Ari Wohl is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Phoenix Christian for AZPreprs365.com 

After spending the last two years in a different region, Phoenix Christian head coach Brandi Watkins is hoping to lead the Cougars to a region championship.

The team will look a little different this year after last year’s Regional Defensive Player of the Year Enrietta Kamara graduated. Kamara also made the All-Region first team.

Watkins is expecting big things from some of the main seniors on the team: Aurora Grimwade, Nancy Felix, and Honestye Russell. Last year, Grimwade made All-Region second team while Felix was an honorable mention. Watkins expressed what specific improvements she is looking for.

“We’re looking at Aurora to step up on defense and fill Enrietta’s shoes on that. And we’re looking for Honestye to fill the position of point guard which is a newer position to her. And then lastly we’re looking for Nancy to hold our scoring down,” Watkins said.

Watkins graduated from Phoenix Christian in 2010 and played basketball all four years and this season will be her fifth year coaching, her second as head coach.

“I really love the atmosphere. I love that the girls come from all different areas,” Watkins said. “Every single girl on the court has a different story and I love being able to bring everybody together.”

This season, Felix is hoping to become a more well-rounded scorer and be more aggressive on defense. She also served as the setter for the Cougars volleyball team and mentioned how having several of the basketball players play on the volleyball team positively affects the team’s chemistry.

“What we built in volleyball suddenly transferred to basketball, so we didn’t have to build up any more chemistry,” Felix said.

Russell is hoping to improve her court vision and understand each of her teammates individually. She also considers herself a “hustle player” and someone who enjoys helping her teammates improve. Russell talked about her relationship with Watkins.

“She motivates us with her energy on the court. She always lifts people up. No matter how many mistakes they have made,” Russell said. “She is very patient with us. She treats us like she loves us.”

Similarly to Felix, Russell played on the volleyball team, and she feels that she has a better understanding of how and when to help her teammates that play both sports. Russell expressed how the team’s chemistry allows anyone to know that they can ask for help and they will receive it.

Last season, the Cougars finished their season with a 9-11 record and third in the 2A Metro region. This year, the Cougars have moved to the 2A Central region and opened their season with a one-point loss against the Scottsdale Christian Eagles before beating the Gilbert Classical Spartans.

Those games do not count toward their official record and they will play their first regular season game against the Leading Edge Academy GEC Spartans on Dec. 2. Their first home will come on Dec. 8 against the Highland Prep Honey Badgers.