Like many Phoenix fans, I was certain up to the very second that the final horn blew in Milwaukee that the Suns were going to win the first NBA championship in franchise history. Instead, we fans suffered through three straight coulda/shoulda games in which the Suns were down two in the last…
PHOENIX – The Phoenix Suns advanced to the NBA Finals for the first time in 28 years. They revealed the foundation of a championship team, but uncertainty looms as key players are headed to free agency, leaving more questions than answers for the near future.
It’s 5:47 a.m. on what will be another blazing-hot summer day, but for some crazy reason there is a flurry of activity on the Amphi High School tennis courts. At the center of it all is a stud athlete who was born in Scotland back when Harry Truman was president of the United States.
After the school sports seasons were shut down in the spring of 2020, crushing the dreams of athletes across the country, there were those who hoped that by that summer, there would be a tiny movement back toward normalcy. But such was not the case. There would be no open gyms, no organized …
Following longtime coach Mike Candrea’s retirement announcement, the University of Arizona announced last month that Caitlin Lowe would become the next coach of the UA softball team.
A year ago at this time, some people were out spreading the virus, but a lot of us were staying close to home, making Netflix ridiculously profitable. (It’s true that Blockbuster Video, at the start of its downward slide, could have bought Netflix for only $50 million.)
Editor’s Note: This story is part of an ongoing project to highlight Black athletes who have broken barriers and made lasting contributions to Arizona sports.
When I first started coaching high-school basketball, a well-known coach here in town gave me this advice: Just teach them the game; don’t get to know them. Be there for a couple hours each day, give them your best, then go home and forget about it until the next day.
OMAHA, Neb. – Jay Johnson is determined to not let one game define the University of Arizona baseball program.
WASHINGTON – Border officials said they were “devastated” this week to find that the federal government has extended a COVID-19 ban on nonessential border crossings for another month, potentially crippling businesses there.
Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey has declared that the pandemic is over. In relative terms, that’s better than some other governors who are now claiming that it never existed. Things are indeed heading in the right direction, but there are people in our society who are dragging their feet, making us …
Phoenix Suns fans have long argued that Devin Booker is the most disrespected player in the NBA.
PHOENIX – The New York Guardians of the XFL, a professional spring football league, began March 2020 with great optimism. The Guardians routed the Dallas Renegades 30-12 on March 7 behind their stifling second-half defense to move to 3-2 on the season. The next week would bring a showdown wi…
No one was really sure how it would turn out or even whether there would be an “it.” Every high-school sports year is full of hopes and dreams, but this past sports year was more one of fear and disappointment. In the end, we got through it in pretty decent shape, although, for the schools i…
It was the 1993-94 school year and Arizona Wildcat sports fans were flying high. Three giants of the Arizona coaching ranks each had one of his greatest seasons ever, with conference and national championships abounding. Two of those legends have since passed away; one was actually fired fro…
PHOENIX – Michele McCann says she has “loud mom syndrome.”
Being a high-school coach, I get regular emails from the Arizona Interscholastic Association, including complete minutes from their Executive Board Meetings (which I actually read). Don’t envy me.
PHOENIX — Most youth who have played basketball at the park or in their driveway have likely done this: pretended to hit a high-stakes shot as the buzzer sounds. That could happen more often during Arizona high school basketball games if the state moves forward with a 35-second shot clock.
PHOENIX – Scott Yates is a Denver-based entrepreneur and writer. He’s also one of a select few people around the country who can be described as a “Daylight Saving Time activist.”
Around 25 years ago, Isaiah Roebuck’s dad, Sean, was a standout athlete in three sports—football, basketball, and baseball. It was around that time that club teams began emerging from the shadows and specialization in one sport (year-round) began to take hold. Back in the mid-1990s, it wasn’…
During a town hall meeting last year, University of Arizona President Robert C. Robbins asked for ideas because so many activities were put on hold because of the pandemic, mainly traditional sports.
Last year at this time, we were fingers-crossed hopeful that the pandemic would flatten out and maybe run its course in (or maybe even because of) the heat of the summer. A lot of us are again hopeful as we head into June. However, it’s not a matter of “fool me once, shame on you; fool me tw…
It seems like forever ago that we entered the start of the 2020-21 school year, hopeful that the pandemic could be kept sufficiently at bay, enough to allow some semblance of normalcy for high school student-athletes, and, at the same time, fearful that an entire year would be lost, one for …
PHOENIX – As Missy Farr-Kaye watched her friend Phil Mickelson master the PGA Championship, the Arizona State women’s golf coach said what everyone was thinking: “He is a fountain of youth right now.”
PHOENIX – Although Arizona is the site of two NCAA softball regionals this week, that might not be the case next year if the state passes a law requiring athletes to compete in interscholastic sports based on their sex at birth.
PHOENIX – The words were light, yet poignant.
One of the positive things that came out of this pandemic year is that the Arizona Interscholastic Association (AIA) had to ditch its absolutely ridiculous insistence on holding one giant state track meet in the noonday heat in Phoenix in the middle of May. Up until about 10 years ago, there…
Every high school athlete dreams of going to the state tournament at least once in his/her career. In most team sports, it’s a pretty straightforward process. Win enough games so that the convoluted Power Points system can’t mess things up and you’re good. In most individual sports (cross co…
PHOENIX – Carla Walker was tired of sitting inside during the coronavirus pandemic. She missed going to the gym, shopping and spending time with friends and family. Her retail job in Central Phoenix had laid her off and she had time on her hands. She wasn’t sure how to fill it.
The Casino Del Sol Charity Golf Tournament is back for its sixth year to raise money for the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona and the Pascua Yaqui Tribe Charitable Organization.
Pima County and Tucson Medical Center are offering 800 free swim lessons to children at three Pima County pools.
PHOENIX – Thirty miles southeast of Phoenix, on sacred land belonging to the Gila River Indian Community, lie the remnants of an internment camp that once housed more than 13,000 people, mostly Japanese Americans, during World War II.
PHOENIX – Ramon Angel Carrasco and his girlfriend were driving home from a Scottsdale bakery in a white BMW in August 2019 when Robert J. Foster pulled up next to them in a light blue Lamborghini.
PHOENIX – Sports is a billion-dollar industry, with revenue streams ranging from television rights to ticket sales. Add cryptocurrency and NFTs to the mix, and this latest gold rush has leagues, teams and players taking advantage of opportunities in an unlikely territory.
Any local sports fan not in the category of COMPLETELY RABID may not know this, but the University of Arizona is absolutely kickin’ it these days. Oh sure, the football team finished the Pandemic Season in complete shambles; that 70-7 whuppin’ at the hands of Arizona State will be seared int…
The Hollywood version of a prep basketball career starts off with the wide-eyed freshman kid testing the waters, hoping to be a part of something and looking to build toward a glorious future. For Reggie Romo of the Canyon Del Oro Dorados, it was more like “Memento,” a tale told in reverse, …
The old blues song goes: “If it wasn’t for bad luck, I wouldn’t have no luck at all…”
Want to meet new Arizona Head Football Coach Jedd Fisch?
PHOENIX – The ability to attend a sporting event, place a bet on a team and possibly return home a winner will soon be a reality in Arizona.
First of all, she goes by her full name, which is pronounced Mee-May. There has long been that problem with pronouns, as in when someone asks the tennis coach “Who’s playing Number One singles today?” and the response is “Well, that would be Mi.” (It was recently suggested that they hold a f…
In this world, there are lots and lots of thankless tasks, things that must be performed for the good of society in general or a group of people, in particular. Going in, the people performing these tasks know that there is a high possibility of being criticized and a very small chance of be…
PHOENIX – GateWay Community College coach Rob Shabansky admits he wasn’t a huge fan of technology and analytics in baseball.
TUCSON – “Getting lost is the best part of trail running,” Marlinda Bedonie said with a chuckle as we shielded our eyes from the morning sun, searching for our cars.
When the NCAA conducted their recently completed basketball championship tournaments in a bubble-like situation akin to that used by the NBA for their 2020 playoffs, it was decided that the men would gather in Indianapolis and the women would be in San Antonio. The distance between those two…
PHOENIX – The unofficial marijuana holiday, April 20, has become a popular day around the world.
In the movie “Invictus,” a rabid South African rugby fan explains, “Soccer is a gentleman’s game played by hooligans, while rugby is a hooligan’s game played by gentlemen.” Here in Arizona, it’s also a hooligan’s game played by, among others, eight-year-old girls.
The University of Arizona last week announced Gonzaga men’s basketball assistant coach Tommy Lloyd will be the next head coach of the Wildcat’s men’s basketball program.
After a year without fundraising events, the Oro Valley Optimist Club plans to bring back their “Scramble for Youth” golf fundraiser at Marana’s Ritz Carlton Dove Mountain’s Golf Club on Saturday, May 1. Through the event, the OVOC hopes to raise money for the youth services they offer to ki…
PHOENIX – A documentary recently aired in France titled, “I’m not a slut, I’m a journalist.”
PHOENIX – After years of resistance from tribes around the state, Gov. Doug Ducey signed House Bill 2772 on Thursday, legalizing daily sports fantasy and sports betting in Arizona. The development comes on the heels of ratification of a revised Tribal-State Gaming Compact.
A local nonprofit organization dedicated to helping the Pusch 9 golf course succeed when it reopens next fall held its first fundraising event at the Oro Valley Community Center course on Wednesday, April 7.
