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Daily Pilot Athlete of the Week: Xochitl Byfield - No sophomore

jinx

Tony Altobelli

She may be a sophomore, but one thing is for sure about Estancia

High girls basketball standout Xochitl Byfield: She’s not inexperienced.

“I’ve been playing basketball since the fifth grade with the American

Roundball Corporation, playing some pretty competitive basketball,”

Byfield said. “It’s a travel team and we’ve played in Florida, Santa

Barbara and Las Vegas, among other places.”

As far as the Eagles are concerned, Byfield needs only to be

successful in such exotic cities as Irvine, Laguna Beach, Corona del Mar

and Costa Mesa, thank you very much.

So far, so good for the Daily Pilot Athlete of the Week. Estancia

opened its Pacific Coast League schedule with four straight wins, giving

the Eagles a one-game edge over Costa Mesa and University, with Byfield

leading the attack.

“Xochitl has really stepped up her game for us,” Estancia Coach Paul

Kirby said. “She’s been playing out of position most of the season as a

forward. She uses her quickness to get around her bigger defenders.”

That speed really came in handy against crosstown rival Costa Mesa on

Jan. 11, when she scored 18 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, dished out three

assists and had two steals in the Eagles’ 42-26 PCL win.

“It’s always nice to beat Costa Mesa,” Byfield said with a laugh. “Our

team is playing with a lot of confidence right now and we’re doing a good

job of communicating well on the court.”

What a difference a year makes for Byfield, both in her numbers and in

her frame of mind.

“As a freshman last year, I was a lot more afraid of making mistakes

on the court,” Byfield said. “If I had the open shot, I would either

hesitate or just dish it off to someone else. This year, I’m much more

comfortable out there.”

If the numbers are a reflection of playing out of position, the

forwards around the PCL are hoping the 5-foot-9 Byfield moves back to

guard soon.

Byfield is leading the Eagles in scoring in four PCL contests,

averaging 12 points per game. She has scored more than 15 points six

times this season and 20 or more twice.

“Coach Kirby says I have a quick first step to the basket, so I try to

use that to my advantage,” Byfield said. “If the person guarding me is

bigger and slower, I’ll try to go by them for layups.”

If the opposition starts to slough off of Byfield in order to prevent

layups, she’ll beat them from long range.

“I’ve been really working hard on shooting off the dribble,” Byfield

said. “Coach Kirby has really been working with me on that. Most of my

life, I’ve been just a set shooter. My favorite play is the one where I’m

fading away from the ball and I catch it and shoot it in one motion. I

love that.”

Even with seven seniors on the team, Byfield isn’t afraid to speak her

mind on the court. “If we’re down, I try to be the spiritual leader on

the floor,” Byfield said. “I’m always out there trying to pump our team

up.”

If the stars and planets line up for Byfield, look for her playing

either down the road at Long Beach State, or in Knoxville, Tenn. at the

University of Tennessee.

“I’d love to be able to play at either one of those schools someday,”

Byfield said. “That’s two years down the road though. I’ve just got to

keep working hard and do the best I can.”

With team harmony at an all-time high, Byfield and teammate Zuyin

Barrera have given each other role models to pattern their game after.

She’s ‘Shaq’ and I’m ‘Kobe,’ ” Byfield said, referring to the Los

Angeles Lakers duo.

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