The Sting program out of Arizona is coming off a very, very tough month. In Arizona, the high school teams play summer ball in June, and the Sting lost three players to knee injuries while they were working with their high school squad.
“It’s definitely going to hurt,” said Coach Lawrence Alonzo. “We’re at a point in the year where you really aren’t going to find new players who can help, so we’re just going to move forward. It’s definitely a major setback, but we’ve still got some talented players.”
Those talented athletes will be competing in Las Vegas at the Lake Las Vegas Classic, which will be played at the Westin Lake Las Vegas complex on July 10. The field in Nevada will be loaded with outstanding programs from around the country.
The Sting will be perimeter oriented in Las Vegas, with a quartet of talented athletes leading the way. Annissia Hughes (2016, 5-7, G) is the veteran, and she is joined by Amy Manzanec (2017, 5-9, PG), Courtney Colleary (2017, 5-10, CG) and Mallory Vivola (2017, 5-10, W).
“Anissia is the lockdown defender. She can defend anybody, and that’s what the college coaches like,” Alonzo said. “She is very strong, and her offense has come a long way. She has gotten good and using her athleticism to attack the basket.
“Amy is an athletic freak. She has great strength and great vision on the court. She is a very good defender, and she distributes the ball well for us.
“Courtney is our most versatile player. Offensively, she can play any of the perimeter spots. Defensively, she can cover any player, one through five. She is very strong, very physical and very athletic.
“Mallory is new to our program this year. She is a good ball handler who can really slash to the basket, and she has a very good pull-up jump shot. She has been the leading scorer on our team so far.”