The Arizona Select program had a strong summer with a solid group of veterans leading the way. Those veterans, however, received an important push from a very talented group of younger athletes.
“We really had a great summer,” said Coach Ben Boyd. “We lost one of our key pieces when Lauren Satterwhite (2017, PG) suffered an ACL injury in June, but the kids bounced back. Our younger players really stepped up, and we were very, very happy with the way the summer went.”
Arizona Select will wrap up the 2015 campaign at the La Jolla Tournament of Champions. The All Star Girls Report event, which will feature many of the region’s top travel teams, will be played on Sept. 26 at the La Jolla Country Day School.
The key to Arizona Select’s success may have been the play of three prospects from the Class of 2018 — Caitlin Bickle (rated at No. 22 in her class by the All Star Girls Report), Taylor Chavez (No. 105) and McKenzie Forbes (No. 30).
“They all played very, very well this summer, and they are all getting a lot of serious attention from the college coaches,” Boyd said. “The most amazing thing to me was that they were so consistent. That’s unusual for players at that age. All three of them were big lifters for our team — they scored a lot of points and they played a lot of minutes.
“They all got a lot of experience, and it’s going to be interesting to see how they move forward. I think the biggest thing now is going to be the work that they do on their bodies. That’s the next step for them. They have the skills and the cerebral part, although you are always going to be improving in those areas.”
In addition to that sparkling trio, Boyd also noted the play of Madison Vick (2018, 5-7, G, No. 150) and Tia Bryant (2018, 6-2, P, No. 160).
“Madison is a very skilled, high IQ player,” the coach said. “She is a very steady true point who runs the show for us. Tia is like our Elton Brand. She has broad shoulders and a great shooting touch. She really, really came on strong at the end of the summer.”