West Valley View, Avondale, Arizona, Tuesday, July 10, 2012


14


Tigers find answer during summer


by Mike Russo sports editor


Millennium’s boys basketball team had a busy but fruitful month of June as they look to improve upon last season’s 13-12 record. The Tigers opened offseason play by participating in a pair of team camps at Arizona State University on consecutive weekends and fared fairly well. “We went 3-4 the first


weekend but we were without Hunter Jones,” coach Mike Lopez said. “We played some


BOYS BASKETBALL


sophomores and freshmen and they played well. “We were 4-2 the second weekend. The second


weekend we did better with some players back.” The highlight of the second team camp was Millennium’s three-point win over Mesa Dobson. Dobson featured small forward Kody Justice, who has


verbally committed to ASU, and 6-foot-8 transfer Torren Jones, who averaged 19.6 points and 10.2 rebounds per game last season at Chandler Basha. “Hunter Jones [5-9] guarded Torren Jones and did a good job on him,” Lopez said. “He did a great job of defending him and boxing out.” The Tigers closed out their summer schedule June 30


by advancing to the semifinals of the Estrella Foothills Shootout, losing by five points to highly regarded Phoenix Paradise Valley. “We were missing four starters against Paradise


Valley,” Lopez said. “We played them with two freshmen, two seniors and a junior.” Making Millennium’s performance during the month all-the-more impressive was the absence of 6-foot-9 junior center Elston Jones. Jones, who was limited to two games last season because of a knee injury, missed all of Millennium’s summer schedule with a fractured wrist. “We’re not very big without Elston,” Lopez said. “We are pretty quick.


Stepping up In Jones’ absence, a trio of seniors stepped up, when they were available, to lead the Tigers.


Lopez will count on Hunter Jones, Jordan Martin and (See Tigers on Page 16)


View file photo by Ray Thomas


MILLENNIUM GUARD HUNTER JONES pushes the ball upcourt last season against Independence. Jones performed well for the Tigers this summer when he was able to play.


Injuries derail Bowen’s college football career


by Mike Russo sports editor


college at Adams State University in Alamosa, Colo., last August, he was exultant about embarking on a collegiate football career. Following a career at Westview, during which he earned all- state honors as a center three times, Bowen was looking forward to playing for the


Grizzlies, an NCAA Division-II


When Brennan Bowen departed for


as well as gaining a spot on the coaches’ Top 25 team, which recognizes the state’s 25 best players regardless of classification. Bowen also was named the Desert West


Region Offensive Player of the Year, a rare feat for an offensive lineman, as a senior. After


“Getting used to the speed was a big thing. The biggest challenge came in blocking. Zone block- ing was a lot differ- ent than what we did in the Wing-T at Westview.”


— Brennan Bowen Westview high school graduate


school competing in the Rocky Mountain Conference. Bowen originally selected Adams State


Photo courtesy of Adams State University


BRENNAN BOWEN of Adams State University awaits the snap during a game last season. Bowen earned a starting guard spot by the end of last season. However, back problems have likely ended his football career.


over the University of Colorado-Pueblo, partly because of the facilities and small class sizes at Adams State, as well as the community of Alamosa. He capped his Westview career by being named to the Arizona Coaches Association’s Class 5A-II All-State team


starting his freshman year at Adams


State as an offensive line reserve, Bowen won a starting job as a guard,


performing well.


transition from


The


smoothly, Bowen said. Actually, the biggest adjustment he had


“Getting used to the speed was a big thing,” Bowen said. “The biggest challenge came in blocking. Zone blocking was a lot different than what we


center to guard went


to make was to the speed of the collegiate game.


(See Injuries on Page 17)


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24