Second-year Mingus Union High School girls basketball Head Coach Micah Swenson says his girls don’t have a lot of size this season, but that will benefit his style of play over the next four months.
“We want to get up and down. An up-tempo game is the way we want to play. We’re not very big so our guards will have to step up,” Swenson said.
The Marauders lost seven players to graduation in 2009-2010. The team finished 6-13 overall after making the 4A-II conference final four in 2008-2009.
Familiar faces won’t be the theme of the year when Mingus opens its season Wednesday, Dec. 1, against Coronado High School.
Mingus returns only two players from last season in seniors Kayla Storie and Shaylene Martinez. Both were elected captains this season and should be starters when the season gets under way tonight at 5:30 p.m.
Storie is a solid point guard and has been for quite some time and could get All-Region votes for the 4A-II Grand Canyon when the season comes to an end in February.
Storie and Martinez are also the only seniors to make the team this season, making for a young squad in Swenson’s second year.
Top newcomers include sophomore post player Seairah Ebert and junior Desi Ortiz while junior Taylor Jochim looks to play some point guard behind Storie.
Juniors Jonie Olson and Lindsey Koeppe have made the squad while sophomore Skyler Storie looks to follow in her older sister’s footsteps.
“We’re pretty guard-heavy so we’ll have to play well against the bigger teams,” Swenson said.
This season’s Grand Canyon region is stacked once again. Both Flagstaff and Page high schools should be atop the standings again, and both could make the final four like they did in 2009-2010.
Page beat Flagstaff in the final four in the 4A-II conference state tournament in February, 49-47, but lost to
No. 1 Seton Catholic High School in the championship, 57-34.
Both teams return their core players in 2010-2011, making everyone else in the Grand Canyon region, including Mingus, fight for third place.
