One of the top athletic programs in Tucson can be considered Sabino High School. Under previous Coach Marty Roth, they made a deep run in the playoffs – eventually falling to the American Leadership Patriots, led by Coach Ryan McCurdy in the 3A State Championship game. The Sabercats are under new leadership with Chicago-native Obie Tann. Here is our Q&A: Q: How long have you been coaching? A: I’ve been coaching since 2011, after a fairly successful amateur and pro career. I became a club promoter in Chicago, using my popularity as a hooper to bring out hundreds, if not…
Author: George Courtney
For those who haven’t read my first article on Dobson High School girl’s Head Coach Henry Bribiescas, it is a must read, since this feels like episode two of the Legacy of the Bribiescas Family. I wanted to do this story, because I truly feel like the Bribiescas Family has made a huge impact in Arizona girl’s basketball. I had the pleasure to catch up with Coach Monique “Mo” Bribiescas. She has an impressive resume as a player and coach. She has a storied career now as a coach, skills trainer, educator, mentor, entrepreneur and executive. Here is our Q&A:…
When I travel down to Tucson, I feel like I am prospecting for gold. There are a lot of talented prospects and coaches who do not get as much coverage in the Phoenix area. Our goal at Arizona Preps is to provide a platform for student-athletes, coaches, and the basketball community to be seen and recognized for their commitment and hard work. I feel very fortunate to have sat down with legendary high school coach Jim Reynolds of Salpointe Catholic High School. Here is our Q&A: Q: How long have you been coaching? A: I have been coaching high school…
I have reiterated how much I’ve been enjoying this pandemic season, despite the hurdles that many people have had to endure. Scheduling has been a treat for me, since the Arizona Interscholastic Association (AIA) gave more freedom with scheduling games. One of the match-ups that I’ve always wanted to see was a battle of two of Southern Arizona’s blue blood programs in Sabino and Salpointe Catholic. Rarely does a 3A school play up against a 4A school. Salpointe Catholic is led by legendary high school coach Jim Reynolds, and Sabino is led by up-and-coming coach Obie Tann. Both teams have…
I am sure a lot of our readers who are adults and into investing in the stock market have seen AMC Theaters and Gamestop stocks spike up in recent weeks. Well the same can be said about Mesa High School’s junior point guard Mackenzie Shivers. The only difference is, I don’t think Shivers’ stock will drop anytime soon, but just continue to rise. Shivers is a skilled point guard who I had the opportunity to scout in two of her games this season. I could see a lot of potential in her the first time I watched her play against…
I have been following high school basketball in Arizona since 2013. One of the programs who are competitive year in and year out are the Chargers of Cholla Magnet High School in Tucson, AZ. I had the pleasure of sitting down with Athletic Director and Boys Head Basketball Coach Masai Dean. He has built a good program in South Tucson. Here is our Q&A: Q: How long have you been coaching? A: I have been coaching for roughly (20) years. I have coached at Cholla for (13) years, (3) as the freshman coach, and the last (10) years as the…
The Arizona Preps Coaches Spotlight Series is a hot commodity with the basketball community. Our readers have been enjoying this series, since it helps put a spotlight on Arizona’s best coaches. I came up with this idea this past fall, since I understand how coaching can be a thankless job at times. (I coached 15 years before joining Arizona Preps as a scout-publisher). I had the pleasure of sitting down with Coach Henry Bribiescas who currently is the Head Girls Basketball Coach at Dobson High School. I was so excited to have the opportunity to interview Coach Bribiescas, since his…
It has been a treat in putting together Arizona Preps’ Coaches Spotlight Series. We at Arizona Preps are very grateful for all our coaches. Our coaches are undervalued and our Senior Editor (Anthony Ray) and myself wanted to do something to put coaches on a platform. We want to recognize the hard work and commitment these men and women put in throughout the year changing lives. We applaud all of our state’s coaches for their commitment and efforts for our youth. I had the pleasure of sitting down with legendary girl’s basketball coach Karen Self. Coach Self has been coaching…
The pandemic has had a bad impact on some high school programs throughout the state. Mesa Boys Head Basketball Coach Scott Stansberry has made no excuses in getting his Jackrabbits hopping hard into the season. After a disappointing 11-16 season last year, the Jackrabbits are on fire this season with a 9-1 record. One of the players leading the charge is slashing 6-foot-1 senior point guard Jimari Grayson. In last night’s game against Chandler, Grayson put up 20 points, 5 assists, and 4 rebounds. He also broke into the 1000 points club for his career, and held one of the…
The pandemic has scrambled game schedules for all sports. Super fans like myself are treated with delightful uncommon match-ups, because teams need to fill gaps in the schedule. The result is a lot of exciting games that you would normally see only in the off-season, or invitational tournaments (non-existent this season). The Lady Jackrabbits of Mesa picked up a game against girl’s hoops powerhouse, Seton Catholic (12-0). Normally you wouldn’t see Mesa play Seton in a regular season contest, since Mesa plays and 6A and Seton in the 4A Division respectively. Last night was one of the best games I…