A new community basketball team made up of 12 girls from East Side and Foothills schools is off to a running start.
Though together only since February, the Tucson Rattlers have their first tournament win and a nearly 6-foot trophy to show for it.
The Rattlers are an Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) team for girls age 14 or younger as of July 1, 2007.
The team finished in first place in its division on April 6 at the Phoenix Phenoms Spring Shootout 2008.
That was a week after placing second in the first tournament they had ever played in as a team — the ninth annual Thunder Spring Tip-Off, also played in Phoenix. The second-place finish came so early in the team's existence that it surprised even its players.
"We played very well — a lot better than I thought we'd play that quick. I mean, I knew we have a lot of talent and the girls work really hard, but I was really pleased to see how well we played so fast," said Rattlers coach Chris Klassen.
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He is also the assistant coach of the boys varsity basketball team at Palo Verde High Magnet School, 1302 S. Avenida Vega, and head coach of the school's boys junior varsity team.
The Rattlers qualified for the Division II National Tournament because of a second-place finish at the recent AAU State Qualifier.
Now they're looking for sponsors to help pay for the team's travel costs to the national competition, which will be held in July in Virginia. Those interested in sponsoring can call Klassen at 481-4589.
He attributes the Rattlers' early success to the girls' hard work and the fact that many have played for him before — some for three or four years — both in the school and on the club circuit.
Most of the girls played basketball for Booth-Fickett Math/Science Magnet School, 450 S. Montego Drive, while he was head coach there from 2004 to 2007. His wife, Katie, who is the Rattlers' assistant coach, is now that team's head coach.
The Rattlers practice at both Christ Community Church, 7801 E. Kenyon Drive, and Fickett, where Chris Klassen is a physical education and health teacher.
Rattlers point guard and shooting guard Alyssa Deal has played for Klassen for four years. She was on his team while she was a student at Booth-Fickett.
"I like playing for Chris. I learn a lot. He works with me on my shot," said Deal, 15.
She's now on the girls varsity team at Cienega High School, 12775 E. Mary Ann Cleveland Way, where she is a freshman.
Like Deal, all of the girls play for their schools' basketball teams, but they still find time to work on their game with the Rattlers.
"The focus that they have is outstanding. If I told them to run through a wall to make them better in basketball, they'd do it," Klassen said.
Santa Rita High School freshman Crystal Valdez, 15, plays on the school's varsity team and is also a shooting guard for the Rattlers. It's her first year playing on a team coached by Klassen.
"Going from Santa Rita to Klassen is a major step because this is one of the best teams in Tucson and he's a good coach" she said. Santa Rita is at 3951 S. Pantano Road.
Valdez said she hopes to play college ball when she graduates — an aspiration that other team members share.
Vail parent Jerry Roche said he would love it if his daughter, Alyssa, were to get a college basketball scholarship and that he thinks playing on the Rattlers will enhance her future in basketball.
Alyssa, 15, is on the varsity team at Cienega and a Rattlers shooting guard and point guard.
Playing on an AAU team can help the girls earn college basketball scholarships, said Klassen, who went to William Penn University in Iowa on a basketball scholarship.
"They're dedicated. They love the game, which is good, and they realize that Tucson isn't a place where colleges come knocking for scholarships," Klassen said.
"That's our main goal — getting them in this club circuit and the big tournaments, and getting them seen so they can get recruited."
Find out more
For more information on the Tucson Rattlers — including a roster and players' statistics — go to www.tucsonrattlersgirlsbasketball.com.
The team has two open roster spots and, according to Amateur Athletic Union rules, is open to girls born on or after July 1, 1992.
For more information on trying out for the team, contact coach Chris Klassen at 481-4589 or tucsonrattlers@hotmail.com. It costs $50 a month to play.
