The Phoenix Mercury to Xavier College Prep pipeline continues.
Visit newsbetsport.bond for more information.
After Jennifer Gillom decided to retire earlier this month following her second stint with the school, Xavier has found its new basketball coach. Elijah Knox has been hired to lead the Xavier program.
Knox, 35, is a former player development coach with the Phoenix Mercury and Seattle Storm. He follows in the footsteps of Gillom, who was the Mercury’s first player in franchise history and created the “Mighty Mercury” chant.
He’s already been involved with the program, training three starters — Noelle Guiamatsia, Maureen Ulrich and Dominique Nesland — from the 2024 Open Division girls high school championship team.
Knox hopes to get Xavier back to being a perennial Open contender. The Gators reached the quarterfinals in 2025 and lost in the first round in 2026.
“Long-term, I definitely want to get back to a place where Xavier is a place people want to come there, obviously for the academics and the network, but also for basketball,” Knox said. “I think it won’t take long to turn around. I’m hoping that in June ball, people can see the product we’re putting out there to really understand what we’re trying to do.”
A former prep player at Cave Creek Cactus Shadows after moving from Chicago as a sophomore, Knox has deep ties to the state. He played for coach Dirk Walker for two years before moving on to Simpson College, where he played point guard. Knox was still in college when he first began coaching.
After finishing college, he started coaching an AAU team. Knox then moved back to Arizona in 2015 and worked at Life Time Fitness as a personal trainer, where his business grew so much that he had to split off and create his own. This led to the creation of Arizona Athletics, a training program for youth basketball teams.
At its peak, Arizona Athletics had 14 club teams.
It was during the COVID-19 pandemic that Knox got his first opportunity with the WNBA. Madeline Sulka, a video coordinator with the Mercury at the time, reached out to Knox to see if he was available.
The athlete he trained? Diana Taurasi.
“I made time for DT,” Knox said with a hint of laughter. “Maddie was the one who gave me a big alley-oop there.”
Knox’s club teams reached great heights, winning the Under-16 adidas Gold National Championship in 2023. The team, “Arizona Pride,” was sponsored by Sophie Cunningham.
He is no longer associated with club basketball and is now focused on the high school scene. It is the first high school coaching job for Knox, but he feels prepared.
“I’ve run 17 club teams at one time,” Knox said. “Running freshman through varsity can’t be that much more difficult. It’s definitely big shoes to fill with Gillom, but I’m not too worried about it.”
Deepening the Mercury-Xavier connection, former coach Sandy Brondello’s daughter, Jayda Lange, is on the team. Lange missed most of the season with the injury, but is expected back for the 2026-27 season. Knox worked under Brondello.
“It’s crazy how the worlds collide again,” Knox said.
The challenge ahead won’t be easy for Knox.
Goodyear Millennium has ascended to dynasty status, coming off its second straight Open title and seventh overall since 2019. Chandler Hamilton just hired one of the top up-and-coming coaches in the state, Charles Wilson. Gilbert Campo Verde and Phoenix Desert Vista have nationally ranked recruits.
“I don’t want to say we’re going to live and die by winning a championship,” Knox said. “But I definitely do want to make a good, solid run this year and then who knows what happens the following years. We won’t drop the ball. Xavier’s going to be on the way up.”
Logan Stanley is a sports reporter with The Arizona Republic who primarily focuses on high school, college and Olympic sports. To suggest ideas for human-interest stories and other news, reach out to Stanley at [email protected] or 707-293-7650. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter: @LSscribe.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Xavier Prep hires girls' basketball coach with WNBA ties