By Zina Garcia
Contributing Writer
Paradise Valley High School and its girl’s basketball program, led by Head Coach Britt Fulk, have built a sense of community and connection by following their motto, “we is greater than me.”
Fulk has won District Coach of the Year on three separate occasions and Region Coach of the Year back-to-back in 2020 and 2021. This season, Fulk hopes to use the Trojans’ motto to guide them to the playoffs for the third year in a row, and they are relying on their four seniors who have a rather unique connection to do so.
Fulk’s program is home to identical twin sisters, Bailey Jimmy and Kaitlyn “KJ” Jimmy. Alongside them are Gianna DeNardo and Ava DeNardo who are triplets. Moreover, according to Fulk, having siblings on the team allows for a special kind of competitiveness that can’t be formed anywhere else.
“I see a lot with the Jimmys especially, they can go at it and they don’t get mad at each other they are truly competing and it’s awesome to see their energy bring up everyone else,” Fulk said.
During their junior season, three out of the four players were double rostered, playing on both varsity and junior varsity with the exception of Kaitlyn Jimmy, who was a starter on varsity. However, the four seniors are enthusiastic about finally being able to play on the court together this year.
“I’m really excited for all of us to play together, I’m hoping we can build on that,” Bailey Jimmy said.
Nevertheless, the road to their long-awaited senior season has not been easy for all of them. Ava DeNardo has struggled with Tourettes since her diagnosis at the age of thirteen. From then on, she has overcome the non-epileptic seizures that prevented her from playing a majority of her high school career.
“My junior season was the first year I could play without tics affecting me on the court and it was the first time I wasn’t embarrassed to be out there,” Ava DeNardo said. “When I scored my first points on varsity it was the second time that coach let me dress, and it meant a lot because I worked hard to get my tics under control.”
The four seniors have recalled the consistent competitiveness that has followed them throughout their athletic careers and how it has helped them develop as players, as well as sisters.
“In our younger years there was a bit more tension because she was on varsity and I was on junior varsity, so there was a little bit of jealousy happening there,” Ava DeNardo said. “But I think as we’ve grown up we’ve gotten closer.”
This season Fulk alongside her staff are excited to see where this strong group of players are going to take them and are proud of how far they have come so far.
“It takes a lot of work to build a program but it has been an absolute joy starting from nothing and being where we are today,” Fulk said.
Comments