The Sedona Red Rock High School’s girls’ varsity basketball team will take the court for the 2023-24 season in its home opener on Thursday, Nov. 16, at 6 p.m. against the Monument Valley Mustangs.
“My goal for the team is to get them to have a better skill base,” new head coach Austin Guastalli said. “It’s a rebuilding year, we lost five seniors last year. It’s a new coach, new program, new philosophy. So for me this year, I’m trying to get them on the same page, boost their skill level and get them to buy into me.”
Guastalli is also pulling triple duty by simultaneously leading both of the junior varsity basketball programs.
“I have a lot of admiration for him because it’s not easy coaching three different teams,” senior Skyrah Wilmer said. “I know last year, it [was] hard for coach [Kirk] Westervelt to just handle the girls varsity team, but [Guastalli is] doing that plus the JV teams. He’s doing a great job with how much he has, and I appreciate all his hard work.”
“I was nervous coming into this year and we didn’t know who our coach was,” senior Skyla Bird said. “But [Guastalli] stepped in and he’s doing good. I like his teaching. He’s a lot like our old coach, but he also mixes up the drills a bit more and he focuses more on having good basketball IQ, which we focused on before, but we were more strict with plays.”
“I am new to the area,” Guastalli said. “I just moved in July and right now I’ve been working at the high school substitute teaching. I graduated from the University of Tennessee. I was a walk-on there and played basketball back in the early 2000s. I got my degree from there [in 2005] and was a police officer for about 10 years. Now, I’m just trying to make my way in a new place.”
Basketball has always been a major part of Guastalli’s life as an official and as a college and high school player.
“I’m vertically challenged,” Guastalli, who stands five feet, six inches tall, said. “You don’t look at me and see a Division I player, probably no one does. But I played for one of the best SEC programs at the time basketball-wise, and my coach saw something in me. She saw work ethic, she saw value in my grades, like my A average for the team, she saw things in me that I wanted so many other coaches to see … I want to give that to these kids. I want them to know that I believe in them and that I see things and I watch them and I know who they are as a person. Whether they decide to play in college or [not], I value them as a person.”
Guastalli added that one of his goals for the season is to instill a new approach to the game. He also wants to find opportunities to expand basketball in the Verde Valley during the off-season, such as offering a club team.
“I think that would be great for them to see,” Guastalli said. “They’re willing to work and they want to learn and they’re hungry for that. So I appreciate that and I want to reciprocate and give them the information they need to be successful, basketball-wise.”
Seniors Skyrah Wilmer, Skyla Bird and Citlali Perez are critical to this season, Gustalli explained.
“They’re the foundation that we’re trying to build the season on,” he said. “We’ll live or die with their leadership and their ability to execute. But I feel fortunate because they have really good personalities and they’re really fun to work with.”
Wilmer said the seniors feel confident about the future of the program beyond this season.
“I’m sad that this is my last year playing basketball. I’ve been playing since sixth grade,” Wilmer said. “But I’m looking forward to leaving the team to the girls we have right now. I think they’re really strong and that they’re going to make a good team next year.
“I am going into acting so I’m looking at colleges for that. I’m also looking at [Northern Arizona University] right now, so I could potentially continue playing basketball in my college career, which would be fun. I’d probably do something where I can major in acting and then play ball … I really like horror movies. And I really hope that someday I will get to star in a horror movie.”
“I feel pretty good about [this season], it seems like it will be fun,” sophomore Maria Saldaña said. “Our teamwork and the way we [have] been working together have been good. I feel like we communicate a lot, we understand what we all like talking about on the court.”
Guastalli said that one of his goals is to develop people who can handle adversity.
“You need to be good in the classroom, take care of your business there,” Guastalli said. “Outside of the basketball season, I want them to be good people, good representations of not only the program and the school [but of] themselves. So drilling in not just the X’s and O’s of plays, but also what do you do when your teammates are not having a good day? Just stand there and watch her struggle? Are you going to bring her up? … Because we win and lose as a team. You could have 50 points yourself. But if nobody else is playing up to their potential, we’re not going to win.”
Sedona Red Rock High School Girls Basketball Team
Not pictured: Citlali Perez
