Orem basketball: 2011-12 season recap

In mid-March, I interviewed Orem (Utah) boys basketball coach Golden Holt, and he reflected on his team's 4A state championship run. It was Orem's first boys basketball title in school history. This article will appear in the team yearbook, which promises to also be something special.

Tigers end 56-year wait

Talented squad makes history
as coach’s prediction comes true

By Bruce Smith
Matchup

What a difference a year can make.

In March, 2011, coach Golden Holt stood at the podium at the Orem High School boys basketball team banquet. The Tigers had finished the season with a 7-15 record. Holt looked at the parents in the audience, and then his team, and he saw their potential.

“I said we were going to win the state championship next year and anything less would be a disappointment,” Holt said.

The buildup to that accomplishment was something every coach, player and fan will remember.

The rejuvenated Tigers finished with a 24-1 mark, went undefeated in Region 8 and captured the school’s first-ever boys basketball championship in its 56-year history. The crowning achievement came on Saturday, March 3, when they defeated Olympus 58-50 in the 4A finals at the Maverik Center in West Valley City.

“March 3rd was our rally cry. We said all year that we wanted to be playing on that date,” Holt said. “We were the most talented team in the state. We had to focus on our heart and our character. If we played to the best of our ability, I knew we would win every game.”

Afterward, the accolades kept coming. Zach Hunsaker was named the Region 8 Most Valuable Player, and Josh Pollard and Dalton Nixon were on the first team. Hunsaker later received the same award on the all-state team. Nixon was on the second team and Jordan Darger third team.

Nixon was also tabbed the state tournament’s best player.

When Orem accepted the trophy, a huge crowd of students cheered loudly. For the team, it wasn’t necessarily a surprise. Sure, Holt had made a bold statement a year prior, but the Tigers spent every day after that planning to win.

The buildup began during the previous summer, when the Tigers played 60 AAU and other tournament-type games in Utah and various other western states and won almost all of them.

Then, early in the season, Orem played host to the first annual Great Western Shootout. Three of Utah’s best basketball programs (Lone Peak, West Jordan and Davis) were invited, as well as four of the best teams from surrounding states.

“I’m a confidence coach,” Holt said. “We knew we were inexperienced in tournament play, so we had to prepare like we were going to be there (at state).”

Not only did the tourney gain huge local and even some national attention, the Tigers accomplished a lot. They downed Highland (Pocatello), shocked Lone Peak, which went on to win the 5A state title, before losing to West Jordan in the final. That 77-71 defeat ended up being Orem’s only loss of the year.

“I didn’t want to say it at the time, but the loss did us some good,” Holt said. “It rejuvenated the kids, and got the monkey off our back. The kids knew their potential, and what they had to do to win.

On Dec. 28, Orem printed T-shirts, claiming itself to be 4A state champions, and showed them to the players but they had to wait before they could be worn. Then, Holt did something else he’ll always remember.

“We chartered a bus and took the team to Weber State,” he said. “We had lunch up there and took a tour of the arena. I wanted the kids to experience all that.”

The only problem was that, while Weber’s Dee Events Center had been the site of the previous two state tournaments, it wasn’t this year.

The players and coaches had a good laugh over it, and continued their business.

They beat rivals Provo and Mountain View twice, and erased a 14-point halftime deficit at Timpview and went into the tourney ranked No. 1.

In the title game, they led all the way but saw the margin dwindle to just four in the final minutes. Holt called timeout, but let Darger, the team’s only senior, do the talking.

"Josh has been through a lot here and let these guys know that they couldn't let up," Holt said. "He's been a big leader for us all year long and he gave them a bit of a pep talk there and they responded."

Bingham basketball: Jilian Powell profile

In mid-March, I interviewed Bingham (Utah) girls basketball player Jilian Powell. She told me her best memories of the season and I wrote this article for this year's Bingham basketball yearbook.

Jilian
Powell:

She was known for her scoring,
but she appreciated the other things

By Bruce Smith
Matchup

Jilian Powell is an athlete. She has played soccer, softball and basketball since she was a child. She gave up the other sports to play on coach Rand Rasmussen’s Bingham squad.

The Miners were led by senior Summer Yack this season. Next year, Powell will definitely be a player to watch.

“Without her, we’d be in trouble,” said Rasmussen. “She has all parts of the game.”

Powell averaged 8.2 points per game this year, topped the team in steals and, surprisingly, was credited with 16 blocked shots. She was named second team all-region and honorable mention all-state.

“In the game against Cyprus, she had a key steal and then hit back-to-back threes,” Rasmussen recalled. “She also ended up guarding their point guard. She’s versatile that way.”

For her efforts that night, the Deseret News named her its player of the week.

Powell was also a big help off the court. She was a team captain, of course, and part of the group that included Yack, Madison Aulai-Roe and Ashton Henderson that tried to improve camaraderie and team chemistry.

“I don’t think much about the games (anymore),” she said after the season concluded. “It’s about all the fun we had off the court.”

When you make the Bingham girls basketball team, it’s about more than just basketball. Sure, there are the games and dealing with Rasmussen. But there are the weekly team dinners, sleepovers and hanging out with teammates for at least three consecutive months that create lifelong friendships.

“Sleepovers on Friday nights became a tradition because we had practices early on Saturday mornings,” Powell said. “We would go to somebody’s house that had a big room. Then we would go to practice together.”

Practice helped the 18-member Bingham squad find their roles. In Powell’s case, she was asked to be a scorer, especially after Yack was injured late in the season. Powell always enjoyed shooting from the perimeter, but lacked consistency. She said Rasmussen asked her to shoot more, especially since opponents were focusing their defense on Yack.

“I had my best game against Layton,” Powell said. “At halftime, he was mad at me for not shooting, so I started.

In that game, Powell had a career-high 23 points. She only had seven at half, but came out in the third quarter and immediately nailed a couple of treys. Bingham took a nine-point lead, but eventually lost, 61-59.

Powell also recalled playing Pleasant Grove as one of her best performances. She had 12 points, including a couple of threes, in the 52-45 win there and then an 11-point effort in a 54-34 decision at Bingham.

“Beating Pleasant Grove was a big accomplishment,” she said. “We were on a losing streak and, at the time, didn’t know if we would make state.”

Of course, they did. Powell had 15 points in the tourney opener against Taylorsville. She said that was a game she’ll always remember.

“It was great,” she said. “It had been a long time since we had beaten a team like that.”

Powell thinks next year will hold bigger and better things for her and the Bingham basketball team. She planned to work hard during the summer and make herself an even better scorer next year.

A state championship might also help her recall her on-court exploits more.

Bingham basketball: Ashton Henderson profile

In mid-March, I interviewed Ashton Henderson, a member of the Bingham (Utah) girls basketball team. She was a very good interview. In some ways, she reminded me of myself. She grew up a Bingham fan, and was thrilled to eventually play basketball there. Here's the article that will appear in this year's Bingham basketball yearbook.

Ashton
Henderson:

By Bruce Smith
Matchup

Ashton Henderson grew up a Bingham basketball fan. For a long time, it was her goal to play for coach Rand Rasmussen and the Miners. When she put on the uniform – white or dark – it was a dream.

This year, she became a team captain and she welcomed the responsibility that came with it. She had “game,” and she wanted to show it.

“When you’re little, you idolize the girls,” she said. “Rand was always scary, but you looked up to him. I always looked forward to wearing the warm-ups and playing the part.”

Henderson played sparingly on varsity as a freshman, but was frequently on the court last year. This season, she ended up averaging 6.1 points per game and 2.6 rebounds. Like most Bingham guards, she was all over the court.

Henderson’s high game was a 14-point effort in Bingham’s 68-52 win over Alta, one of its most-impressive victories of the season. It was a great night for her and the team. Surprisingly, it didn’t rank among her best memories of the season.

“My best memories are sleepovers and team dinners,” she said.

It was a long season and, as a captain, there were many issues that had to be dealt with off the court. Then, just when the Miners seemed to have those issues solved, Summer Yack was injured and lost for the season.

Henderson said the team had made a lot of progress prior to that event, especially with camaraderie and team chemistry. When Yack was injured, the team’s momentum immediately stopped and it was the coach – and the captain’s – jobs to try to revive it.

“I was a defensive player, but after Summer got hurt coach told me that I had to score more,” Henderson said. “Summer led us, but we had to step up and help out more. We were all captains but we looked up to her.”

Yack was injured in Bingham’s 54-39 loss at American Fork. The team had a week off until its next game, but Henderson was she couldn’t wait to deal with the situation. AF dominated the game after Yack went to the bench and, at the time, all the players were concerned the Miners wouldn’t even make the postseason.

“At American Fork, we had a long talk in the locker room,” Henderson recalled. “We knew we were at a turning point and had to keep fighting.”

Henderson was one of the biggest fighters. In Bingham’s next game – at home against nemesis Pleasant Grove – she nearly matched her season high. She had 12 points, Jilian Powell 11 and Ana Kaili 10 in a 54-34 victory.

“We had to give it all we had,” she said. “They had knocked us out (of the 5A state tournament) three straight years. We weren’t going to let it happen again.”

A week later, she scored 11 points at Riverton. Her scoring dropped off after that, but others caught on. Bingham did make the tourney and others caught on. Shelby Richards, for example, had 23 in Bingham’s tournament win over Taylorsville.

For Henderson, the story of her junior year was “ask her to do something, and she would do it.” It started with the captaincy, but it also occurred on the court. One of her favorite recollections, she said, was the Cyprus game, when she was asked to guard the Pirates’ 6-foot-3 Lori Parkinson.

“She was a lot bigger than me,” she said, smiling. “But I think she had two points in the first half and the coach took me out in the third quarter. It was a great feeling.”

It might make Henderson feel better to know that Parkinson, who averaged 14.6 ppg and 15.6 rebounds and made the 4A all-state teams, was actually scoreless at halftime. Bingham handed the Pirates their only loss of the regular season, 59-48.

The Miners, of course, went on to finish 15-8. By Bingham standards, that might be a subpar year. But the team battled through adversity, injuries (not just Yack, but Anna Lokotui and Nicole Osborne), made state and advanced to the quarterfinals.

Henderson believes more good things are ahead, and this year will just make them stronger.

Bingham basketball: Madison Aulai-Roe profile

In mid-March, I went to Bingham High School and interviewed its four girls basketball taem captains. I wrote this article about Madison Aulai-Roe and it will be published in the team's post-season yearbook.

Madison
Aulai-Roe:

Thrilled to be a captain, she also
developed her role as the ‘stopper’

By Bruce Smith
Matchup

The Bingham girls basketball team is all about chemistry. Opponents may marvel at the Miners’ talent, but even the best players aren’t guaranteed a championship run.

After Madison Aulai-Roe was voted to be a team captain just prior to the 2011-12 season, she began to recognize that. It’s rare for a junior to have a captain’s role. But with this year’s varsity squad made up of one senior, nine juniors, seven sophomores and a freshman, the usual rules were broken.

“The girls voted for them, but I have the final say,” said coach Rand Rasmussen. “All of them (the captains) were good role models and upheld the image of a Lady Miner.”

Rasmussen was the teacher. An early riser, this meant a lot of 5:30 a.m. practices and grumbles from the players. The captains were the glue that held them together.

“I’ve played with a lot of these girls since the fourth grade and we played a lot during the summer,” Aulai-Roe said. “We never expected there to be an easy games.”

With their talent and depth, Bingham could always compete. However, reducing the strife created among 18 (varsity) girls vying for playing time, attention, friends, schoolwork and their families was a full-time job itself.

This year’s team had all of that, plus a season-ending injury to its best player late in the season. Aulai-Roe said there were a lot of captain’s-only meetings to discuss it all.

“I felt like the team ‘mom,’” she said. “The players came to us with their problems. We’re still one huge family – on an off the court.”

Aulai-Roe gained anotjer role a few games into the season. To help manage Bingham’s depth, Rasmussen created two separate teams and usually substituted players five at a time. Aulai-Roe started on “Team 2.” Although she wasn’t a starter, the two squads usually had a similar amount of playing time.

An injury to sophomore Shelby Richards prior to the Cyprus game moved to her to “Team 1.” It worked out well for everyone, too, because one of Aulai-Roe’s favorite roles was to be the defensive stopper.

“That was my best game,” she said. “I played point guard, but my game was all about defense.”

Aulai-Roe grew up in Torrance, Calif., before moving to the Salt Lake area. She was coached by her dad, and often played against two older sisters, who ended up making the varsity teams at Highland and Copper Hills.

Against Cyprus, she defended guard Julie Caputo, who was one of its top players. Cyrpus was undefeated at the time, and ended up having one of its best seasons in school history. But in this game, Caputo finished with just five points, and was scoreless in the second half.

“I felt like I shut her down,” Aulai-Roe said.

After that, Aulai-Roe was often paired against an opponent’s top perimeter player. She scored 35 points all season and had a high game of six points against Brighton. Her niche, however, was defense.

“I’m told that I’m fast and I move my feet,” she said. “I usually guarded their point and tried to corrupt their game.”

Aulai-Roe said she was happy with Bingham’s season, and how the team bounced back from various inner-team issues, including Summer Yack’s injury. She said the team came together at the 5A state tournament, when they surprised Taylorsville in the first round.

“All the girls needed that,” she said. “We didn’t have any team unity issues. We knew that if we lost, we were out.”

Aulai-Roe felt that team chemistry should be a lot easier next year, but every player will be required to work hard. Because the Miners will lose just one senior, and have another talented group of younger players coming up, there is no guarantee anyone – even her – will make the team.

“We had nine juniors, but Rand said he probably won’t keep all of us,” she said. “We need to keep getting better and go out on top next year.”

Bingham basketball: Summer Yack profile

In mid-March, I had the opportunity to interview Bingham (Utah) guard Summer Yack. It was a great pleasure for me. She was the team's only senior and meant so much to the rest of them. The article below will be published in Bingham's post-season yearbook.

Summer Yack:

She was the team’s top scorer and
her leadership was noted everywhere

By Bruce Smith
Matchup

It’s difficult to tell if Summer Yack knew how important she was to the Bingham girls basketball team this year.

Sure, she led the team in scoring at 14.2 points per game. She was also the leader in free-throw shooting, three-pointers and assists. She was the only senior on the squad and was named all-region and all-state, even though she missed the team’s last six games due to a torn ACL.

“Summer led us,” said Ashton Henderson, a team captain. “She was our (only) senior … our leader. We had four captains, but we all looked up to her.”

Fact is, everyone looked up to Yack, and not just her teammates. The opponent’s playbook on Bingham all read, “watch out for Yack.” And, at the end of the season, everyone watched her on the sidelines, too, as she watched games on crutches and, eventually, while wearing a “boot.”

She scored in double figures in 13 of the 17 games she played as a senior. She achieved a high game of 22 points twice – against Timpanogos and Lone Peak. She had a career-best five three-pointers her junior year against Layton.

Yack, of course, was hurt Jan. 26 in a game at American Fork. It was during the final minutes, and she still managed to hobble off the court. Her loss hurt the team, but that’s not how she wanted to be remembered.

Yack was a rare four-year varsity letterwinner at Bingham, and she made a contribution each year – even as a freshman. She finished her Bingham career with 658 points. Coach Rand Rasmussen said she was one of the top players in his 23 years at the school.

“She was our most mature kid and a calming influence (this year),” he said. “We missed her shooting, her unselfishness, her ability to find the right person and get them set up to score. Just her presence.”

Yack grew up just a couple of blocks from Bingham and she and Rasmussen met at a summer camp when Yack was a third grader. Rasmussen said he knew she was destined to be something special.

"She's from a family of athletes, and that work ethic has been demonstrated in her family," Rasmussen said. "She played as hard at practice as she does in a game. When we finished practicing, she'd go back to the gym and shoot some more. ... She's the kind of kid who will go to rehab 40 times a day rather than once."

Yack became almost like another coach afterward, sitting next to Bingham’s assistants on the bench and providing support to her teammates. Her time there made her appreciate her playing days even more.

She said her best memories of the season was helping Bingham to a 9-0 start. Her favorite game was when she scored 21 points in the Miners’ 68-52 home victory over rival Alta, who was also the defending 5A champion.

“We were excited to play that one, and we were up by 30 at one time,” she said.

What made Yack so effective was her three-point shooting. In that game, Yack had two and Jilian Powell and Ashton Henderson added one each. For the season, Bingham prided itself on its perimeter play and, with Yack leading the way, used three-pointers to key momentum swings.

“A three-pointer can really turn a game around,” she said. “For a while, it was all clicking.”

Yack received a basketball scholarship to play at Salt Lake Community College, and was happy to sign it shortly after tryouts. She was concerned that SLCC wouldn’t honor it following her injury, but Bruins’ coach Betsy Specketer was still happy to have her join the team.

Yack hoped to avoid further injuries and continue her playing career. Certainly, her abilities were welcomed at Bingham and played a big role in the team’s success during her stay here.

Bingham girls basketball season recap

In mid-March, I interviewed Bingham (Utah) girls basketball coach Rand Rasmussen and four of his players. I wrote this article for the team's yearbook, recapping the season.

Great memories for Miners, but …

Team recovers
from various issues
and keeps high hopes

By Bruce Smith
Matchup

Bingham coach Rand Rasmussen has had a lot of memorable moments in his 23 years coaching the girls basketball team.

He had a lot more this season:

* - Nine straight wins to start the year.
* - Victories over powerhouse teams like Alta and Cyprus.
* - A difficult schedule, playing in a new region.

In the end, the Miners finished with a 15-8 record, and earned a berth into the 5A state tournament. Then they surprised a No. 1 seed – Taylorsville – in the opener. They did all this despite off-court issues at midseason and then they lost Summer Yack, their only senior and leading scorer, to a torn ACL.

Rasmussen didn’t win the coach of the year award, but anyone associated with Bingham probably felt he deserved it.

“I just enjoyed hanging out with the kids,” he said. “They goofed off at the right time, but they knew how to turn it on. I liked the journey.”

Yack could say the same. She played a role on four different Bingham teams that combined to win 71 games. When she graduated, she was among the school’s most-significant players. She ranked in the top 20 in several different offensive categories. She was second in three-point goals (89) and 11th in scoring with 658 points.

Her fate, as well as the team, might have been much
different this year except for the season-ending injury she suffered in a game at American Fork. At the time, Bingham had a narrow lead over the Cavemen but ended up losing by 15.

“She went for a steal and missed it,” recalled Rasmussen. “She looked all wrong and couldn’t get up. I knew immediately.”

Yack played part of her junior year with a broken foot, but didn’t tell anybody. She had it repaired after the season was over. This time, she hobbled back to the bench and was on crutches until having surgery two weeks later. Still, she attended team-building events, practices, games and helped wherever possible.

Opposing coaches and the media recognized her importance. Despite missing six games, she was named first team all-state by the Deseret News and second team by the Salt Lake Tribune.

“She scored 234 points, was a captain, our most mature kid and a calming influence,” Rasmussen said. “The real story of our season, though, was how our team rallied afterward.”

Yack said the following week was “brutal” for her. However, this Bingham team had a lot of depth. The depth was so extensive that Rasmussen substituted five players at a time. The Miners used a week off before their next game to heal emotionally. They rallied behind fellow captains Madison Aulai-Roe, Jilian Powell and Ashton Henderson and won its next two games.

A loss to Lone Peak prevented Bingham from finishing in second place. Instead, the Miners went into state as a No. 4 seed and a lot of questions.

“But we beat a No. 1 and we handled them just fine,” recalled Rasmussen. “We were playing a No. 1 seed every bloody day. That had a lot to do with how we beat Taylorsville. We were up 10-0 from the start.”

The Miners got a big lift from sophomore Shelby Richards, who scored 23 points in that game and showed huge potential. Bingham lost its quarterfinal contest to Weber, but that didn’t dampen the future.

Richards was a great example of Bingham’s potential. Rasmussen expects to return another young squad next year that could include Aulai-Roe, Powell, Henderson, Richards, Lateesha Richards, Mackenzie Bruggeman, . The Miners will only lose one senior (Yack). If they can get through another tough region season, they could once again challenge for the state title.

Many of those players were part of the junior varsity team, which finished 19-1. The sophomores were 10-10. Overall, Rasmussen said he was once again proud of the entire squad.

“I liked the commitment they all put into it, even though each game is just 32 minutes,” he said. “They take it serious and they hurt when we lose.”

Riverton basketball: Girls 2011-12 season recap

In early March, I interviewed Riverton girls basketball coach Ron Ence and published his team's 2011-12 yearbook. Here is the article that recapped the team's season.

Silverwolves create some believers

Saunders gets a lot
of help as Riverton rolls
to another region title

By Bruce Smith
Matchup

The biggest, most-memorable event of the Riverton Silverwolves’ 2011-12 girls basketball season didn’t come on the basketball court.

It came in print – and it was midway through the season. As the Silverwolves were plodding along with a 7-3 record, the Deseret News published its preview of 5A basketball and picked them fourth in Region 4. After seeing that, coach Ron Ence had no problem inspiring his team.

“The article did slight us. We had kids with varsity experience returning, but we were working to find what rotation would work,” Ence said.

During that time, Riverton was in the middle of a winning streak that eventually lasted six weeks. In that time, Riverton turned itself and all of Region 4 into believers. The Silverwolves eventually finished with a 19-5 record, captured the region crown for the second straight year and advanced all the way to the 5A semifinals.

“It wasn’t a huge surprise to us because we had high expectations,” Ence said. “I thought this team – by the end of December – could compete with anybody.”

What made Riverton so strong was its defense – and depth. Riverton gave up an average of 37.5 points per game, which was second-best in 5A.

On offense, Whitney Saunders averaged 10.8 points per game and was the team’s leading scorer. She was also voted the Region 4 MVP. Morganne Campbell was named to the first team and four other players (Jamie Smith, Gerika Ballard, Lauren Bond and Andy Denos) were on the second team or honorable mention.

However, the Silverwolves had other contributors. At least nine different players made a difference and they often did at key times.

Take junior Jamie Smith, for example. She averaged 7.5 points per game, but reached double figures seven times. Her best outings came in important games like Fremont, Timpview, Pleasant Grove, Lone Peak, American Fork and the season finale against Weber.

Senior Andy Denos came off the bench all season. However, she saved her best games for rival Bingham. She averaged less than 4.0 ppg, but had 10 and 11 points in wins over the Miners. Any Riverton player can tell you that beating Bingham was a big part in their region title.

“Our team was ‘win by committee,’” Ence said. “Our players had a role. When we were successful, we were getting balanced scoring. I’d love to have a top gun but the girls didn’t seem to care who scored.

“With this team, we were going to be successful when everyone contributed.”

Fittingly, Riverton clinched the region title at home against Bingham. Despite having a No. 1 seed, the media once again didn’t expect the Silverwolves to play a role in deciding the 5A champion. Riverton wasn’t impressive in beating Granger in the first round, but earned its biggest victory two days later when it upset(?) Layton.

“When we won that game, we realized we just had to win one more to make the final,” Ence said. “Once that happened, it was a big deal for us and the school.”

The Lancers had lost just twice all season – both to eventual champion Syracuse, which won it all and finished 22-0. Riverton’s chance at its first-ever state title fell short, however, when the Silverwolves lost to Weber the next day.

“It was a tough way to end an amazing run, and an amazing season,” Ence said.

The school support was there, too. The students had always come to the Bingham games, but they also began to grow late in the year as they realized this could be a special season.