A few minutes after Pima Community College achieved its first NJCAA Division II championship on Saturday, 19-year coach Todd Holthaus was asked about the message he had for the hundreds of Aztecs who made it to the postseason before this year.
“I think that that’s probably the coolest part,” Holthaus told Pima media-relations director Ray Suarez in a social media post. “Is it just gives me a moment to pause and all those teams that started when I first started coaching, and just them laying the foundation for what happened today because I feel like, yeah, this team won, but I think we all won.”
NATIONAL CHAMPIONS! The Pima Community College Women's basketball team clinches the NJCAA national title. Check out all the excitement in this video. Pima Community College Aztecs Pima Community College @PimaAthletics @pimatweets @PimaWBB #pimacommunitycollege #collegebasketball pic.twitter.com/gACT6i9WZe
— PCCTV (@PCCTV2) March 22, 2026
The All-Americans from previous years after Holthaus was hired in 2007 include Abyee Maracigan, Tia Morrison, Deanna Daniels, A’jha Edwards, Raja Moreno-Ross, Sydni Stallworth, Shauna Bribiescas, J.J. Nakai, Sierra Mich’l, Fama Thiam, Luisayde Chavez, and Rylei Waugh.
That does not include the numerous all-region picks developed by Holthaus and his staff, which has led the Aztecs 12 times to the NJCAA Division II tournament. Twice before, including last season, Holthaus’ program reached the championship game but came up short.
“I can’t wait to hear from alumni,” Holthaus continued. “I can’t wait to call them, FaceTime them, because I know they were at home watching today, and that makes me so happy and so proud that it means that much to them, 10, 15, 20 years later, that they tune in and watch us and cheer for us and jump up and down in the living rooms or whatever.
“That’s awesome stuff.”
One of the people celebrating back in Tucson was longtime assistant Jim Rosborough, who was unable to travel this year because of lung problems. His health forced him to retire from coaching, although Rosborough attended home games. He is leaving the door open to coaching some practices and games at the West Campus Aztec Gym next season.
Great 2-part chat with Todd Holthaus @AztecCoachTodd who won his 400th career game early this season to being the NJCAA DII National Championship Coach. He can’t wait to hear from Alumni to tell them this is theirs as well. #PimaBasketball #AztecTOUGH #NJCAANationalChampions pic.twitter.com/u4Sgz9paMO
— PimaAthletics (@PimaAthletics) March 22, 2026
Kiley Sours-Miller is likely to be a two-time NJCAA Division II All-American and fellow sophomore Melicia Nelson, a senior captain point guard, should also be an All-American after earning Most Valuable Player honors for the NJCAA Division II tournament.
Nelson finished with 20 points, 11 rebounds and six assists and Sours-Miller had 27 points, 10 rebounds and two blocked shots in the 64-58 victory over Cedar Rapids (Iowa) Kirkwood at Hickory, N.C.
In the fourth quarter, when Pima outscored Kirkwood 22-13 to pull away, Sours-Miller had 11 points and four rebounds, Nelson four points and four rebounds and freshman Reigne Waugh seven points. All three were selected to the All-NJCAA Division II tournament team.
“They just never quit, and there’s a few times where it was looking bleak, but they just kind of rallied around each other and pushed through,” said Holthaus of his team, which trailed 45-42 entering the fourth quarter. “I mean, we’ve always told them that basketball is a game of runs, and so they’re going to make runs. We’re going to make runs. We just want to make sure we make ours at the right time and we’re ahead, so when the scoreboard goes off, we’re ahead by at least one.”
Holthaus credited his sophomores, including Sours-Miller, Nelson, Silvia Garcia, Ahdiayh Chee, Cassie Coolidge (Sahuaro), Lucy Land and Gabriella Sanchez (Tucson) for his team’s resolve in the fourth quarter.
“I think the biggest component was our sophomores that were here last year knowing how bad it feels to lose and just that will to not lose again,” Holthaus said.
Holthaus earned his 400th career victory in Pima’s season opener, and he won his first national championship in the season finale.
He is now at 429-180 in his 19 years at Pima, a winning percentage of 70.4.
A possibility existed that Holthaus may not coach this season because of a health scare with his heart last summer.
He mentioned he endured a “number of procedures” after it was diagnosed that his heart was in Atrial fibrillation, a condition in which the heart’s upper chambers beat irregularly and often rapidly. That could lead to complications such as stroke or heart failure if left untreated.
His father passed away at age 50 from a heart attack.
A cardiac ablation procedure corrected abnormal electrical signals causing arrhythmias. His doctors cleared him to coach after his recovery.
“I don’t even know if it’s sunk in yet, to be honest with you,” Holthaus said about winning the championship. “Everything that led up to this season, just dealing with health issues last year and then last summer, and kind of the uncertainty going into the year and missing out on summer workouts … But the cool part is, I have a great staff, great support at Pima. I have a great group of kids, and so when you establish a certain thing, then I guess the kids know how things are supposed to be. And so they kind of set the tone early, and then when I was back to full strength, we really didn’t miss a beat.”
Winning a national title will boost Pima’s image beyond a regional identity.
The Aztecs’ recruiting coordinator Pete Fajardo, also a longtime aide of Holthaus, has drawn talent from Arizona, California, Utah, Nevada, New Mexico and Wyoming in recent years.
A staple of the program is annually a solid group of local talent and developing them further. The state’s girls basketball career scoring leader America Cazares of Pueblo is headed to Pima this fall.
“I think Pima is just a great place for not just basketball, but just for kids to get a start into adulthood, kind of doing their own thing,” Holthaus said. “Obviously, the basketball component is a huge part of it.
What we’ve built, I think that the cool thing is, it’s not a one-and-done type of year.
“We’ve been doing this for a long time, so just the tradition and the history … our kids do a great job, and after Pima, they go on to do great things at other places. I’m just proud of them. I’m just proud to be an Aztec, to be honest with you.”
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