While most Verde Valley middle school basketball teams have their season goals set on the small school state championship in Clarkdale next weekend, Camp Verde Middle School boys basketball just hopes to have fun by the time it gets to Phoenix.
After an 11-win, three-loss regular season, Cowboys Head Coach Donnie Shanks knows that if his boys are going to win their second Verde Valley Conference championship in four years beginning Friday, Jan. 31, at Beaver Creek School, they’re going to have to enjoy the journey along the way.
“I want the boys to just have fun, because that’s more important than winning,” Shanks said. “It’s not anybody’s tournament; it could go four ways.”
Shanks said those four ways are divided between the Cowboys and Big Park Community School, the Mingus Rams of the Clarkdale-Jerome School and Mountain View Prep in Cottonwood.
“MVP played the best game against us,” Shanks said. “With Big Park, we had the lead but just shot ourselves in the foot. Clarkdale’s improved quite a bit — I was a little worried when we played there [Dec. 11]. We didn’t just get beat; we got beaten bad: It was one of those losses you want to forget.”
For the full story, please see the Wednesday, Jan. 29, issue of the Camp Verde Journal.
