife responds to the early workload. The Chiefs as a team have had limited practices or team workouts thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic. 2021 guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="146975" first="Emily" last="Jimenez"]</strong> had back surgery and will miss the whole season. The 5-foot-10 combo guard committed to <strong>Monmouth University</strong> in May and officially signed last month. Jimenez averaged 11.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3-6 assists and 2.6 steals as a junior. Her loss in the rotation will be hard to replace. Cardinal Gibbons will have to revert to the classic next up mentality. Depth is something that I don’t see being an issue for Cardinal Gibbons. 2023 guards <strong>Ayana Shelby</strong> and 2023 <strong>Alessandra Conard</strong> should be critical pieces. The 5-foot-5 Conard averaged 4.2 points per game across 26 contests last season. She will be a main factor off the bench. Shelby is a transfer from <strong>St. Thomas Aquinas</strong>. , 2022 <strong>Nadine Ognenovic, 2023 Brooke Buckman</strong> and 2024 <strong>Emma O’Keefe</strong> are all around 6-feet in the frontcourt. Buckman joins Gibbons via <strong>Lower Merion High School</strong> in Pennsylvania. The Aces were home to the late <strong>Kobe Bryant</strong>. The purge of games this week could give this group valuable playing time. Furthermore, it could give the starters a conditioning break as they work back into the rhythm of the season. Overall Breakdown: Gibbons has been money at home with a 9-0 record last season. The Chiefs will defend that mark with a tilt against <strong>Sports Leadership &amp; Managemen</strong>t on Tuesday. Cardinal Gibbons might be at a slight disadvantage as SLAM has already played ten games. It will be interesting to see if the team has any rust against a group in mid-season form. I am sure those excuses will go out the door for a team that made a deep run into Lakeland last season. 2023 point guard Ashleigh Battle will be counted on to provide additional points. I think McCormick will bring energy on both ends of the floor and average 15 points per game. The losses to graduation and the injury to Jimenez is where I want to see other players fill in. Cellar is a really nice addition to this group with her shooting ability. <strong>For any South Florida Prep Hoops news or information...please contact Michael Costeines @Steins_23 on Instagram or Follow him on Twitter @Mungertown_Mike23.</strong> &nbsp;