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By John McKelvey
Transcript Sports Writer
OKLAHOMA CITY — Four years ago, a wide-eyed, stick thin freshman with goggles trotted onto the Westmoore basketball court to start her first varsity game.
Wednesday, Ashley Gomez, sitting in her coach’s office, wore a Xavier fleece jacket and a wide smile.
Things have changed. She’s taller now, stronger too.
More importantly, Westmoore is ranked No. 3, she’s committed to playing college basketball at the Cincinnati university and yes, those goggles are gone. “I wear contacts now, praise the Lord,” Gomez said. “When I wore goggles, I was not the same player I am today. I couldn’t dribble the ball or shoot or anything, really. I just got in because I was fast.”
That speed became a building block for the senior. She’s now one of the more feared shooters in the state, too.
She leads a trio of seniors, all four-year starters, along with Sydney Chastain and Kaci Richardson. Westmoore is one of the state’s best teams, though it wasn’t always that way. Gomez’s freshman year, the Jaguars finished 9-13.
“These girls have worked consistently throughout the year to continue to get better as individual players, and that’s why we’ve seen this program grow to where it is,” coach Andrea Guziec said.
That work started even before Gomez’s feet touched the hardwood. Guziec admitted that “never in a million years” did she think Gomez, who she saw play as an eighth grader, would start varsity as a ninth grader.
That summer, anticipating high school was going to be a different game, Gomez sought the help of former Oklahoma assistant and Norman High and Connecticut product Stacey Hansmeyer.
“Shooting lessons, ballhandling, skill-work lessons with her on an individual basis. From what I understand, she did that weekly, maybe more than once a week, for that entire summer before her freshman year,” Guziec said. “She came in still with a lot of (things to work on), but her shot was good. I think it was just a couple of games into the season when she became a starter.”
Gomez remembers a difficult, yet rewarding summer.
“She definitely changed the kind of player I am,” Gomez said. “Honestly, every single practice I would cry, every single day. I don’t know why I kept going because I cried every time.”
It was about that time, when Gomez came to a realization. She and her father, Bob, had discussed the ramifications of choosing either soccer or basketball as a primary sport. Gomez wanted to be a college athlete and soccer seemed like an easier route.
“I’ve always been the type of person that if someone tells me I can’t do something, I want to do it,” Gomez said. “When that happened, I was like, ‘I think I’m going to stick to basketball’ and my dad was like, ‘Oh Lord.’ I definitely just pushed really hard after that.”
It was fortuitous decision.
Once, just hoping to land a scholarship, Gomez eventually had many choices. In choosing Xavier, she’ll be joining a Musketeer program that’s been as far as the Elite Eight and in third place in the Big East standings with a 17-6 record.
“It means the world to me,” Gomez said. “I’ve worked really hard to get where I am. I was in the gym a lot every single summer. To just get an offer, I was just in awe. Then, coming to make my decision I was like, ‘I’ve worked so hard to go D-1. It’s my dream. I love the coaching staff at Xavier. They’ve just got so much going for them.’ “They just really need a shooter and I think I’m going to be able to impact them like they’re going to impact me.”
Still, choosing Xavier meant letting others down.
“That’s what kind of scared me, because I got so close with all the coaches at every school,” Gomez said. “I’m going to have to tell most of these people no. I’m not going to be able to spend four years with you. That was tough but it all just came down to where I felt the most at home ... There was so much going on at Xavier, it just felt like a perfect fit.”
If Gomez needed reference for that perfect fit, she could look at her Jaguar team. She plays with a pass-first point guard in Chastain. Richardson is a rebounding machine.
Gomez’s role? That’s an easy one.
“She hits them. There’s no doubt about that,” Chastain said. “It’s just making sure she gets the ball, and when she does make it, and I know it’s from my pass, it’s an awesome feeling.”
There’s still much to accomplish where Gomez is now.
Westmoore has spent time at No. 1 and is a favorite to reach the state tournament and, should it get there, make a run for its third state title and its first since 2002.
It’s easy for the passerby to notice how much the trio has changed Jaguar basketball just by looking at the win totals. Gomez is waiting until the postseason concludes to reflect on her career. Mostly, anyway.
“We always look back and say three years ago where we would be, but that’s not really our goal this year. Our goal is where do we want to be at the end of this year,” Gomez said. “After we win a state championship, then we can go back and reflect.
“But, when you think about it, it’s like ‘Wow.’ Three years ago, we wouldn’t have been able to pull out close games like we are this year. We obviously have a lot to work on before state, but it’s cool thinking of how far we’ve come.”
Transcript Sports Writer
OKLAHOMA CITY — Four years ago, a wide-eyed, stick thin freshman with goggles trotted onto the Westmoore basketball court to start her first varsity game.
Wednesday, Ashley Gomez, sitting in her coach’s office, wore a Xavier fleece jacket and a wide smile.
Things have changed. She’s taller now, stronger too.
More importantly, Westmoore is ranked No. 3, she’s committed to playing college basketball at the Cincinnati university and yes, those goggles are gone. “I wear contacts now, praise the Lord,” Gomez said. “When I wore goggles, I was not the same player I am today. I couldn’t dribble the ball or shoot or anything, really. I just got in because I was fast.”
That speed became a building block for the senior. She’s now one of the more feared shooters in the state, too.
She leads a trio of seniors, all four-year starters, along with Sydney Chastain and Kaci Richardson. Westmoore is one of the state’s best teams, though it wasn’t always that way. Gomez’s freshman year, the Jaguars finished 9-13.
“These girls have worked consistently throughout the year to continue to get better as individual players, and that’s why we’ve seen this program grow to where it is,” coach Andrea Guziec said.
That work started even before Gomez’s feet touched the hardwood. Guziec admitted that “never in a million years” did she think Gomez, who she saw play as an eighth grader, would start varsity as a ninth grader.
That summer, anticipating high school was going to be a different game, Gomez sought the help of former Oklahoma assistant and Norman High and Connecticut product Stacey Hansmeyer.
“Shooting lessons, ballhandling, skill-work lessons with her on an individual basis. From what I understand, she did that weekly, maybe more than once a week, for that entire summer before her freshman year,” Guziec said. “She came in still with a lot of (things to work on), but her shot was good. I think it was just a couple of games into the season when she became a starter.”
Gomez remembers a difficult, yet rewarding summer.
“She definitely changed the kind of player I am,” Gomez said. “Honestly, every single practice I would cry, every single day. I don’t know why I kept going because I cried every time.”
It was about that time, when Gomez came to a realization. She and her father, Bob, had discussed the ramifications of choosing either soccer or basketball as a primary sport. Gomez wanted to be a college athlete and soccer seemed like an easier route.
“I’ve always been the type of person that if someone tells me I can’t do something, I want to do it,” Gomez said. “When that happened, I was like, ‘I think I’m going to stick to basketball’ and my dad was like, ‘Oh Lord.’ I definitely just pushed really hard after that.”
It was fortuitous decision.
Once, just hoping to land a scholarship, Gomez eventually had many choices. In choosing Xavier, she’ll be joining a Musketeer program that’s been as far as the Elite Eight and in third place in the Big East standings with a 17-6 record.
“It means the world to me,” Gomez said. “I’ve worked really hard to get where I am. I was in the gym a lot every single summer. To just get an offer, I was just in awe. Then, coming to make my decision I was like, ‘I’ve worked so hard to go D-1. It’s my dream. I love the coaching staff at Xavier. They’ve just got so much going for them.’ “They just really need a shooter and I think I’m going to be able to impact them like they’re going to impact me.”
Still, choosing Xavier meant letting others down.
“That’s what kind of scared me, because I got so close with all the coaches at every school,” Gomez said. “I’m going to have to tell most of these people no. I’m not going to be able to spend four years with you. That was tough but it all just came down to where I felt the most at home ... There was so much going on at Xavier, it just felt like a perfect fit.”
If Gomez needed reference for that perfect fit, she could look at her Jaguar team. She plays with a pass-first point guard in Chastain. Richardson is a rebounding machine.
Gomez’s role? That’s an easy one.
“She hits them. There’s no doubt about that,” Chastain said. “It’s just making sure she gets the ball, and when she does make it, and I know it’s from my pass, it’s an awesome feeling.”
There’s still much to accomplish where Gomez is now.
Westmoore has spent time at No. 1 and is a favorite to reach the state tournament and, should it get there, make a run for its third state title and its first since 2002.
It’s easy for the passerby to notice how much the trio has changed Jaguar basketball just by looking at the win totals. Gomez is waiting until the postseason concludes to reflect on her career. Mostly, anyway.
“We always look back and say three years ago where we would be, but that’s not really our goal this year. Our goal is where do we want to be at the end of this year,” Gomez said. “After we win a state championship, then we can go back and reflect.
“But, when you think about it, it’s like ‘Wow.’ Three years ago, we wouldn’t have been able to pull out close games like we are this year. We obviously have a lot to work on before state, but it’s cool thinking of how far we’ve come.”