Sedona Red Rock High School’s girls basketball team frequently plays with what is essentially a five-guard lineup. With that, the Scorpions apply smothering pressure with a full-court press on defense. On occasion, though, the press is broken and the opponents get a chance to set up their half-court offense.
When that happens, sophomore Stephanie Medel’s role on the team gets amplified. At 5 feet 10 inches, Medel has the height to match most of her opponents in the low post, but is much lighter than most of them. Despite that, Medel has found a way to rebound effectively enough to help the Scorpions sit at 6-2.
“Boxing out is probably the main key,” Medel said. “Try to get them out of the way, go in front and just be faster than all of them.”
Coach Kirk Westervelt said Medel “can knife to the basket and she’s quick to the ball on defense.
“To me she’s like a quick slashing forward but she can defend inside. I just don’t want her getting beaten up the entire game. But what’s our alternative?”
Medel’s rebounding prowess isn’t only necessary for preventing second chance points from the opposition [or creating them for the Scorpions when they’re on offense]. Offensively, Sedona’s five-guard lineup relies very heavily on running up the court and scoring on fast breaks.
Oftentimes, the outlet passes made by the rebounding players are as important to a fast break as the guards running them. That makes Medel’s prowess as a passer even more vital.
“She always looks for the pass and knows who to pass it to,” fellow sophomore Diana Raudales noted.
When the team isn’t playing, one of Medel’s passions is dancing. She used to be in the school’s hip-hop dance club. Dancing is something that helps Medel and her teammates stay loose, something that Westervelt noted is vital to having a good team.
“We’re out there and having fun,” the coach said. “When it’s serious, she’s serious. But they’ve got to have fun, too. We’re not an NBA team. We’re not a Division I college team. We expect hard work from the girls, but we’ve got to have fun, too. And she does keep them loose with her attitude, and she’s got a great smile. It pushes off on the team.”
While only a sophomore, Medel has some varied goals for what she wants to do after high school. One goal is to become an orthodontist, which she noted comes from having problems in her mouth and wanting to better understand what causes them and how they can be fixed. Another possible career path stems from another passion of Medel’s — interior design.
“I kind of like to imagine things and create things,” she said. “I’ve always found houses really interesting. Just things that make everything fit together. Things that match.”
In addition to her athletic prowess, Medel is also a strong student, making the honor roll. Her friends and teammates also see her as a person who can help them relax a bit, especially when things aren’t going great on the floor.
“She’s great in school and really cares about her education,” Raudales said. “She doesn’t want anyone to feel bad for themselves because of a loss. So she makes everyone happy.”
“She’s very pushed to make sure that she’s a good student in school, very educationally driven,” another teammate, sophomore Hannah Lanchbury said. “She’s a really fun person to just be around in general — just relaxed and fun and a really good person to be friends with.”
What’s next: After winter break, Medel and her Scorpion teammates will return to the court on Saturday, Jan. 4 for a road game against Page. The opening tip for that game is scheduled for 2:30 p.m.
SRRHS will then be at home for its next two games. The first will be a rivalry game against Camp Verde on Friday, Jan. 10 at 5:30 p.m. Sedona will be back in action on Tuesday, Jan. 14 for a 6 p.m. home game against Glendale Prep.
