Tempe guard B.J. Atkins has helped the Buffaloes to Saturday’s 4A Division II boys basketball championship game. He took some time out in between the semifinals and the finals to talk about Vegas, chicken and air balls.
Food you refuse to eat: I like food a lot, but vegetables.
Possession you can’t live without: My cell phone. It’s a smart phone.
Favorite city to visit: Vegas. It’s exciting.
Person you’d love to switch places with for a day: LeBron James.
Class you dread the most: Computers. I just get on the internet.
Most embarrassing moment in …

In one of the strangest finishes this ink-stained wretch has ever seen, you can make a plausible case that Hamilton should have beaten Mountain View (or, at least, had extra opportunities to tie the game and force overtime). Instead, a bizarre non-seen, non-call put the Toros girls basketball team into next week’s 5A Division I state semifinals against Chandler.
First a disclaimer:  Exhale, and realize that one play doesn’t win or lose a game;  Not even trying to make a game-winning shot while playing 6-on-5 for the final six seconds.
Hamilton couldn’t …

There will be no shortage of intrigue when the 5A Division I boys basketball quarterfinals get under way Saturday night.
In the city of Mesa alone, there are two games that will be heavily anticipated.
No. 4 seed Mountain View is set to host No. 5 Corona del Sol in a contest between two of the state title favorites. The Toros may have had the most impressive regular season of anyone, and are looking to improve on last season’s semifinal exit.
The Aztecs have a solid young core, led by shooting guard Calaen …

Three days later, It became official:  Todd Williamson is the new football coach at St. Mary’s.
Williamson was Phoenix Central’s coach for the past three seasons after being promoted from defensive coordinator. He was with the school since 2005. Williamson led Central to the 2009 postseason while setting various school records each of the last two seasons. Williamson was named Metro Conference Coach of the Year in 2009.
“Todd Williamson is exactly the right person to lead our football program at this time,” principal Suzanne Fessler said in a …

Caught up in the massiveness of the state basketball tournament, let’s not forget spring is already in the air.
Or, at least, on the fields.
Tennis has already begun and boys volleyball is coming. In between, the softball (and baseball) tournaments get going this week.
The big softball smorgasbord is Red Mountain’s Lion Country Classic being played simultaneously at Red Mountain and Skyline high schools from Wednesday through Saturday afternoon. It’s a solid field divided into two pools:  Defending 5A-I state champion-Red Mountain, Desert Ridge, Highland, Mountain Pointe, Tucson Salpointe, Glendale Deer Valley, …

OK, I’m back for another stab at winning my February Frenzy office pool. And since there aren’t any other participants, I’m feeling good about my chances.
(Here was my attempt last year at forecasting the 5A-I tournament. Mesa to win it all? Whoops.)
Here are my thoughts on how the 5A-I and 5A-II boys basketball state tournaments play out:
5A-I
First round: No. 1 Buena over No. 16 Kofa; No. 9 Desert Vista over No. 8 Salpointe; No. 5 Corona del Sol over No. 12 Desert Ridge; No. 4 Mountain View over No. 13 …

The high school baseball season kicks off on Wednesday, and we’ll have a preview with rankings and some other tidbits in the paper that day.
If you’re interested in watching some quality baseball, check out the Scottsdale Invitational Tournament. Play goes on from Feb. 23 – March 5, with several of the state’s top programs participating. The championship game will be on March 5 at noon.
Pool A consists of Chaparral, Boulder Creek, Mountain Pointe, Gilbert and Highland. Pool B consists of three reigning state champions (Saguaro, Horizon and Desert Ridge), as …

The 5A-I and 5A-II boys basketball brackets have been solidified, and I’ll do a rundown of how I think the tournament will turn out before the games start on Wednesday.
After a quick glance, here are some initial observations:
- Mesa and Mountain Pointe haven’t played a game since Jahii Carson transferred from the Pride to the Jackrabbits last year as a junior, but would face off in the quarterfinals if both win their opening-round matchups. Mesa shouldn’t have much trouble in the first round against Tucson, but Mountain Pointe has a …

Dobson senior guard Delia Vasquez leads the defending 5A Division I-champion Mustangs with 13.9 points, 6.6 rebounds and a whopping four steals per game. After Dobson concluded its regular season schedule on Tuesday against Mountain View, Vasquez talked about a volleyball off the noggin, the Land of 10,000 (frozen) Lakes and being the next Maxwell Smart.
Class you dread the most:  I’ll go with economics. We’re always taking notes and the supply-and-demand gets confusing. Random tests, it gets overwhelming sometimes.
Career aspirations: I’d like to do something in criminal justice, forensic psychology. …

The Suns are now accepting nominations for the Spirit of Cotton Award, which is given to an Arizona high school basketball coach. St. Mary’s David Lopez, Seton Catholic’s Karen Self and Mountain View’s Gary Ernest are among the previous winners. Here is the release:
For the sixth consecutive year, Phoenix Suns Charities will honor the memory of former Suns head coach Cotton Fitzsimmons, with The Spirit of Cotton Award.
The award recognizes a high school basketball coach who consistently demonstrates the best qualities of coach, educator, mentor and community leader. These are …