PHOENIX — The Desert Vista girls made history last year by winning Arizona's first Open Division state basketball championship. Now, they're looking to go back-to-back with a new head coach who knows all about the pressure of being on the team with the target on its back.
Erin O’Bryan is in her first season with the Thunder but 21 years ago she was a star for the Highland Hawks out of Gilbert, who went 35-0 on their way to a 5A state title. You can find her name in the Arizona girls basketball record books as one of the state’s all-time assist leaders across all conferences.
“I remember the games that were hard, that we overcame adversity. I remember, you know, the locker room after we won. I always say it wasn’t so much a feeling of joy as it was a weight off my shoulders. It was like a sense of freedom," O'Bryan said. "I know how much time and effort they put into this and it's about that process. At the end, you just want to feel like it was valued and worth something."
Earlier in the season, senior guard Shay Ijiwoye and her teammates tracked down a DVD player to watch O’Bryan’s high school highlights. The Stanford commit appreciates O’Bryan’s relatability when it comes to a championship run at the highest level.
“I think it's kind of motivating just seeing that she's been through it. The Gatorade Player of the Year, the state championship, an undefeated season and all of that,” Ijiwoye said. “Whenever we walk into it's their Super Bowl, as coach says. But we’re right here, we're not ducking smoke.”
The Thunder girls currently boast a 13-3 record (8-0 in region) with two of those losses coming against teams out of California. Earlier this week, the program recognized junior guards Trinity Jones and Dylan Swindle for reaching 1,000 career points in a Desert Vista uniform.
“We just want to make sure we let everybody know who we are and what we're capable of with the talent we have,” Swindle said. “I think we're really coming together as a team and just building that unit and our identity.”
Desert Vista’s motto for this season is ‘Just Us,’ a reminder for the Thunder to block the outside noise and focus on the 14 people on their roster. Winning one title is tough and repeating as champs is even harder. But O’Bryan knows how the young ladies on her team could be feeling as they continue their pursuit of another deep postseason run.
“Whatever happens for us at the end, this is definitely worth something,” O’Bryan said. “Everyone's grown together and individually and become a better person and a better player.”
The Open Division playoffs tip off on Tuesday, February 13, with the Open State championship set to be held on Saturday, March 2 at Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Phoenix.
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Arizona sports
The city of Phoenix is home to five major professional sports league teams; The NFL's Arizona Cardinals, NBA's Phoenix Suns, WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, MLB's Arizona Diamondbacks and NHL's Arizona Coyotes.
The Cardinals have made State Farm Stadium in Glendale their home turf and the Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix is home to both the Suns and the Mercury. The Indoor Football League’s Arizona Rattlers play at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale. The Coyotes play at Mullett Arena on ASU's Tempe campus.
Phoenix also has a soccer team with the USL's Phoenix Rising FC, who play at Phoenix Rising FC Stadium in Phoenix.
The Valley hosts multiple major sporting events on a yearly basis, including college football's Fiesta Bowl and Guaranteed Rate Bowl; the PGA Tour’s highest-attended event, the WM Phoenix Open; NASCAR events each spring and fall, including Championship Weekend in November; and Cactus League Spring Training for 15 Major League Baseball franchises.
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