Tucson HEAT’s Vision
The Tucson HEAT is a non-profit club basketball team for boys and girls from grades 3-12.
Student-athletes are drawn from all over Southern Arizona with players coming from Nogales, Sierra Vista, Benson as well as the Tucson community. The purpose of the Tucson HEAT is to infuse, grow, and help develop the passion and love of basketball necessary for student-athletes to compete and reach their greatest potential.
The function of the Tucson HEAT is to send players to national tournaments that are held throughout the country. NCAA coaches from Division III to Division IA as well as NAIA college programs attend these A.A.U. or BCI tournaments. This offers an ideal opportunity for Tucson HEAT players to display their talent, thus affording them recruiting opportunities that they might not have in their local high school program.
The purpose of the Tucson HEAT, for our younger age groups, is to teach the basic fundamental skills of basketball as well as to introduce the importance of developing great team work, a sense of commitment, the ability to handle new challenges and the importance of good sportsmanship and fair play. By learning these traits at a young age our players will be better prepared to compete at higher levels, and more importantly, to be positive leaders in their everyday life experiences.
An important philosophical pillar of the Tucson HEAT program is the commitment to academic excellence as well as basketball excellence. To be a true student-athlete, players must display the ability to compete in the classroom as well as on the basketball court. The Tucson HEAT is committed to assisting the efforts of parents and teachers to help mold these young players into leaders who will make a positive contribution to our community.
Practices at the Tucson HEAT involve more than basketball skills. Life lessons and skills are an important part of the HEAT experience. The moral and ethical roots of our philosophy come from an understanding that all religious beliefs are honored and respected. Tucson HEAT players are expected to adhere to a high personal level of moral standards which includes respectful behavior on and off the court.
The board of directors and the coaching staff of the Tucson HEAT share a vision that the HEAT program can open the doors for talented youth to obtain scholarships to college where they can continue their play at the next competitive level. Achieving that vision requires the hard work and dedication of parents, coaches, players, and supporters. Donations to the Tucson HEAT are used to support the costs of individual players whose families cannot afford the program fees and to defray the costs of the travel to tournaments.
Our current staff consists of:
President – Anthony Merritt
Treasurer/Secretary – Karen Sonnek
For more information about joining the HEAT or to discuss ways to support the efforts of the HEAT, please call Karen at 520-975-3060.