All Cienega senior basketball player JaMier Morris wanted was more fans to attend his team's games.
So he started working. Hard.
"We've never had a (basketball) banner in the gym," Morris said. "At school, people would say, 'What's up with basketball?' Nobody was coming to our games. We just wanted to win so we could get people out to the games."
Thanks to Morris — Cienega's only senior starter — fans now fill the seats, and the banner is on its way.
Morris and Cienega are near the end of the best season in school history. The Bobcats won the 4A Kino Region championship and on Saturday beat Nogales for the region tournament title.
The Bobcats (22-7) are the No.6 seed in the Class 4A-I state tournament and will play Nogales at home in the first round tonight at 7.
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Morris, a 5-foot-10-inch guard, split his time last summer between the gym and the weight room. Once school started, Morris arrived at campus early every day and headed to the gym before class.
As a result, he sculpted his body into what Cienega coach Matt Johnson calls "the strongest on the team."
More importantly, he turned himself into a leader.
"Without JaMier, we have a very good team, but there's no question he's gotten us over the top in a few games," Johnson said.
Success reached Morris on a personal level, too. He was voted the Kino Region's Player of the Year by its coaches. Morris averages 13.6 points, 4.2 assists and 4.1 rebounds a game this season.
But at 5-10, Morris cannot exactly be selective in regard to his post-high school plans. Still, he has been contacted by several colleges, including Cal State-Monterey Bay and Central Arizona.
Johnson, the Kino's Coach of the Year, said whichever school lands Morris will get a steal.
"Some coaches are missing the boat if they're not looking at him," Johnson said. "He's one of the best guards in Southern Arizona."
Undeterred by being overlooked by bigger schools, Morris focuses on the positives and improving his game.
"I know I'm never going to gain 6 inches so I'm working on my speed and my strength," Morris said. "I look at guys in the league (the NBA) like Allen Iverson and Chris Paul. That's where I want to be."
For now, Morris said he is proud of his Player of the Year award and focused on helping his team win a state championship.
Cienega, in its sixth year playing at the varsity level, has never won a team state title in any sport.
"He's emerged as such a great leader," Johnson said. "When someone needs to step up and take a charge, he's the guy to do it. On nights he doesn't score, he gets other guys the ball.
"Plus, pound for pound, he's our strongest kid."
Entering state, Morris plans to use the do-or-die attitude he and his team have used all year.
"We played every game like it was our last, because we knew we wanted the state championship," Morris said. "Now we really need to do that because basically every game could be. Lose now and you're done."
4A state playoffs
Southern Arizona has 20 teams in this week's Class 4A-I and 4A-II basketball state tournaments. Here are tonight's local first-round pairings (all games at 7 p.m. unless noted):
GIRLS
Class 4A-I
• No. 14 Catalina Foothills at No. 3 Marana
• No. 16 Millennium at No. 1 Flowing Wells
• No. 11 Shadow Mountain at No. 6 Sahuaro
• No. 10 Canyon del Oro at No. 7 Cactus Shadows
• No. 15 Nogales at No. 2 Thunderbird, 5:15 p.m.
Class 4A-II
• No. 11 Rio Rico at No. 6 Coconino
• No. 12 Sahuarita at No. 5 Greenway, 5:15 p.m.
• No. 13 Catalina at No. 4 Flagstaff
• No. 15 Palo Verde at No. 2 Washington
BOYS
Class 4A-I
• No. 11 Nogales at No. 6 Cienega
• No. 12 Canyon del Oro at No. 5 Sunnyslope
• No. 14 Sabino at No. 3 Agua Fria
• No. 16 Catalina Foothills at No. 1 Millennium
Class 4A-II
• No. 15 Buckeye at No. 2 Santa Rita
• No. 11 Sinagua at No. 6 Sahuarita
• No. 9 Glendale at No. 8 Palo Verde
• No. 10 Catalina at No. 7 Arcadia
• No. 12 Amphitheater at No. 5 Moon Valley
