Perry High girls basketball opening season with high expectations

By Scott Mammoser

GILBERT, Ariz. – The Perry High School girls basketball team may lack upper class experience, but the Pumas are expected to be one of the top teams in Arizona this season. Dressing six sophomores, one senior and one junior, the team doesn’t stress individualism, despite frequent visits from Division I recruiters.

“They’re so young, we’re really trying to develop them and get their games better,” Perry coach Andrew Curtis said after his team dominated the Phoenix North High School Lady Mustangs 53-19 to improve to 2-0.

Photo by Scott Mammoser

Curtis is in his third year at Perry after coaching boys at Corona del Sol, then Higley girls for a year. One of the players on Corona del Sol was Marvin Bagley III, the No. 2 overall pick from the Sacramento Kings.

“They buy in to wanting to get better every day,” Curtis attributed to Perry’s success. “They work hard for a young group. We don’t treat them like sophomore or a girls or boys team, we treat them like a basketball team. They work really hard, and sometimes we don’t let them know it because we want to keep them going.”

Madison Conner, a six-foot guard, and Tatyanna Clayburne, a 5-foot-10 guard, are the two players to keep an eye at this stage in their careers.

“We’re trying to build it up and have a good basketball program for them to learn the game,” Curtis added. “Madison is highly recruited, and Tatyanna Clayburne will have a lot of offers. This sophomore class is really loaded. We’re trying really hard to be interchangeable. We don’t want to key in on anybody, and we want to keep the ball moving. We want to flexible, where everybody can get open and attack. They are really skilled and have high basketball IQs. They have a real feel for how to play the game. They are really crafty players.”

Perry’s first Division I recruit, Olivia Vernon, once scored 53 points in one game. The 5-foot-6 guard is currently in her sophomore season at Canisius College of the MAAC in Buffalo, N.Y.

Coming up, the Pumas, who are in the 6A Arizona Division premier region, will play in a Nike Tournament in the Valley, and after Christmas, they will head for Washington D.C. for Title IX Classic. Perry is in the top bracket and will open with the four-time defending Pennsylvania state champions.