Pahrump Valley girls basketball gains ground at Utah Tech camp

Three Pahrump Valley girls basketball squads spent June 1-4 in St. George not just chasing summer games, but taking a hard measure of where the program stands. After a successful three-day youth camp at Pahrump Valley High School, the Trojans sent a varsity, a younger high school group and a middle school group to Utah Tech University’s women’s basketball camp, where the setting was built to test teams as much as develop them.

The Utah Tech format gave each squad a six-game round robin and at least one tournament game, creating a seven- to nine-game workload depending on bracket placement. That kind of volume matters for a Pahrump program that is still young and still sorting out its next wave of players, from varsity returners to seventh- and eighth-grade prospects who may soon fill out the roster at 3680 E. Calvada Blvd. in Pahrump.

What stood out most was not a championship run, but how the different squads were stretched. Assistant coach Darla Sheppard said the middle school team, made up mostly of seventh graders with two eighth graders, had to deal with bigger, faster freshman and sophomore opponents. That physical and mental test is exactly the kind of early exposure that can shorten the learning curve when those players reach Pahrump Valley High School.

The freshman-sophomore squad also showed why the program’s outlook is changing. The group played with jump shots, defensive pressure and hustle against teams from around the region, giving coaches a live look at which young players can already handle pace and contact. For a roster that MaxPreps lists as including Addi Nelsen, Jules Ondrisko, Aurora Bowers, Emily Zaragoza, Kaitlyn Brown, Cindal Monahan, Ella Odegard, Olivia Veloz, Kaylan Robinson, Jaycie Hayes, Adrian Rogers, Julie Briggs and Raegan Saldana, that kind of competition is part evaluation and part warning sign: the next varsity group will need to grow up quickly.

Utah Tech built the camp to serve schools still finishing classes in early June, adding a second week option this year and offering divisions for varsity, JV, sophomore, freshman and junior high teams. Games were played in air-conditioned gyms and at Burns Arena, with certified trainers on site, and the camp also mixed in individual skill clinics run by Utah Tech athletes, a coaches’ all-star game, a players’ all-star game, a two-minute challenge and pool-party night. For Pahrump Valley, the trip did more than provide extra reps. Combined with the home camp that drew about 90 participants, mobilized about 20 volunteers and raised about $2,500 after expenses, it pointed to a program trying to build depth, lower barriers and raise its standard before the next season begins.