Style and substance at Div. I girls basketball’s Final Four

22 February 2012 No Comments Mark Heller

You can’t get to the state tournament semifinals without a lot of (team)work, talent, coaching and a little luck, but this is girls basketball, and nobody wants going skimp on the swank either.

The “Best Shoes” award goes to Hamilton, as their starting five mixes a nice blend of bright yellow, purple, blue and perhaps someone might have a pair with polka dots or Zubaz stripes from the early 1990′s. We’ll see if it blinds Mountain View players when they play Thursday at 4:15 p.m. at Jobing.com Arena.

After their win against Tolleson in the quarterfinals, a couple Huskies players were asked about them. Everyone decides on their own what shoes to buy/wear, so there’s no set criteria or protocol to follow. It’s purely individual preference.

That would have been enough on its own, but Dobson coach Tyler Dumas often dons a tie and sweater vest (usually some sweet argyle) you’ll likely see Thursday against St. Mary’s in the game preceding Mtn. View-Hamilton.

Earlier this season, one of his players begged him to wear a bow tie circa 1970, but he refused. Eventually a deal was reach that if she took a charge during a game, he’d wear a bow tie.

She held up her end of the deal against Corona del Sol during the regular season, a game Dumas missed because his father passed away.

But the film didn’t lie, so he spent $20 – that’s pretty steep – on a bow tie (they’re not easy to find) upon his return.

“It’s a nice one but not what I was going for,” Dumas said. “I looked like a big, fat penguin.”