By Richard Smith

West Valley Preps

It is fair to say Valley Vista senior basketball star Taylor Chavez already has a lot.

While the popularity of girls basketball continues to grow, a top 50 national ranking in a senior class, a profile on ESPNw and a signing day choice between five name brand colleges remains rare for a high school player. Chavez experienced all three in the fall, and chose Oregon over USC, Baylor, Northwestern and Washington.

But there is one thing Chavez want to earn in her season that has nothing to do with hype. After leading the Monsoon to its first state title while averaging 20.5 points per game, she wants to leave raising another trophy with some of her closest friends.

“Coming off a season like that, you don’t want any other finish, especially in your last year. That’s the standard now with Valley Vista basketball, to win it,” Chavez said. “Th difficult part is getting the young people to see that it takes a team to win a state championship, not just the four seniors.”

Valley Vista has been on the short list of big school title contenders her entire career, but finding the right mix was not easy. She started as a freshman and fellow newcomers Clarissa Rodarte and Rayah Craig also played large roles.

Sophomore post Kiara Edwards was a future Division I player and several seniors — including Taylor’s older sister, Peyton — were there. The Monsoon lost to Goodyear Millennium in the Division I quarterfinals.

“Our freshman year, especially for me and Clarissa, was awful. We had a really talented team but we really didn’t click as a team. That really made us realize we’ve got to find a way to get this team to have chemistry,” Chavez said. “We had a couple really good young players and we had a couple older players that were like, ‘Oh, hold on. These young ones are coming in and taking my starting position.’ Therewas a lot of awkward tension and that kind of ruined that freshman year.”

Craig transferred to Scottsdale Desert Mountain before their sophomore year, and has played well enough there to sign with Duke. Meanwhile, anothersophomore Terrysha Bannertransferred to Valley

Vista from Millennium but had to sit out until right before they playoffs because that transfer was disputed.

Chavez said she felt like the team had the pieces in her sophomore year but played a bad game in the semifinals against Chandler Hamilton, after knocking off the Huskies on their home court earlier in that year.

For the Monsoon to raise that banner, all of them needed to mature.

“My junior year was like a total change mentally. We knew we could win it and I though it was the biggest change. We were just done losing,” Chavez said. “I remember my freshman and sophomore year, and it’s crazy looking back and seeing how immature I was basketball- wise and preparing for a state tournament.”

The path to the state title was not without bumps last season. But the program made it, beating Millennium 44-36 in the final, thanks to large contributions from seniors like Edwards and Lauryn Satterwhite.

Chavez said the key was that everyone playing in that 6A title run contributed to the team. For example, she said, senior Miyah Ursery had double digit rebounds in a semifinal slugfest with Phoenix Mountain Pointe and played crucial post defense in the state title game.

Tiana holds everybody accountable, sets screens that free the scorers.

Plus, with Banner there from the start, the two guards learned how to play off each other and relieve some of the pressure of running an offense.

“Me and her can go back between the 1 and the 2,” Chavez said.

This year, Chavez, Rodarte, Banner and fellow senior Tiana Brown are the unquestioned leaders of an otherwise very young team.

“Taylor has the ability to connect with every player. She knows her personnel really well,” Brown said.

Valley Vista enters the playoffs 21-6 and the likely No. 3 seed in 6A — the same seed as last season. Chavez leads the squad with 23.8 points, 5.7 assists and 5.7 steal per game, plus she chips in 7.8 rebounds a contest.

“Taylor is an all-around great player. She can ‘ameoba’ herself into the things that were struggling with and improve them,” Coach Rachel Matakas said. “She’s kind of like the momma duck in a way. When she speaks, they all listen. She’s come to me and said some things and I’ve said, ‘OK, let’s go for it.’ Rysha, as the defensive mother, will say maybe we should go matchup or go 2- 3 or manto man. They’re on the floor and they’re competing and see something.”

Banner said Chavez is the focal point of the group outside of basketball too.

“Taylor really helps everybody improve on the court and off the court. She’s a vocal leader. In academics too, if you need any help you can go through her,” Banner said.

The seniors’ focus has been the other eight players on the roster with practically zero varsity experience — two juniors, four sophomores and two freshmen. Only

freshman forward Marisa Davis, the Monsoon’s most touted newcomer since Chavez, was ready to step into a big role right away.

But late in the season, Chavez said, The kids are starting to figure it out. Coming back Feb. 6 to beat Millennium 64-62 and split with the Tigers was huge for the team’s confidence, she said.

“Since it’s only us four who have been there and won state, we’re trying to show the younger girls, and to let them know what the state playoffs are about,” Rodarte said.

Following the last title push, Chavez is off to Eugene. Chavez said she likes coach Kelly Graves and his offensive philosophy, as well as the work assistant Mark Campbell does with the Ducks defense.

But more than anything, she said, Oregon players had the close relationships similar to the ones she’s built at Valley Vista and on her Arizona Select club team.

“I also like the Pac-12 a lot and their style of play. That was a huge part of it,” Chavez said. “And I know they just went to the Elite 8 and had a run of upsets. Playing with someone like Sabrina Ionescu was intriguing and they got transfer Erin Boley. Everything just fell into place when it came to Oregon and the signs pointed toward them.”

Valley Vista's Taylor Chavez (#3) reacts as the Monsoon receive the first-place trophy after their win against Millennium in the 6A girls basketball championship game Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2017 at Grand Canyon University Arena in Phoenix. (Jacob Stanek/Independent Newsmedia)