Boys Basketball Team Gearing Up for Season

Boys Basketball Team Gearing Up for Season

Marcus Valdez, Contributor

The Sahuaro Cougars basketball program has been one of the best for the last 40 years. Coach Dick McConnell started the program and he was the the “all-time wins leader” coach in Arizona. McConnell led the state with a total of 774 wins. McConnell led the Sahuaro Cougars basketball team to four state titles. Current coach, Coach Henry, has taken this job very seriously leading the team to many state playoffs. I talked to coach Henry to get his thought on how the team is looking this year.
When I asked Coach Henry on how the team looks this year he said, “The varsity team shows a lot of potential! If we can continue to play together and come together as a team we have huge potential. We have guards who can handle the ball, shoot, and we also have bigs who can play inside.” Coach Henry and the Cougars play in the Hardwood Hoops Fall League where they have started 3-1. Many high school teams play in league games to prepare for the regular season. The Cougars in the first week beat Cholla 46-42, in the subsequent game the Cougars lost to Sunnyside High School 41-36. Two weeks later the Cougars had to play against Tanque Verde and Buena. The Cougars beat both teams and looked very good as a team. I also asked the JV coach Matt Botkin about how he thought the varsity team looks this year. “We can be a great team, if we can play together and keep our mental focus throughout the game. We have all the pieces to be a state playoff team. Even with one of the most difficult schedules in the state,” Coach Botkin said.
To get prepared for the season the Cougars Freshman, JV, and Varsity teams all workout on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday. During those days the teams do weight lifting, conditioning, and open gym. Open gym consists of a lot of five on five play and team drills so the team will be prepared for the season.