Palo Verde High School assistant basketball coach Chris Klassen (from left), Adam Hall and head coach David Gin exult over a win during the 2007 Class 4A Division II state playoffs.

When longtime Palo Verde boys basketball coach David Gin stepped down after the 2008-09 season, there was no doubt in his mind who should be his successor.

Gin got his wish.

Chris Klassen, 28, who has been Gin’s top assistant the past three years and who also played for Gin, has been hired to build on what Gin has been accomplished for the past 19 seasons.

“He’s the perfect guy for the job,” said Gin. “He bleeds Palo Verde.”

Klassen does seem to have a bit of the East Side school in his blood. His father, Michael, swam at the school; his aunt, Sharon, played softball there for current athletic director Peggy Baker; and three younger siblings have followed him as Palo Verde since he graduated in 1999.

“This is a dream come true,” said Klassen, who followed his Palo Verde playing career by playing college basketball at Iowa’s William Penn University.

Upon returning to Tucson after college, Klassen worked for two years as a volunteer assistant at Palo Verde.

Three years ago, he was hired to coach the Titans freshman team and led them to a 14-3 record. The past two years as the junior varsity coach, Palo Verde has gone 30-6.

And as he began showing he, indeed, was a quality coach himself, Klassen was being encouraged by Gin to take the leap and pursue varsity head coaching vacancies.

“There were a couple of jobs opened he said I should go for,” Klassen said. “But I told him I’d rather wait it out here and maybe one day prove to him I should be the guy to take over for him when he stepped down. There wasn’t anywhere else I wanted to coach.”

Klassen is optimistic about the 2009-10 season, including coaching the class he first coached when they were freshmen three years ago.

He plans to use an up-tempo offense with aggressive, man-to-man defense “probably 80 percent” of the time.

Rodriguez having big year

Is any baseball player in southern Arizona having a better spring than Sahuaro junior Chris Rodriguez?

Voted by league coaches last week as the 4A Kino Region Player of the Year, Rodriguez is among the state leaders in several hitting categories.

The 5-foot-10, 170-pound outfielder has a .523 batting average, a .889 slugging percentage, three home runs, six triples, 26 RBIs, 12 walks, been hit by a pitch six times, has struck out just nine times and has stolen 26 bases in 30 attempts.

Rodriguez takes his eye-popping numbers with him into Saturday’s Class 4A Division I state tournament opener as No. 14 Sahuaro plays at No. 3 Canyon del Oro at 11 a.m.

Watkins to play in Tenn.

Mountain View senior volleyball player Cassidy Watkins has signed to play collegiately at Trevecca Nazarene University in Nashville, Tenn.

Have news for the prep notebook? E-mail ggrammer@tucsoncitizen.com

University of Arizona freshman Gallien Culbertson likes the choice of the new basketball coach, but he thinks the pick might hurt the school in the short term.

“Sean Miller is a good coach, but I’m not sure how good a recruiter he’ll be since he’ll be on the West Coast,” the 19-year-old business major said.

Other fans had similar views Monday, when Miller decided to leave Xavier to come to UA to replace Lute Olson.

Justin Steele, a 27-year-old graduate student in the Eller College of Management, thinks USC’s Tim Floyd would have been better prepared to hit the ground running on recruiting, because he has West Coast contacts.

“Short term I think it’s going to be harder to get kids to come here,” Steele said.

Steele’s friend, Adam Aronoff, isn’t so sure.

He thinks Miller might widen the potential pool of recruits because of his connections in the Midwest, where athletes might be dreaming of the sunny West.

“It would be an easy sell,” Aronoff said.

Greg Crawford, 27, thinks recruiting will be crucial to Miller’s success.

“He’d better be able to recruit,” he said. “I think (Lute) Olson brought a lot of talent to the program, because he was like a dynasty . . . I think (recruiting) is a lot of the strength of the program,” he said.

As for this year, Aronoff and Culbertson agree the choice is unlikely to have major impact.

“The entire recruiting class for this year is gone anyway,” Aronoff said.

Art history Professor Albert Stewart, a self-described “huge fan” who goes to every home game, would have liked to see Floyd get the job. He is a little concerned about the $2 million plus per year that Miller will get.

“I know museums are losing curators because they don’t have money, so it seems a little unbalanced. But if it brings in money, it’s great,” Stewart said.

The money is not an issue for Steele.

“God, no. I’d pay more for (Michigan State’s Tom) Izzo or (University of Kentucky’s Rick) Pitino,” Steele said.

Aronoff likes Miller’s age: 40.

“I think it brings long-term security. We got somebody who can be there 20 or 30 years,” he said.

Air National Guard aircraft electrician Chris Crawford doesn’t like the choice. He thinks UA should have stuck with interim coach Russ Pennell, who carried the team to the NCAA Tournament for its 25th straight year.

“I don’t know why they didn’t keep the guy who took them to the Sweet 16,” he said.

Terps like leadership skills of Santa Rita’s star point guard

Santa Rita's Terrell Stoglin drives past the Tucson Heat's Nick Johnson during a basketball camp last summer.

Santa Rita High School junior point guard Terrell Stoglin has led his team to three straight state championship games.

The Atlantic Coast Conference is a far cry from Arizona’s 4A Division II high school classification, but it is those winning ways that convinced Maryland Terrapins coach Gary Williams that Stoglin has the leadership ability to succeed in one of college basketball’s most competitive leagues.

“That’s all that they kept ringing in my ear, ‘We won the 2002 national championship and we’re hoping you’re the guy to take us back to the Final Four,’ ” said Stoglin, who gave Williams and Maryland an oral commitment for the class of 2010 on Wednesday night.

Maryland has been recruiting Stoglin since his sophomore season, but got an up-close and personal look at him when the Eagles played in a prestigious preseason tournament in Washington, D.C., to start the 2008-09 season.

Stoglin said it is no accident he picked a school that will have a vacancy at point guard when he is a freshman.

“Their guards graduate next year and I want to play as a freshman,” Stoglin said. “They said they see me as having every opportunity to start as a freshman.”

A lifelong University of Arizona fan, Stoglin admitted he’s curious to see who the next coach in Tucson will be. He said there “is always a possibility” he could change his commitment to UA before he signs a letter of intent. But he said he is very much committed to playing for Maryland at this point, picking the Terrapins over offers from Texas A&M, San Diego, Georgia Tech and others.

Stoglin, who averaged 27.8 points per game this past season, has been his best when going against the best competition in national tournaments.

As a sophomore, he scored 35 points in a San Diego tournament while being guarded by current USC freshman star DeMar DeRozan.

This past winter, he scored 30 while being guarded by Abdul Gaddy, a former University of Arizona recruit who started in this week’s McDonald’s high school All-American game and will play at Washington next year.

“They told me they liked that I was a floor general, they liked my leadership,” said Stoglin, who is relied on heavily at Santa Rita to be a scorer, leading many to overlook his passing skills. “I think a lot of people here in Tucson forget I’m a pass-first guy. That’s all I played – point guard – last summer on my AAU teams and that’s what Maryland said they liked.”

And while Stoglin, a two time Tucson Citizen player of the year, is one of the state’s best passers, he’s not exactly inept in the scoring department.

Heading into his senior season, he is 953 points from the state record of 3,002 set by former Phoenix Shadow Mountain High and UA star Mike Bibby. If he plays 30 games next year, he would need to average 31.8 points per game to set the mark.

Santa Rita coach Jim Ferguson said Stoglin could have averaged at least that much this past season if he wanted to, or if the Eagles weren’t benching starters in the fourth quarter of several blowout victories.

Stoglin said the decision to commit to a school on the other side of the country was a tough one, but one he, his coaches and parents were comfortable with.

He said the biggest advisers in the process were his parents, Joe and Rose Stoglin, Ferguson and AAU coach Brian Peabody, who is also the Ironwood Ridge boys basketball coach.

———

CHASING BIBBY

With a year left, Santa Rita’s Terrell Stoglin is within striking distance of the Arizona career scoring record.

All classes record

> 3,002 – Mike Bibby (1992-96, Phoenix Shadow Mountain)

Class 4A record

> 2,535 – Chuck Overton (1988-92, Cholla)

Terrell Stoglin

> 2,049* (2006-present, Santa Rita)

* Through junior year. Stoglin will need to average 31.8 points through 30 games for state record, 16.2 points for Class 4A record.

Santa Rita junior Terrell Stoglin told Maryland coach Gary Williams on Wednesday night that he will play for the Terrapins in college.

Santa Rita junior point guard Terrell Stoglin has led his team to three straight state championship games.

The Atlantic Coast Conference is a far cry from Arizona’s 4A Division II high school classification, but it is those winning ways that convinced Maryland Terrapins coach Gary Williams that Stoglin has the leadership ability to succeed in one of college basketball’s most competitive leagues.

“That’s all that they kept ringing in my ear, ‘We won the 2002 National Championship and we’re hoping you’re the guy to take us back to the Final Four,’ ” said Stoglin, who gave Williams and Maryland a verbal commitment for the Class of 2010 on Wednesday night.

Maryland has been recruiting Stoglin since his sophomore season, but got an up-close and personal look at him when the Eagles played in a prestigious preseason tournament in Washington, D.C., to start the 2008-09 season. Stoglin said it is no accident he picked a school that will have a vacancy at point guard when he is a freshman.

“Their guards graduate next year and I want to play as a freshman,” Stoglin said. “They said they see me as having every opportunity to start as a freshman.”

A lifelong University of Arizona fan, Stoglin admitted he’s curious to see who the next coach in Tucson will be. He said there “is always a possibility” he could change his commitment to UA before he signs a letter of intent, but said he very much committed to play for Maryland at this point, picking the Terrapins over offers from the likes of Texas A&M, San Diego, Georgia Tech and many others.

Stoglin, who averaged 27.8 points per game this past season, has been his best when going against the best competition in national tournaments. As a sophomore, he scored 35 points in a San Diego tournament while being guarded by current USC freshman star DeMar DeRozan. This past winter, he scored 30 while being guarded by Abdul Gaddy, a former University of Arizona recruit who started in this week’s McDonald’s high school All-American game and will play at Washington next year.

“They told me they liked that I was a floor general, they liked my leadership,” said Stoglin, who is relied on heavily at Santa Rita to be a scorer, leading many to overlook his passing skills. “… I think a lot of people here in Tucson forget I’m a pass-first guy. That’s all I played – point guard – last summer on my AAU teams and that’s what Maryland said they liked.”

And while Stoglin, a two time Tucson Citizen Player of the Year, is one of the state’s best passers, he’s not exactly inept in the scoring department. Heading into his senior season, he is 953 points from the state’s all time scoring record of 3,002 set by former Phoenix Shadow Mountain High and UA star Mike Bibby. If he plays 30 games next year, he would need to average 31.8 points per game to set the mark.

Santa Rita coach Jim Ferguson said he could have averaged at least that much this past season if he wanted to, or if the Eagles weren’t benching starters in the fourth quarter of several blowout victories.

Stoglin said the decision to commit to a school on the other side of the country was a tough one, but one he, his coaches and parents were comfortable with. He said the biggest advisers in the process were his parents, Joe and Rose Stoglin, Ferguson and AAU coach Brian Peabody, who is also the Ironwood Ridge boys basketball coach.

For more on high school sports, check out the Grammer School sports blog.

Santa Rita junior Terrell Stoglin told Maryland coach Gary Williams on Wednesday night that he will play for the Terrapins in college.

———

CHASING BIBBY

With a year left, Santa Rita’s Terrell Stoglin is within striking distance of the Arizona career scoring record.

All classes record

> 3,002 – Mike Bibby (1992-96, Phoenix Shadow Mountain)

Class 4A record

> 2,535 – Chuck Overton (1988-92, Cholla)

Terrell Stoglin

> 2,049* (2006-present, Santa Rita)

* Through junior year. Stoglin will need to average 31.8 points through 30 games for state record, 16.2 points for Class 4A record.

Titans leader also mentored UA star Elliott as freshman coach at Cholla

Gin

University of Arizona and San Antonio Spurs basketball fans might want to take a moment to tip their cap to David Gin, who has decided to hang up his coach’s whistle after 36 years.

Long before spending the past 19 years as head varsity coach at Palo Verde High School, the 58-year-old Gin was a middle school, freshman and junior varsity coach for various Tucson Unified School District schools.

Included in his pre-Palo Verde stops was a stint as the freshman coach at Cholla High School, where he mentored a young Sean Elliott.

“I taught him a left-handed layup,” Gin said. “I figure he probably owes me a few thousand dollars at least for that.”

While Gin, a 1969 graduate of Tucson High, had been mulling over a possible retirement all season, he made his decision official two weeks ago to Palo Verde Athletic Director Peggy Baker.

“I’ve been doing it for 36 years now and it takes so much energy,” Gin said. “I think I need to spend a little more time with my family for awhile.”

Gin finishes his Palo Verde career with a 275-270 record after taking over in 1990 for longtime coach Lou Hopkins. He took the team to its only state championship game in 2000, a Class 4A title game loss to coach Dick McConnell’s Sahuaro squad.

Palo Verde was 15-12 this winter with the school’s 12th playoff appearance in the past 13 years. Palo Verde lost in the first round of the Class 4A Division II playoffs to Phoenix Cortez.

Gin, the father of two grown children, said a big factor in his decision to step down this year was the birth this past year of his first grandson, Gavin.

“I ran into (former Rincon/University volleyball coach) Juanita Kingston recently and she said, ‘Do it – you’ll love it,’ ” Gin said of retirement.

Kingston stepped down last year from Rincon’s boys and girls volleyball teams to spend more time with her grandchildren.

“She said I won’t regret it,” Gin said. “I’m looking forward to getting to do a little more of that.”

Gin starting coaching in 1973 at Pistor Middle School. He has seen the game grow into a year-round endeavor that makes it difficult to spend much time with family.

Palo Verde’s posting for the head coaching job closed Friday. Gin said he hopes junior varsity assistant Chris Klassen, a former player, will be given the opportunity to be his successor.

“I think after a few years of rebuilding the program – the cupboard was real empty when I took over – we were real competitive every year,” Gin said. “But I think what I’m most proud of was the two Boyd Baker sportsmanship awards we got. We tried to instill in the kids a sense that its not all about winning.”

Ex-Sahuaro basketball coach Dick McConnell (center) with former players Brian Peabody (left) and Jim Ferguson . Peabody (Ironwood Ridge) and Ferguson (Santa Rita) are the Tucson Citizen's co-coaches of the year.

Ironwood Ridge High boys basketball coach Brian Peabody and Santa Rita’s Jim Ferguson each led their respective teams to within seconds of state championships this season – Peabody in Class 5A Division II, Ferguson in 4A-II.

The two have elevated themselves to elite status in the Arizona coaching ranks and were named Tucson Citizen Co-Coaches of the Year for the past season.

Even with their success – each has won state titles and has coached in several more – they have to combine their career records to match that of their mentor, the coach each once played for at Sahuaro High, Dick McConnell.

“It will never be matched, what he did,” said Ferguson of McConnell’s success at Sahuaro, where he accumulated the majority of his state-record 714 wins. “Maybe Brian (Peabody) can get close, he’s young enough. Maybe his son, Rick (McConnell) up at (Mesa) Dobson might make a run, but it’s going to be tough to match what he accomplished right here.”

Ferguson and Peabody, who joined their coach Monday in Sahuaro’s McConnell Gymnasium, are two of many McConnell pupils coaching around Arizona.

“I’d say 99.9 percent of what I do is directly because I learned it from him” Peabody said. “He’s the greatest mentor any coach could have. We still eat dinner two or three times a week and every time we’re out, there’s someone that comes up to him and thanks him for something he did for them. . . . He’s touched more lives than you could even imagine.”

Sahuaro High School's Ashley Walls averaged a double-double for the Cougars this season, earning the Tucson Citizen Girls Basketball Player of the Year.

Girls Basketball Player of the Year

WHO: Ashley Walls, Sr., Sahuaro High School

WHAT SHE DID: Walls proved to be the best post player in southern Arizona, averaging a double-double on the season.

The 6-foot Walls averaged 12.3 points per game, 10 rebounds, four steals and three blocked shots while leading the Cougars to the Class 4A Division I quarterfinals.

QUOTABLE: “The thing I’ll remember most about this season,” Walls said, “was how much of a family this team was. We were so close and that was the best part.”

• • •

“She played any position we needed her to, and she was one of the best players I’ve ever had the fortune of coaching,” said Sahuaro coach Steve Botkin.

Santa Rita junior guard Terrell Stoglin led the Eagles to their third-straight state title game this season and earned Tucson Citizen Boys Basketball Player of the Year honors.

Boys Basketball Player of the Year

WHO: Terrell Stoglin, Jr., Santa Rita High School

WHAT HE DID: Stoglin led his team for the third straight season to the Class 4A Division II state championship game.

The 6-foot Stoglin averaged 27.8 points per game this year. Heading into his senior season, he is 953 points from the state’s all time scoring record of 3,002 set by former Phoenix Shadow Mountain High and University of Arizona star Mike Bibby.

If he plays 30 games next year, he would need to average 31.8 points per game to set the mark.

QUOTABLE: “I was happy with how I did this season,” Stoglin said, “but getting to the championship game and losing for a third time is frustrating. We’ll just work even harder and we’ll win it next year. I guarantee it.”

The Salpointe Catholic High School boys basketball program has found its new head coach.

Jerry Zander, who coached the junior varsity team this past season, was promoted Thursday to replace Sean Loomer.

Loomer coached the Lancers for three years, posting a 48-40 record. He resigned to pursue business interests in Phoenix.

Zander brings 10 years of coaching experience. He coached at Archbishop Murphy Catholic High in Everett, Wash., where he was named Northwest A league coach of the year after the 2003-04 season. He also led his team to a league title in 2004.

“I am very excited to be a part of the Salpointe men’s basketball program,” Zander said in a news release. ” . . . In the year that I have been affiliated with Salpointe, I have been impressed with the faculty, staff, coaches and students.

“I look forward to leading this program to a position of strength and pride for the entire Lancer community.”

Zander will join the Salpointe math department in the fall. He is currently teaching math at University High.

Softball

Desert Christian scored three runs in the seventh inning to defeat Tanque Verde 9-7 on Thursday.

Junior pitcher Chelsea Harris finished with three RBIs and also struck out 14.

Player of the Year

Terrell Stoglin, Jr., Santa Rita

Co-Coaches of the Year

Jim Ferguson, Santa Rita

Brian Peabody, Ironwood Ridge

FIRST TEAM

Pos. Name, Year, School

G Terrell Stoglin, Jr., Santa Rita

G Michael Perez, Jr., Pueblo

C Brandon Duliakas, Sr., Iron. Ridge

F Aaron Anderson, Sr., Mtn. View

F Sterling North, Sr., Cat. Foothills

SECOND TEAM

G Lawrence Hampton, So., I. Ridge

G A.J. Koch, Sr., Flowing Wells

G Coree Aten, Sr., Cienega

F Chad Carter, Sr., Ironwood Ridge

F Matt Korchek, Jr., Sabino

THIRD TEAM

G Mark Simmons, Sr., Santa Rita

G John Lohmeier, Sr., Sabino

F Andre Hatchett, Jr., Santa Rita

F Brandon Burnett, Jr., Cienega

F Seth Wilson, Sr., Marana

HONORABLE MENTION

AMPHI: Chris Johnson, Lestor Medford. BUENA: Derek Lane, DeChe Milburn, Anthony Miller. CDO: Rodney Clark, Josh Lewis. CATALINA: Daniel McIver. CAT. FOOTHILLS: Connor Bailey, Adam Katz. CHOLLA: Martin Alvarez, Christian Luna, Michael Luna. CIENEGA: Seth Mejias-Brean. DESERT CHRISTIAN: Aaron Aikman, Kevin Sommitz. FLOWING WELLS: Drew Harris. IRONWOOD RIDGE: Tyler D’Amore. MARANA: Seth Wilson. NOGALES: Manny Castro, Rodolfo Suarez. PALO VERDE: Derion Coleman, Adam Hall, Dorian Paige. PUEBLO: Stephen Ponce. PUSCH RIDGE: Kyle Kirkwood. RINCON/UNIV.: Juan Pablo Favela, Travis Timmons. SABINO: Anthony Neals. SAHUARITA: Daniel Conorque. SAHUARO: Lasal Banks, Dior Ford. SALPOINTE: Frank Kalil. SANTA RITA: Roland Jones, Dominique Kelley. ST. GREGORY: Frankie Mgbolu, Bennett Sawyer. SUNNYSIDE: Jose Gomez, Ryan Santiago Romero, Rosthenhausler. TUCSON HIGH: Shakir Smith, Sama Taku.

Player of the Year

Ashley Walls, Sr., Sahuaro

Coach of the Year

Kerri Brown, Canyon del Oro

FIRST TEAM

Pos. Name, Year, School

G Nadi Carey, Sr., Canyon del Oro

G Amber Cordova, Sr., Palo Verde

G Christine Clark, Jr., Tucson High

F Ashley Walls, Sr., Sahuaro

F Sydney Lewis, Jr., Canyon del Oro

SECOND TEAM

G Marquisha Corley, Sr., Rincon/Univ.

G Charde Mayne, Sr., Canyon del Oro

G Ivana “Moose” Vidal, Sr., Sahuarita

F Hannah McLeod, Sr., Pusch Ridge

C Darian Saunders, Fr., Palo Verde

THIRD TEAM

G Hannah Simpson, Sr., Rio Rico

G Jaimee Swan, Fr., Marana

G Anyela Lopez, Sr., Tucson High

G Jasmine Grant, Jr., Catalina

G Libby Stropko, Jr., Catalina Foothills

HONORABLE MENTION

AMPHI: Essence Johnson. BUENA: Taneka Ruben, Keyondra White. CANYON DEL ORO: Sarah Batterton, Nicole Ruiz. CATALINA: Jordan Button, Darcy Earnhart. CATALINA FOOTHILLS: Shakayla McEaddy, Kelsey Thorson. CHOLLA: Alicia Hunter, Laura Lopez. CIENEGA: Alyssa Deal, Becky Jaeger, Megan Placencia. DESERT CHRISTIAN: Jeni Kabel. DOUGLAS: Erika Tapia, Gaby Valencia. IRONWOOD RIDGE: Kelci Wilson, Lauren Vidal. MARANA: Danielle Crook, Lindsay Honea. MOUNTAIN VIEW: Chelsea Beringson, Elizabeth Simental. NOGALES: Cassie Alvarez, Abby Garcia, Prissy Heredia. PALO VERDE: Cindy Miranda. PUEBLO: Hilliary Martinez. PUSCH RIDGE: Cheyenne Link. RINCON/UNIVERSITY: Alyssa Mort. SABINO: Kaitlin Allison, Alysia Gooden. SAHUARITA: Antoinette Dickens. SAHUARO: Ana Haro, Cashala Thompson. SALPOINTE: Jessica Miller, Melissa Stachovic. SANTA RITA: Amber Kemp. SUNNYSIDE: Clarissa Willis. TANQUE VERDE: Lauren Aboud. TUCSON HIGH: Ratanya Newsome.

CDO girls coach Kerri Brown led the school to its first title since 1987, when CDO was coached by Dan Huff (right).

Tucson Citizen girls basketball Coach of the Year Kerri Brown walked by it every day.

“Sitting in the trophy case, there it was: Dan’s trophy,” Brown said, referring to the 1987 state title won under former coach Dan Huff when Brown was a sophomore at the school. “It still hasn’t set in that we get to put our own right there next to that one now.”

Brown led CDO to a 30-1 record and a 4A-I state championship, the school’s first since Huff’s title.

“And she’s going to win a bunch more,” Huff said. “She had a great team this year. The first (championship) of many for her.”

Sahuaro's Ashley Walls and Santa Rita's Terrell Stoglin were Tucson best basketball players during the 2008-09 season.

Here are links for all of the 2009 Tucson Citizen boys and girls basketball honorees (all all-star teams and player/coach of the year stories for the past year can be found at www.tucsoncitizen.com/ss/allstars).

All-Star Teams

2009 Boys Basketball All-Star list

2009 Girls Basketball All-Star list

Players of the Year

2009 Boys Basketball Player of the Year: Terrell Stoglin, Jr., Santa Rita High School

2009 Girls Basketball Player of the Year: Ashley Walls, Sr., Sahuaro High School

Coaches of the Year

2009 Boys Basketball Co-Coaches of the Year: Brian Peabody, Ironwood Ridge and Jim Ferguson, Santa Rita

2009 Girls Basketball Coaches of the Year: Kerri Brown, Canyon del Oro

Former Desert View and Pima Community College forward Mark Sanchez took an unlikely route to Division I basketball. Now, he is two months from being the first in his family to earn a college degree.

Mark Sanchez was disappointed, but not all that surprised when he opened up the Tucson Citizen on March 23, 2005.

Not only did the Desert View power forward who averaged 18.5 points per game his senior season for coach Juan Rojas’ Jaguars not make the newspaper’s first-team boys basketball all-star team, he didn’t make the cut for second- or third-team honors.

Four years later, Sanchez is an All-Western Athletic Conference star, leading the Boise State Broncos into Thursday’s WAC quarterfinals and hoping to play in his second straight NCAA Tournament.

“It would get frustrating in high school when nobody would notice, but it was sort of one of those things you just accepted,” said Sanchez, an admitted late-bloomer in basketball. “But I never stopped playing, never stopped working. My brother (Marcelino “Nino” Sanchez) wouldn’t let me. I don’t know what he saw, but he was the one that saw something in me and knew this was possible.”

Few of the 15 players selected ahead of Mark Sanchez for that 2005 all-star squad have enjoyed the collegiate basketball success he has. And none is knocking on the door of a second straight NCAA Tournament appearance.

More importantly for the 6-foot-7, 235-pound Boise State forward who started his college career with two seasons at Pima Community College, he will become the first person in his family to graduate from college when he accepts a degree in communications in May.

“From where I started to where I am now,” Mark said, “I never would have thought all this would happen.”

• • •

Growing up, Mark Sanchez was a star baseball player in the Sunnyside Little League, making annual trips to state and regional tournaments with the league’s all-star teams.

In high school, he says, basketball was nothing more than something to pass the time and keep his grades up until baseball season. That is, at least, until he quit the baseball team when his pride took too much of a hit from being benched for an older player that Sanchez felt had less talent.

It also came at a time when his parents were going through a divorce, leading Sanchez to move in with his older brother, a move they both now credit with his staying on the straight and narrow.

“If he would have stayed around there (at his parents house during the divorce) at that time,” says 29-year-old brother Nino Sanchez, “it could have all gone to waste like it does with too many other kids on the South Side of Tucson. I wanted to keep him away from that and put him in the right direction.”

So the high school sophomore moved into his older brother’s house, but had to accept the stern, tough love of a brother seven years his senior who cracked down on schoolwork and wouldn’t even allow girlfriends.

What Nino did allow was Mark to come to the basketball courts with him in the summers to play against much older, stronger players who didn’t show much sympathy for the young Sanchez.

“I was taking him to the parks with me all summer and he was 6-foot-2, 6-3, and everybody was there thinking he was a man, but he was just a 15-16 year old kid at the time,” said Nino Sanchez, who works at Los Niños Elementary School in the Sunnyside School District. “All these grown men were there battling with him. Then he got back to school, and he realized he was pretty good.”

But not good enough for Nino Sanchez to take it easy on his younger brother.

“He was always telling me what I did wrong, what I could do better,” recalls Mark. “Never settle. It was tough sometimes. I would sit there wondering if he even wanted me to succeed because even after I had a good game, he’d be the first to point to what I could have done better.”

By his senior season at Desert View, his coach began realizing Mark Sanchez was more than just a good high school player. Rojas, who fondly remembers Mark Sanchez’s school-record 22 rebounds against Sahuaro in 2005 and the streak of 30 consecutive free throws he made that season, said none of it would have happened had it not been for the support of his older brother.

“Nino Sanchez took care of his little brother,” said Rojas. “He was at every single game, followed him everywhere, drove him everywhere to practices, everywhere. It was a pretty special deal to see someone care that much.”

• • •

After his senior season, the Tucson Citizen all-star team snub wasn’t the only indication Mark Sanchez wasn’t getting noticed. No major college had interest and he ended up fighting for playing time at Pima Community College.

Nino Sanchez accepted an assistant coaching position the two seasons Mark Sanchez played at Pima, again critiquing his brother every step of the way.

Mark Sanchez took the coaching and tough love from his older brother and developed into a sophomore star at Pima, earning First-Team All-Region 1, Division 2 honors after averaging 19.7 points, 8.3 rebounds and two blocked shots per game.

Still, he didn’t get a scholarship from Boise State until after an opposing coach tipped off Broncos coach Greg Graham.

“Coach (Jerry) Carrillo at Cochise (College), his guys were getting recruited by Boise State and he told them, ‘You have to look at this kid at Pima,’ ” Mark Sanchez said. “So even then, it wasn’t exactly the easiest way to Division I basketball. I got a little lucky, but I got here.”

• • •

At Boise State, Mark Sanchez spent his junior season playing behind two all-league forwards, Matt Nelson and Reggie Larry. While he admits the limited playing time was frustrating, he said being a part for the first time of a title team made it all worth it.

Boise State shared a piece of the WAC’s 2008 regular season title and knocked off New Mexico State in triple overtime in the conference tournament championship game, earning a berth in the NCAA Tournament.

This year, Mark Sanchez opened the season winning two WAC Player of the Week awards by the middle of December. He ended the regular season with a team-high 12.8 points and 7.1 rebounds per game. Sunday, the league’s coaches voted him second-team All-WAC.

“This year, I’ve just been trying to use everything I’ve learned through the years to get back to that championship level,” Sanchez said. “It’s been a long road, but one that has gone by so fast. Right now, I just don’t want it to end.”

Boise State plays New Mexico State in the WAC quarterfinals in Reno, Nev., at noon Thursday.

The winner likely draws the league’s No. 1 seed, Utah State (27-4) in the semifinals. Even if the season for 19-11 Boise State doesn’t end with another trip to the NCAA Tournament, Mark Sanchez has already accomplished plenty.

“He’s an example to all these kids here (at Desert View) and on the South Side of Tucson,” said Rojas. “He didn’t give up when people didn’t notice him in high school, he didn’t give up when colleges didn’t notice. He worked hard for everything and he’s reaping the benefits now.”

After college, Mark Sanchez said he hopes to test the professional waters overseas before returning to Tucson one day to coach basketball alongside his older brother. Nino Sanchez can’t think of a more ideal situation than coaching with his little brother one day.

“He didn’t get nothing given to him. There were no handouts given to him,” said Nino Sanchez. “That’s what’s special about the kid.”

For more on high school sports, check out the Grammer School sports blog.

Former Desert View and Pima Community College forward Mark Sanchez took an unlikely route to Division I basketball. Now, he is two months from being the first in his family to earn a college degree.

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2005 TUCSON CITIZEN BOYS BASKETBALL ALL STARS

First team

Devin Stewart, Sr., Santa Rita

James Smith, Sr., Flowing Wells

Marawan Shehata, Jr., Amphi

Omar Meziab, Jr., Tucson High

Shannon Doctor, Sr., Sierra Vista Buena

Second team

Nick Olm, Sr., Sahuaro

Jeremy Radtke, Sr., Salpointe

David Jackson, Jr., Rincon/Univ.

Chris Estrada, Sr., Nogales

David Alvarez, Sr., Sahuaro

Third team

Kyle Carney, Sr., Santa Rita

Jared Deal, Jr., Palo Verde

Drew Evans, Sr., Amphi

Quinton Jimerson, Sr., Rincon/Univ.

Diego Arrellano, Sr., Nogales

Honorable mention

*Mark Sanchez, Sr., Desert View (among several others)

Members of the Ironwood Ridge basketball team cheer during the final minutes of Friday's Class 5A Divison II semifinal game against South Mountain at Jobing.com Arena. Ironwood Ridge won 72-51.

GLENDALE – The Ironwood Ridge High School boys basketball team is one win away from another title.

The defending champion Nighthawks will again be heading to the 5A-II state championship game after a 72-51 dismantling of Phoenix South Mountain at Jobing.com Arena on Friday.

Chad Carter led the No. 1 Nighthawks with 24 points and 11 rebounds in the dominating win over No. 12-seeded South Mountain.

“I just came down and tried to create for my team,” Carter said. “I put some shots up and they went in. I felt good.”

Ironwood Ridge will try to win its second straight title Saturday when it takes on No. 2 Phoenix North at noon at Jobing.com.

Carter outscored South Mountain 20-13 in the first half, as Ironwood Ridge took a 20-point lead into halftime.

“Last year, our go-to-guy was Austin Smith,” said Ironwood Ridge coach Brian Peabody. “This year it’s been Chad Carter. Over the last month, he’s been unbelievable.”

Nighthawks center Brandon Duilakas added 20 points, 12 boards and six blocks.

The Jaguars were led by Shakir Preston’s 18 points.

Ironwood Ridge was able to attack the basket at will throughout the game and went 23 of 32 from the free-throw line – including 13 of 16 in the fourth quarter. The Nighthawks had only four field goals in their 21-point final quarter.

South Mountain was the 5A-II tournament “Cinderella” after toppling No. 5 Rincon/University and No. 4 Anthem Boulder Creek.

“We were really good when we extended our press, and we were really good in the half-court,” Peabody said of his team’s defensive effort.

Ironwood Ridge's Lawrence Hampton tries to put up a shot against Phoenix South Mountain during the second half.