by By Dan Ninham
Alexis Jones-Ibarra is going into her junior year at Red Mountain HS in Mesa, AZ.
“I am from Fort McDowell, AZ,” said Alexis. “NWT (Natives With Talent) is the club ball team I compete for and I also compete for Red Mountain High School.”
“My tribes are Fort McDowell Yavapai, San Carlos Apache, Mescalero Apache, and Gila River Pima,” said Alexis. “I am the great granddaughter of Evangeline Smith of San Carlos and the late Gilbert Jones Sr. of Fort McDowell.”
Alexis was a two-year varsity player as a freshman and sophomore. She was invited to represent Team USA with 365sports in the Bahamas. She was also on two national championship teams in Las Vegas, NV and OK.
“Yavapai women are the back bone of our people,” said Alexis. “We are powerful and strong and I like to represent those same values while on the court by being loud and leading the team and also using my strength in my post moves and on defense.”
“My goal as a basketball player is to get into any college to play basketball and for education as well,” said Alexis. “I will work extremely hard as I can to get to where I want to be.”
“My mentor is my older sister Lucy Sanchez,” said Alexis. “Growing up I always admired how dominant she was on the court and I always wanted to be exactly like her when I got older. My sister has provided a lot for us from tournament fees to basketballs, basketball shoes, and traveling fees. She has always provided for my siblings and I off the court as well and I appreciate her a lot. I thank her so much for introducing me to the game of basketball.”
“Alexis has always been extremely passionate about basketball,” said older sister Lucy Sanchez. “She was my biggest fan and supporter when I played, and the loudest one in the gym cheering as young as she was. She wanted to be in the team huddles after my games.”
“I remember when Alexis was in kindergarten, and she was invited to play in a tournament. It was her first time ever playing in an actual game but she went out there and played her little heart out and was rewarded with MVP of the tournament!” added Lucy.
“Unfortunately, the following school year she had to move to Mexico,” said Lucy. “That did not stop her from learning the game, she was able to find a coach that showed her basic skills. Every time she would come and visit us in Arizona the first thing she would say is, ‘Is there any tournaments this weekend?’.”
“Alexis was determined and wanted the competition so bad, she came back to Arizona to live with myself and our grandmother when she was in fifth grade. After school she was always at the gym putting up shots, working on her post moves, playing 5-on-5 with the boys,” added Lucy.
“For three years she played on the Fort McDowell Boys team with Coach Darrell Pattea,” said Lucy. “Playing with and against boys really built up her strength and knowledge of the game.”
“In eighth grade we found the perfect elite girls team for her, NWT, with coach Jerry (JJ) Jones, said Lucy. “He has pushed her above and beyond to be the best basketball player she is today.”
“Today, she’s almost unstoppable in the paint,” said Lucy. “A lot of the times opponents are afraid to guard her because of her strength or coaches are scrambling around to figure out who’s going to guard her to stop her from pushing her way to the basket.”
“Alexis knows there’s always room for improvement and she’s willing to work for it,” added Lucy.
“My coaches for NWT are JJ Jones and Brandon Nahsonhoya,” said Alexis. “Since JJ became my coach he’s become a father figure to me both on and off the court. His knowledge of the sport has given me a lot more insight and allowed me to bring forth my talent. Off the court he inspires me to be a better human and I’ve learned to control myself and strive to be the best person I can be respectfully.”
“Alexis’ strongest attribute would be her dominance under the basket,” said JJ Jones, NWT club coach. “Alexis came to my program about four years ago. With her size and strength I knew and was hoping she could become one of the best post players I’ve seen and with that she has. She has had bigger girls try to keep her out of the paint but she’s worked so hard on her footwork and drop-step that it’s really hard to stop.”
“She’s had games where she’d score the first eight points in a game and with that comes double teams. Once they do that it opens up so many other opportunities. Her vision of seeing people cut is amazing, not only is she dominating in the paint she has a beautiful shot from 15 feet. She is very unselfish but a huge presence in the paint offensively and defensively,” added JJ Jones.
“Alexis is a joy to coach,” said Brandon Nahsonhoya, Co-Head Coach of NWT. “Always willing to learn, listen, and improve as a player. Being our post player she has a lot of responsibilities controlling the middle, talking on defense and shutting down the opposing big. She has developed her post game and when she puts her mind to it, she can be an unstoppable force inside.”
“She can also stretch the court with her tremendous three-point shooting abilities and finish off if needed at the free-throw line. Her up-beat attitude and fun- loving demeanor is infectious within the team and everyone including our fans love her,” added Brandon.
“With Alexis, only she can stop herself, the sky is the limit and we hope to bring that ‘killer instinct’ out of her in the near future,” said Brandon. “Coach J.J. and I continue to encourage her to become more aggressive with her post game and not to be so nice but that is just her, super nice and caring.”
“I cannot imagine my life without basketball,” said Alexis. “I lived in Guadalajara, Mexico for nine years and started basketball there but it wasn’t anything serious or competitive and I wanted the competition so bad.”
“I moved back to the U.S. with my grandmother and older sister in Fort McDowell when I was in fifth grade and my basketball career started from there. I’ve been through so much growing up and basketball has always been the answer to my problems. It sets my mind free.”
“I’m really proud of myself for how good I’ve become playing but there’s so much more I’d like to improve,” said Alexis.
Photo Credit: Antonio Ibarra
You are awesome Alexis! I can relate to basketball setting you free when life gets tough. Swimming sets me free too! You keep going girl! You’ll get to play in college too!