Jordan HammSarah Barcello probably shouldn’t have a ton of big-game experience. As a high school freshman, there should be a learning curve, and there shouldn’t be much experience, but that just isn’t the case for the Seton Catholic guard.
“Sarah has an absolute scoring mindset, and she brings tremendous defense. She’s got the length of a post; her wingspan is really long. She has the length of a post and the speed of a guard,” Seton Catholic head girls basketball coach Karen Self said. “She’s really, really composed; she’s really a savvy player.”
You see, success on the court and the last name “Barcello” go hand-in-hand.
Oldest sister Julia, who currently plays at Colgate University, won three state championships at Seton Catholic, as well as the 2014 Gatorade Player of the Year in Arizona.
Older brother Alex, a sophomore at Corona del Sol, is already one of the state’s elite prospects. He has one state title under his belt, and will be going for his second as top-seeded Corona del Sol will play Desert Vista in the Division-I boys final a few hours after Seton Catholic plays in the Division-II state game against Maricopa on Monday.
Last year, Julia and Alex got to experience state championship wins on the same day. This year, Alex and Sarah could do the same.
“It means a lot. My brother and I are close, so to see both of our teams out there on Monday, it would be great,” Barcello said.
As Sarah makes her transition from fan to player on state championship day, her family has helped with her preparation. With four state titles between the eldest two Barcellos, they have passed along some sage older sibling wisdom for her.
“They told me to stay calm and play my game. (They said) don’t worry about how big the arena is, and play like it’s a normal game,” Barcello said.
If Sarah and Alex play like it is a “normal game”, the Barcellos could walk away with the family’s fifth and sixth state titles when Monday rolls around.
