Trojans bring three teams to compete at Utah Tech’s Women’s Basketball Camp

Not every day does a team get the opportunity to compete out-of-state during the summer.

After hosting a successful three-day youth camp at home May 26 to May 28, led by Bob Hopkins and volunteers from the program, the Pahrump Valley High School girls basketball team hit the road.

Three PVHS squads traveled to St. George for Utah Tech’s women’s basketball camp hosted from Monday, June 1 to Thursday, June 4.

Tuesday morning, day two of the four-day event, the atmosphere buzzed with eager excitement.

The camp featured a tournament format with a six-game round-robin, plus at least one tournament game, for a total of seven to 9 games minimum/maximum per team split between the Student Activities Center, Human Performance Center and the Burns Arena.

Players also accessed special events throughout the tournament, including individual skill clinics led by Utah Tech players, a coaches’ All-Star game, and a players’ All-Star game.

Additional activities included a two-minute tournament challenge and a pool party night.

There were notable moments of hustle observed on the courts between the Trojans’ three squads.

The middle school program made up primarily of seventh graders and two eighth graders were pitted against the freshman and sophomore teams for the week but were able to hold their own while learning valuable in-game lessons.

“Despite those obstacles, our middle school players gained a tremendous amount from the experience,” varsity assistant coach Darla Sheppard said. “They competed against freshman and sophomore teams that were bigger, faster and stronger.”

“While it was a difficult challenge, those games pushed our players to become more physical and mentally tougher. Since our middle school teams do not always face that level of competition during the regular season, this experience should help ease their transition into high school basketball.”

The freshman and sophomore combined squad showed freshman Raegan Saldana and Brooklyn McMahon hitting jumpers from all angles of the court.

Incoming freshman Emri Wulfenstein provided great depth to the roster as her defense often trapped the opposition down the baseline, forcing turnovers and mitigating against local program Pine View High School from St. George.

“Our freshman/sophomore team competed very well within its age group and held its own throughout the week. We saw a lot of potential in this group and came away with a better understanding of the areas we can continue to develop within our program,” Sheppard said. “The camp gave us a glimpse of the future while highlighting both our strengths and opportunities for growth.”

Varsity’s roster took a little while to find their footing as their offense was limited from defensive pressures that just would not budge.

Taking on two dominant programs, Utah’s Stansbury High School and Bonneville High School defeated the Trojans varsity tournament squad, but there were plenty of highlights in-between.

”I thought our varsity girls competed hard against some very talented programs,” Sheppard said. “One thing that stood out was the overall speed and quickness of many of the Utah teams displayed. Competing against that level of athleticism will only help us improve in the long run.”

Incoming junior Adi Nelson remained a deep threat from beyond the arch as she knocked down numerous three-point opportunities.

Taking advantage of head coach Bob Hopkins’ morning open gym sessions, Nelson’s all-around improvement is already noticeable this summer.

Facilitating the ball with ease, incoming sophomore Olivia Veloz and incoming junior Ella Odegard connected with Riley Saldana and Nelson for assists throughout the day.

Adrian Rogers was a threat inside at times as she converted a few layups during game two against Bonneville High School in the Burns Arena.

“We were only able to practice for two days before heading to camp, yet our varsity team performed well. One positive was our game against Hurricane (UT), a program that has consistently been very strong, Sheppard said. “We were able to handle and break their press effectively despite not having time to work on it beforehand, which is something we can build on moving forward.”

For the players ’ All-Star game, all three of Pahrump’s programs got to cheer on Riley Saldana, who was selected to represent the girls.

Saldana dropped 12 points during the game as she worked jumpers around the perimeter and was a force inside the paint, driving to the hoop for layups and soft touches.

“Overall, it was a fun and productive week of basketball. More importantly, I hope our players view this experience as an opportunity for growth and team bonding,” Sheppard said. “That is what team camps are all about, and I believe every group came away better because of it.”

Rosters

Middle school

Kinley Bissell

Gianna Domingo

Olivia Harrington

Delanie Hunter

Remi Saldana

Karah Sheppard

Re’Anna Smith

Odette Tointigh

Freshman/sophomore

Mahina DeCambra