It's not easy to be a part of any high school varsity team as a freshman. Ali Vigil not only is a part of the squad, but she's also a starter.
That's because in 10 games this season Ali averages 14.6 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 3.6 steals per game while shooting 49 percent from three-point range. Last week, she upped her game by averaging 18.5 points per game including a 25-point performance on 6-of-8 shooting from behind the arc (including 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals) in the Lady Pirates' 83-11 victory over Bonner Springs.
While she's only 10 games into her career and off to a great start, Ali's still trying to figure things out.
"It's been a little difficult sometimes because some games, I'll have a really good shooting game and others I won't," said the 5-foot-10-inch freshman guard. "When I can't shoot outside, I'll try and make it to the rim and get a layup and get into like the groove of stuff and get a feel for it. And then also, if I can't seem to get anything done, I always have teammates who can hit a shot when they're ready to."
Piper Girls Basketball Head Coach Shane Stout certainly knows that Ali has played a big part in his team starting this season 10-0 and being the top-ranked team in the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association poll for Class 4A, Division I.
"She's come and stepped right into a varsity role. And, I don't think anybody really looks at her as a freshman," Stout said. "I know her teammates, you know, have just as much [if not] the same amount of trust in her as some of our other girls that have been part of our varsity program for several years. So, from day one at the beginning of the season, she stepped right in and has really shot the ball well."
Stout and the Piper Lady Pirates are trying to make another appearance to the KSHSAA State Tournament. Last year, the Lady Pipers were upended by eventual Class 4A-D1 Champion Bishop Miege in the Sub-State Final.
However, 2 of the last 3 years they've been to State. He knows having good team chemistry is important in making a deep run in this year's tournament. He said Ali fits right in like a piece to a larger puzzle and said she has great character on and off the court.
"Our team is full of great young ladies that get good grades and do the right thing each and every day," Stout said. "Ali - she does those things. She's good in the classroom. She's good on the court. She's good with her teammates, always doing the right thing [and] always cheering on her teammates."
Ali said a large part of her success and growth as a player is due to her head coach.
"This season, he's been a really good role model not only on the court but off the court," Ali said. "He doesn't only try to make us good players on the court. But, he also tries to shape us into good people off the court - to make good decisions and to just be good people all around."
NOTE: The Hy-Vee 41 Five-Star Athlete of the Week segment airs every Thursday night during the 10 p.m. sportscast for the entire school year.
------
Ryan Marshall can be reached at Ryan.Marshall@KSHB.com.
