Lexus Matos is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Peoria High School for AZPreps365.com

With the opportunity to compete in the AIA 4A boys basketball playoffs, it must mean a significant amount of profit for the Peoria Panthers, right? Unfortunately, that’s not the case.

Instead, the boy’s basketball team finds different methods to fund its trips and equipment.

The Peoria community rallied behind the Panthers throughout their 2022-23 season. When the playoffs started, ticket prices increased. This would have been a great help to the Panthers to fund their program, however, that is not how it works. Schools and their districts only benefit from regular-season ticket sales.

That is their main source of revenue.

Peoria sells adult tickets for $10 while student tickets are $5. Peoria also offers sporting event passes where the community can buy a pass for a fixed price and attend all athletic events except for regional and playoff games.

There are two passes available for purchase: the Student Panther Fan Pass or the Family Pass. The student pass costs $50 and the family pass costs $175 for the year.

“Anytime that there is a purchase to watch our game, those sales come in and all that goes back to all of our athletic programs,” Battillo said. “Purchasing the equipment, the basketballs, uniforms, all the things we need to be successful, all of that comes in.”

Another source of funds comes from donors and the PHS Panther Booster Club. 

Players help by going into the community and asking for donations from friends and family, or local businesses who might want to support the team financially.

Assistant coach DeAndre Petty also plans to bring in more sponsors in his first year of coaching. 

Battillo mentioned that the team does fundraising events like car washes and online fundraisers as well.

The Peoria community showed non-stop support for the team last season. With fans buying tickets and team merchandise, the Panthers are able to support the team financially.

“It means a lot knowing that we have a whole community behind us,” junior player Jordan Davis said. “It helps us become better for them and for ourselves.”

“The school had a lot of support, coming to our games, donating, things like that,” senior player Amir Brown added. “It pays for our trips. A lot of funding to gear and things like that. It helps a lot.”

Battillo plans to use the gym facilities to host tournaments for the feeder schools in the districts as another way to earn more funds. 

Just in the Peoria Unified School District, there are seven high schools and 32 elementary schools. This opportunity to host tournaments is a win-win for Peoria and the feeder schools. Peoria gets to earn money while the feeder schools get to experience playing in high school gyms with a competitive aspect.

What could Peoria use all this money for? Obviously, equipment and uniforms are necessities. But Battillo wants to participate in more tournaments and camps. 

This year, Peoria traveled to Flagstaff to participate in Northern Arizona University’s team camp. The team was also invited to compete in the Section 7 tournament hosted at the State Farm Stadium in Glendale where the team played in front of hundreds of college coaches. 

However, just one tournament costs $500 for one team, according to Battillo. This becomes costly if a team wants to do multiple tournaments. Despite the expensive costs, it’s all worth it for Battillo and his team.

“Everything that we do is about building that team chemistry and true brotherhood that happens on and off the court,” the coach added.