The Pima Community College women’s basketball team celebrated its first NJCAA Division II championship in program history Saturday night with a ring ceremony before a game with the Aztecs’ alumni at the West Campus Gym.
Todd Holthaus’ team finished 30-4 last season, capped by a 65-58 victory over Cedar Rapids (Iowa) Kirkwood Community College in the championship.
It was also the Aztecs’ first 30-win season in program history.
Holthaus earned the NJCAA Division II coach of the year honor after the championship.
They will look to extend their 18-game winning streak from last season on Thursday when they host Longview (Wash.) Lower Columbia College at 6 p.m. in the season opener. The game is part of the Aztec Fall Classic.
Pima will also play Phenix City (Ala.) Chattahoochie Valley Community College on Friday at 4 p.m. and Kansas City (Kan.) Community College on Saturday at 2 p.m.
The Aztecs return five sophomores from last year’s team, including guard Reigne Waugh, who averaged 11.6 points and 5.7 rebounds a game.
Pima has six players from Southern Arizona among its 17-player roster, including freshman wing player America Cazares, who earned the state record-holder in career scoring with 2,932 points at Pueblo.
Cazares is expected to redshirt this season after undergoing surgery on a torn ACL following last season.
Pima’s NJCAA Division II player of the year, forward Kiley Sours-Miller, is now at NCAA Division II program Anderson University at Anderson (S.C.).
The Aztecs’ All-American point guard from last year, Melicia Nelson, is with Southern Utah.
Legendary assistant coach Jim Rosborough, who was Lute Olson’s right-hand man at Arizona for two decades, is now longer a full-time aide with Holthaus. He has mentioned he will occasionally come to games and be of assistance.
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