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Saguaro striving for next step with solid foundation

BY ZACH ALVIRA

Progress Sports Editor

Lucas Ramirez greatly admires and respects the success for his predecessors as head coaches of the Saguaro High School basketball program.

Often, he aims to emulate the accomplishments of Mike Cady and Bob LaRue with Sabercats. The two in separate tenures led Saguaro to �ive state championship games. Cady won two of them. LaRue captured the 2011 title, the most recent championship Saguaro has earned.

While Ramirez is only in his second season as the head basketball coach at the school, he already has a sense for what he needs to accomplish in order to build off the foundation set by his two predecessors in the past three decades. And he is starting to learn what it will take to do that.

“There’s such a long history here with basketball,” Ramirez said. “There’s a great tradition here. We aren’t building it from the ground up. There was a foundation set here. We just want to put our own wrinkle on it.”

Saguaro won just four games in 2019, the last year with LaRue leading the team. The roster was �illed with talent, but Ramirez said they were unable to put it all together as they were still relatively young. So, when he took over, he challenged the returning seniors. He wanted them to continue to build on the foundation laid out by those before them. The underclassmen who followed them, most of whom are now juniors or seniors, would take over and “�inish the house.” They took that in stride and �inished the 2020 season with a 14-6 record and a region title. Saguaro also made its return to the postseason as the No. 14 seed in the 4A Conference.

The Sabercats ran into a red-hot Paradise Honors team that �inished as the runner-up in the �irst round and had an early exit. But

Saguaro head basketball coach Lucas Ramirez has started to change the narrative at his school. No longer will it be known only for its football program. The basketball took a stride toward success in his fi rst season and is on track to be

even better in 2021. (David Minton/Progress Staff)

the success of the season gave players like junior guard Jeremiah Hinds motivation to build off the success in the new season.

“We just came together as a team,” Hinds said. “Nothing has really changed for us, we just have new people … I’m ready for a breakout year. We are ready.”

Hinds has quickly become one of the leaders for the Sabercats this season. While not the most vocal of the bunch, he leads by example when he’s on the �loor. That was made apparent from tip off of Saguaro’s �irst game of the season Monday, Nov. 29 against Mingus Union.

The Sabercats started slow on offense, allowing Mingus to jump out to an early lead. But Hinds quickly helped calm down the team coming out of a timeout. That led to a run by Saguaro to end the �irst quarter that carried over into the second in the form of

Saguaro freshman J.T. Thomas has already established himself as a key contributor to the team this season with his aggressive play style. (David Minton/Progress Staff)

a 12-2-point advantage.

The Sabercats went on to dominate the Marauders and open the season with a 7343 win. Along with Hinds, freshman guard J.T. Thomas was key, bringing a high level of energy to the �loor. Ramirez said when the Sabercats pressed early in the second and out of halftime, it was at Thomas’ request. “I work hard, and I expect those results to show,” Thomas said. “But I’m nothing without my teammates. Jeremiah and Tyrus (Lister)…They’re leaders.”

Saguaro is seemingly already in good position this season with the talent on its roster. But it will get a boost in a matter of weeks after the football program is done with playoffs. Ramirez hopes that is in two weeks – when Saguaro would play for the Open Division championship. The Sabercats faced top-ranked Hamilton in the Open semi�inals on Saturday.

Freshman guard Dajon Hinton, a starting defensive back for Jason Mohns and the football team, will bring a new level of athleticism to the basketball team. Forward Tristan Monday, a 6-foot-3 defensive end committed to Wisconsin for football, will bring a physical presence to the paint and some size with his large frame. Devon Dampier, a standout guard and quarterback in football, made the move to Saguaro from Pinnacle during the offseason. Like he did in football, he will have to miss half the season due to the Arizona Interscholastic Association’s transfer rules.

Outside of football, sophomore guards Damariae Sawyer and Tyler Stegmeier will also provide a boost to the roster once eligible to play. Sawyer transferred in from Dream City Christian in Glendale. Stegmeier came from nearby Desert Mountain.

Ramirez aims to be among the 4A powers. And while it will take time, he knows they’re taking yet another step in the right direction this season, saying: “We just have to show up to work every day and let the chips fall where they may.”