Addyson Mahon is an ASU Walter Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Saguaro High School for AZPreps365.com 

With the 2025-2026 season just beginning for the Saguaro High School girls basketball team, this year is all about rebuilding. After most of the team graduated last year and the coaches left with them, Saguaro is now faced with a new coach and a new set of players. 

Throughout the summer, the team has worked on strengthening its performance and learning how to play together as a cohesive unit. When the team from last season graduated and the coaches left with them, the Sabercats had to find a coach who would give them the ability to improve. Coach Alexandra Wampfler is the new girls’ basketball coach. This is her first year coaching at Saguaro, and she is also a teacher at Saguaro. 

This new team consists of 11 girls, with three of them going back and forth between JV and Varsity. With a fresh team comes new experiences and memories being made. 

“Throughout the summer, we just got better, and we got more chemistry as a team,” said sophomore Sofia Cuene. 

The team took the summer to learn how each other play and work in rhythm. 

Coming in as a new coach to a team can be a challenge, and Wampfler is using this as an opportunity to help the team grow and teach them how to find the positive within the game.

“I really wanted to come in and start building a really positive culture as we start growing the program,” said Wampfler. 

Having Wampfler has been beneficial for the girls and has helped them become better players.

“It feels like she really wants to be here, and I think there’s a lot of effort and energy,” said sophomore Penelope Jasso. 

Wampfler and the rest of her coaching staff have started a program within the team called “Beyond the Court,” which allows them to teach the girls lessons about mindset and energy on the bench. The ultimate goal is for the girls to take these lessons past basketball because Wampfler’s overall motto is better basketball players, better people. 

Although the team is young and is still trying to work through its challenges, the Sabercats still find ways to have a positive outlook on their upcoming season. 

“I’m really excited, I think our team has so much potential and there’s so much opportunity for growth,” said Jasso. 

The freshmen have the opportunity to learn from their teammates who have previously been on the team.

“It’s amazing meeting a bunch of new people who have the experience from last year,” said freshman Owyn Goodman. 

The team has an open mind for the upcoming season and is staying optimistic while they learn to play well with each other’s different skills and use that to become one strong unit.