· About Us ·
The Tucson HEAT was founded in 1995 and incorporated in 1999. Since it’s beginning the HEAT has enabled the youth in Tucson to achieve their athletic and academic goals. Currently, the Tucson HEAT Basketball Association has a 100% high school graduation rate. Also, a large percentage of our Alumni go to college on an academic or athletic scholarship. Tucson has one of the highest high school dropout rates in the nation. One of the goals of the Tucson HEAT is to help turn that national statistic around.
The Tucson HEAT serves student-athletes from all over the city of Southern Arizona. We do not charge thousands of dollars like other club teams. The reason for this is that the HEAT wants to give opportunity to students who are not financially able. We serve a large number of minority families that merit scholarships for their children. Therefore, our program depends heavily on donations and the support of people and companies like yours. Since we are a 501C3, your donations are tax-deductible.
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.
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 a belief that all religious 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.