Girls basketball: Scouting St. Viator

St. Viator

Coach: Christina Jost (second season)

Last year’s record: 15-17, 0-9

Graduated players: Colleen Dunne, Annie Campbell, Katie Gavin, Lauren Rooney, Stephanie Mazanek, Mallory Hess, Morgan Hess

Returning players: Erin Fabbri (5-8 Sr. G), Kelsey Trimble (5-10 Sr. G), Susie Moynihan (5-6 Jr. P-G), Jessica Hohlweg (5-11 Jr. F), Maddie McAteer (5-9 Jr. G-F), Kayne Stanley (5-6 Jr. PG), Maggie Leazer (5-8 So. G)

Newcomers: Sam Hogan (5-8, Sr. F), Molly McNamara (5-3 Jr. G), Molly Murphy (5-9 Jr. F), Eilis Finnegan (5-8 Jr G-F)

Outlook: St. Viator enters this season with an optimistic outlook and strong commitment to a newly-established program under coach Christina Jost, who enters her second season. “I am excited to see where this season will take us,” said Jost, a former Buffalo Grove and Virginia Wesleyan standout guard. “The girls put in a lot of good work this summer and have a new found sense of pride in our program. We are expecting continued growth toward our goal of being a prominent contender in the ESCC.” The Lions will have a much different look with the graduation of five seniors (three starters). Three seniors will look to fill those spots (Erin Fabbri, Kelsey Trimble and Sam Hogan). All-area guard Fabbri averaged 15.2 points with 3.2 rebounds as a junior while shooting 46 percent from the 3-point arc. Trimble is a second-year varsity player who can be an offensive threat while providing energy on the defensive end. Hogan is a newcomer this season, but will be looked upon for rebounding and a strong presence in the paint. “Erin started every game for us last season and will be looked to provide leadership on the court for us this season,” Jost said. “She is a talented shooter with an uncanny sense to find the ball and her hard-nosed play brings an energy to our team.” Jost said Trimble is a long guard who can get to the hoop and bring another dimension the offense. “Her anticipation on defense will provide us with steals that we can hopefully generate more point production from this season,” Jost added. “Sam has an excellent work ethic on the court. She also has great knowledge of the game she will give us great minutes this year and provide additional leadership for us.” Four juniors return (Susie Moynihan, Jess Hohlweg, and Maddie McAteer). Kayne Stanley joined the varsity for the last part of the season and post season play. All four juniors will be asked to contribute in big ways this season. “They will be asked to either jump into starting roles or play big minutes this season, but I’m confident they will all contribute in major ways,” Jost said. “Both Susie and Kayne will fill the point guard position for us. They do a nice job of recognizing when we need to run and when we need to settle down and run our half court offense. Maddie and Jess will be asked to play big roles in the paint, most of the time being outsized by our opponent. They both put in great work this summer and I believe will have breakout junior years.” Newcomers Molly Murphy, Molly McNamara, Eilis Finnegan and sophomore Maggie Leazer join the varsity squad this season. Leazer saw some quality time this summer with the team. “Maggie will give us range with our outside shooting and comes up with steals just at the right time,” Jost said. “Molly Murphy will add to our post play and help us on the boards while Molly McNamara and Eilis Finnegan will provide us with good guard play on the outside.” The Lions welcome a challenging schedule and look forward to the competitive ESCC. “I’ve always believed in, to be the best, you have to go up against the best,” Jost said. “And I feel we’ll have the opportunity to do that this year in the ESCC. I’m excited about what our team is capable of and anxious to see us make big strides this year, closing the gap against some of the conference’s top ranked teams.”