The Central Region…
It was kind of like out of the fat into the fire when I left Camelback. The Metro was so tough that I kind of thought going out of the city would give a little relief to the night in and night out struggles. I remember at Camelback, if we had a few games out in the east valley, it felt like they weren’t as tough as we were. Whether true or not, we sold it that way to our guys and we had a pretty good record against those teams over the years. But things were rapidly changing and the Central Region in 1997 where Mountain Pointe played was dynamite. It had Corona del Sol, Marcos de Niza, McClintock, Desert Vista, Chandler, Casa Grande, and Yuma.
We had eleven seniors, all of whom were good players, and three juniors, including the Camelback transfer Adrian Aguayo. The region was all new to me, so I really didn’t know the history of the rivalries in it. Corona del Sol had been dominant and there was the arrival of Desert Vista as a natural rival just down the street from MP. The first Desert Vista- Mountain Pointe football game ended in a victory for the Pride and was followed by students tearing down the goal posts, if that gives you any idea of the feelings of people in Ahwatukee. It has been referred to ever since as the Ahwatukee Bowl and has been a constant nightmare for administrators. They used to play it as the final regular season game and it really did have the air of a bowl game. I don’t think they do that anymore, which is a shame.
We opened the season in the Mountain View Thanksgiving tournament and in the second game, beat Corona del Sol at their gym. That meant a lot to the locals, as I could tell. We lost in the championship game to Mountain View in their gym by three points. We got a technical foul very late in the game when an official said that one of our players, Mike Roanhorse, looked at him funny. They were a great team, though, and we would see them again later.
The first Desert Vista game was something I will never forget. Well, really, every game against them was memorable. But being part of the very first one was special. The gym was always packed when we played them, but the first one at MP had a full gym by the time the freshman game was wrapping up. It was an unbelievable scene as people were being turned away during the jayvee game. There is always a bit of extra pressure in a rivalry game, but this was off the charts. They were a young team and we had veteran players and beat them 56-31. It was actually 56-28, until at the buzzer a DV player threw in a shot from just inside half court. Being a defensive minded guy, I hated that. We beat them again later in the season at their place and I can still see in my mind the kids from MP in the stands chanting “we are- MP”. Over my ten years at MP, we would have many great games with Desert Vista.
We would play St. Mary’s during the year in the McClintock tournament semi-finals. Remember, MP’s 6’10” player had transferred there during the summer. I had planned to give a stirring pre-game speech, but as we walked in the locker room, I heard one of the players growl “this is going to be a f*****g war!” We stopped, turned around, walked out. Couldn’t have said it better myself. We won, and the MP fans really gave it to the kid who transferred.
We also beat Corona del Sol in both league games, and in the region championship game, which meant that we had four victories in one season against the team that had dominated MP over the years. We finished 13-1 in the Central Region, with our only loss coming at Marcos de Niza 72-71. The great thing about the season was the way the eleven returning seniors grasped our message about team defense and believed totally in it. They all were pretty good high school players, which meant we could play deep into our bench, which was a real strength. Even our juniors were good, and one of them, Adrian Aguayo was a starter. One thing you learn about high school coaching is you have to play the hand you are dealt. This was a good hand and one that could force a high tempo offensively and a tough defense in return. I have only been to one Coyotes hockey game in my life, and I had great seats- second row. What amazed me about that game was the intensity of the play and the frequency of substitutions. I always imagined what it would be like to have a basketball team that was pretty good and equal from top to bottom- then you could play hockey style- guys giving it all they had for two or three minutes and then being replaced with other guys who kept the level of play very high. The ’97 MP team came as close to that as I have ever had. It is funny now, because people have always associated me with the spread offense and slow down tactics, but those were the result of the various hands we were dealt over the years. We spread it in ’97, too, but we also pressed, and ran, and played up tempo because we could.
We made it to the state quarter-finals, which were played at Chandler High School against Mountain View. They were ranked number 1 and we were ranked number 2- in those days there were no power points and no seeding system. It’s a shame, because it was a terrific game- very much like the one earlier in the season. The place was completely jammed packed and very electric. Mountain View was loaded- they had five guys who would play NCAA D1 basketball, and also included a future NFL Hall of Famer in Todd Heap. They jumped us early and looked like they would blow us out, but then Adrian Aguayo got going- he was always a prime time guy. We were tied with two minutes left in the game and ended up losing 55-52. It was a fabulous season. Mountain View would end up 34-1, with their only loss to a nationally ranked team in a Las Vegas tournament.
Two things happened after the game that will forever be an emotional memory for me. When we got to the locker room, the guys were devastated. They gave absolutely everything they had and had taken a great and deserving team to the limit. It was everything that is good about sports. There was nothing to say to them and they hugged and cried and could not face taking their jerseys off for the last time. So, we were in that locker room for a good hour after the game, because there was just no hurry to go and get on the bus. Finally, we left and I waited until everyone was out, like I usually do, to make sure nothing is left behind and the locker room is in good shape. As I came out, I saw Gary Ernst, the Mountain View coach. He obviously had been waiting for me- all that time. He stayed to congratulate me, and our coaches for our team and the way we played basketball. It was an ultimate act of class by him and something that has always stayed with me. We walked through the darkened gym together and then, outside, I could see their bus- they had all waited. To me, that’s Gary’s greatness more than his titles.
The other thing happened when we got back to MP. The team, without saying a word to us, went into the gym and gathered around the center circle and locked arms. We looked in the door and decided to just stay out and let them have that moment together- one last time. I think we all had tears in our eyes as we looked through the window and they stood there- arm-in-arm.
Next…good years…
It was kind of like out of the fat into the fire when I left Camelback. The Metro was so tough that I kind of thought going out of the city would give a little relief to the night in and night out struggles. I remember at Camelback, if we had a few games out in the east valley, it felt like they weren’t as tough as we were. Whether true or not, we sold it that way to our guys and we had a pretty good record against those teams over the years. But things were rapidly changing and the Central Region in 1997 where Mountain Pointe played was dynamite. It had Corona del Sol, Marcos de Niza, McClintock, Desert Vista, Chandler, Casa Grande, and Yuma.
We had eleven seniors, all of whom were good players, and three juniors, including the Camelback transfer Adrian Aguayo. The region was all new to me, so I really didn’t know the history of the rivalries in it. Corona del Sol had been dominant and there was the arrival of Desert Vista as a natural rival just down the street from MP. The first Desert Vista- Mountain Pointe football game ended in a victory for the Pride and was followed by students tearing down the goal posts, if that gives you any idea of the feelings of people in Ahwatukee. It has been referred to ever since as the Ahwatukee Bowl and has been a constant nightmare for administrators. They used to play it as the final regular season game and it really did have the air of a bowl game. I don’t think they do that anymore, which is a shame.
We opened the season in the Mountain View Thanksgiving tournament and in the second game, beat Corona del Sol at their gym. That meant a lot to the locals, as I could tell. We lost in the championship game to Mountain View in their gym by three points. We got a technical foul very late in the game when an official said that one of our players, Mike Roanhorse, looked at him funny. They were a great team, though, and we would see them again later.
The first Desert Vista game was something I will never forget. Well, really, every game against them was memorable. But being part of the very first one was special. The gym was always packed when we played them, but the first one at MP had a full gym by the time the freshman game was wrapping up. It was an unbelievable scene as people were being turned away during the jayvee game. There is always a bit of extra pressure in a rivalry game, but this was off the charts. They were a young team and we had veteran players and beat them 56-31. It was actually 56-28, until at the buzzer a DV player threw in a shot from just inside half court. Being a defensive minded guy, I hated that. We beat them again later in the season at their place and I can still see in my mind the kids from MP in the stands chanting “we are- MP”. Over my ten years at MP, we would have many great games with Desert Vista.
We would play St. Mary’s during the year in the McClintock tournament semi-finals. Remember, MP’s 6’10” player had transferred there during the summer. I had planned to give a stirring pre-game speech, but as we walked in the locker room, I heard one of the players growl “this is going to be a f*****g war!” We stopped, turned around, walked out. Couldn’t have said it better myself. We won, and the MP fans really gave it to the kid who transferred.
We also beat Corona del Sol in both league games, and in the region championship game, which meant that we had four victories in one season against the team that had dominated MP over the years. We finished 13-1 in the Central Region, with our only loss coming at Marcos de Niza 72-71. The great thing about the season was the way the eleven returning seniors grasped our message about team defense and believed totally in it. They all were pretty good high school players, which meant we could play deep into our bench, which was a real strength. Even our juniors were good, and one of them, Adrian Aguayo was a starter. One thing you learn about high school coaching is you have to play the hand you are dealt. This was a good hand and one that could force a high tempo offensively and a tough defense in return. I have only been to one Coyotes hockey game in my life, and I had great seats- second row. What amazed me about that game was the intensity of the play and the frequency of substitutions. I always imagined what it would be like to have a basketball team that was pretty good and equal from top to bottom- then you could play hockey style- guys giving it all they had for two or three minutes and then being replaced with other guys who kept the level of play very high. The ’97 MP team came as close to that as I have ever had. It is funny now, because people have always associated me with the spread offense and slow down tactics, but those were the result of the various hands we were dealt over the years. We spread it in ’97, too, but we also pressed, and ran, and played up tempo because we could.
We made it to the state quarter-finals, which were played at Chandler High School against Mountain View. They were ranked number 1 and we were ranked number 2- in those days there were no power points and no seeding system. It’s a shame, because it was a terrific game- very much like the one earlier in the season. The place was completely jammed packed and very electric. Mountain View was loaded- they had five guys who would play NCAA D1 basketball, and also included a future NFL Hall of Famer in Todd Heap. They jumped us early and looked like they would blow us out, but then Adrian Aguayo got going- he was always a prime time guy. We were tied with two minutes left in the game and ended up losing 55-52. It was a fabulous season. Mountain View would end up 34-1, with their only loss to a nationally ranked team in a Las Vegas tournament.
Two things happened after the game that will forever be an emotional memory for me. When we got to the locker room, the guys were devastated. They gave absolutely everything they had and had taken a great and deserving team to the limit. It was everything that is good about sports. There was nothing to say to them and they hugged and cried and could not face taking their jerseys off for the last time. So, we were in that locker room for a good hour after the game, because there was just no hurry to go and get on the bus. Finally, we left and I waited until everyone was out, like I usually do, to make sure nothing is left behind and the locker room is in good shape. As I came out, I saw Gary Ernst, the Mountain View coach. He obviously had been waiting for me- all that time. He stayed to congratulate me, and our coaches for our team and the way we played basketball. It was an ultimate act of class by him and something that has always stayed with me. We walked through the darkened gym together and then, outside, I could see their bus- they had all waited. To me, that’s Gary’s greatness more than his titles.
The other thing happened when we got back to MP. The team, without saying a word to us, went into the gym and gathered around the center circle and locked arms. We looked in the door and decided to just stay out and let them have that moment together- one last time. I think we all had tears in our eyes as we looked through the window and they stood there- arm-in-arm.
Next…good years…
