The Mesa Unified School District is loaded with solid basketball programs in Dobson, Mesa and Westwood High. Since I was lucky enough to interview Coach Fonseca of Mesa and Coach Bribiescas of Dobson. It was only fitting I try to get a sit down with Coach Ron Campton of Westwood High. Coach Campton has done a phenomenal job with his program. His guard play is one of the top back-courts in the state. The result was the Lady Warriors finished the regular season with an impressive 15-3 record.
Here is the Q&A from our sit down:
Q: How long have you been coaching?
A: This is my 3rd year coaching the Varsity program with Westwood, and 6th overall at the High School Level (all with Westwood).
Q: Why do you coach?
A: I coach to assist young athletes in developing life skills they will use for the next (40) years of their lives - not just the next (4) after high school. We want our athletes to go into the community and “do good” as often as they possibly can.
Q: What are your expectations for this season?
A: Each year our goal is to try and improve on the year before. Better on both ends of the court, better in the classroom, a deeper postseason run, improved team chemistry and culture!!! We’re always chasing improvement across multiple areas.
Q: Who are your key players to watch this season?
A: Senior Guard Mya Johnson has been a stat stuffer for us, since her sophomore season. She impacts every facet of the game and has been a cornerstone for our program. Senior guard Samantha Martin is coming off of a torn ACL as a junior, but will slot into the starting lineup for us. She’s been a vocal leader, will defend 1-5 and knock down 3’s.
Junior guard Nyese Jones has been a varsity starter for three years, and does everything on the court for our team. She guards anyone, runs point, hits big shots...she’s a playmaker through and through.
Junior guard Nikkianna Kinsel is one of the toughest on ball defenders in the state, and a 3-year varsity starter for us. She guards the opposition's toughest player, and is leading our team in rebounds per game this year. She’s our spark plug.
Sophomore guard Kristine Scabby is a 2-year varsity player who is a disruptive defender and explosive scorer. She is already an above average shooter, and will be a future cornerstone for our program.
Freshman Angie Montoya and Jaden Atcitty have already played big minutes for us through (12) games, and will be huge contributors for us during their high school careers.
Q: What were the keys into creating the culture at Westwood?
A: We’ve worked hard to put our players in positions where they’re making decisions, both on the court and within our program. We want them to have pride in their program, but also take ownership as well. The more they see it as THEIRS the more they want to push to be successful.
Q: What challenges did you face leading into this season due to the pandemic?
A: First, getting full practices was tough at the beginning. We didn’t practice with our entire varsity roster for the first couple weeks. Then getting interest from new students was also tough, our freshman level turnout was low this year.
Despite the obstacles of this pandemic winter season, Coach Campton has done a phenomenal job with his program. There is a mix of upperclassmen and underclassmen talent on his roster. The Lady Warriors look tough for years to come. Congratulations to the Westwood program on an excellent season in 2021.
