Arizona girls basketball teams look to claim spot among the best at Nike TOC

All Jeff Kain did was fill out a questionnaire. The growing reputation of Arizona girls basketball and recent success for Hamilton (Chandler) did the rest.

The Huskies enter the Nike Tournament of Champions this week in the Joe Smith bracket, always the premier bracket in one of the season's top national events, trying to find themselves among the nation's elite.

"We happened to be placed there," Kain said. "I filled out a questionnaire and that's where we ended up. We are looking forward to the challenge."

The Huskies, who opened the year 6-0, are one of three Arizona teams placed in the Joe Smith Division bracket, as Division I defending champion Desert Vista (Phoenix) and Millennium (Goodyear) are also in the 16-team bracket.

"We've played in this tournament the last few years, but we've never played in the top bracket before," said Millennium coach Courtland Rojeck, whose squad is 9-0 and faces Riverdale Baptist, which was ranked No. 1 in the Xcellent 25 earlier this season but has dropped out. "The girls are excited about the opportunity. They were freshmen and sophomores a few years back playing together and now they are playing at a high level against national competition.

"It's been great progress and this experience can help us reach a new level."

The Arizona trio will be joined by teams like Blackman, a program from Tennessee that began the year as the Xcellent 25 preseason No. 1, along with Maryland's Riverdale Baptist, California's St. Mary's, Chaminade, Mater Dei and Long Beach Poly.

The Joe Smith will be the bracket to watch from Thursday through Monday, with Sunday off, as the games are played at Hamilton in Chandler, Perry High in Gilbert and the Kroc Center in Phoenix.

There are 85 teams in all converging upon Arizona with teams coming from all over the country with nearly as many college scouts in attendance.

There are two quality teams from Canada in Brookswood Secondary and St. Mary's Catholic that will be in the Mike Desper Division bracket while the James Anderson Division features teams like Brea Olinda from California and Central Catholic from Portland.

For the most part, however, the eyes will be on the Joe Smith Division and if an Arizona team can find a way to the championship game it will only strengthen the belief that some of the top talent resides in Arizona.

"The last couple of years have been really good for (Arizona)," Kain said. "Desert Vista did really well last year. Every year there is someone competing for a championship. It's been a good run and hopefully we can keep it going."

Desert Vista, which opens the tournament against Dillard (Fla.), has a new coach who was a late hire in Will Gray, but the talent is there with two Pac-12 recruits in Sabrina Haines, who is headed to Arizona State, and Kristine Anigwe, who is committed to Cal.

"It's hard to get ready for a Nike tournament (with so many lopsided games)," Gray said. "They can get complacent because the game is so easy. Their energy level drops and their intensity level too because they know they are not getting challenged.
 
"I've only had them for a month or so, I am still getting a fair assessment of who we are. This will give us a better idea."

The Huskies, who open against No. 3 Blackman, have plenty of talent but some of it is unknown because of youth and transfers, including Canadian import Zayn Dornstauder.

"We are winning, improving and the transition has gone OK," Kain said. "We are still fitting in and working together. We are playing where we need to be to win, but this is going to be a different kind of test. It's going to be a challenge.

"We will get better because of this. We can play without worrying about power points and just find out what we can do and represent Arizona as best as we can."

Jason P. Skoda, a former Arizona Republic and current Ahwatukee Foothills News staff writer, is a 20-year sports writing veteran. Contact him at jskoda1024@aol.com or 480-272-2449.