Views from NFHS - Basketball and pneumonia

Column

To say that the last week and a half since Thanksgiving have been chaotic would be an understatement.

On a personal level, I caught pneumonia and after a strong start in coverage to the 2025-26 basketball season, my coverage has fallen back during my time of illness.

But rather than do nothing, I utilized my NFHS Network subscription to continue gathering information to determine who the best teams may be and which players are show stoppers.

What I Watched

• Centennial vs Verrado, 64-62 Centennial

• O’Connor vs Kellis (Girls), 57-40 O’Connor

• Desert Edge vs Tolleson, Desert Edge 77-45

On the surface, 3 games in a week is a drop in a bucket for people such as Gregg Rosenberg and others who seemingly find themselves at a game every single night or watching multiple at a time.

But for myself, it’s a reminder of how special this game truly is.

Across gyms throughout the state of Arizona from Morenci to Maricopa and Florence to Flagstaff, the ball hits the hardwood the same way.

Yeah, there’s a lack of appreciation for what is the true beautiful game. Basketball is a religion to certain people in this state and in certain places, yet it almost feels taken advantage of and under appreciated by some of us who are around it the most often.

This illness that I’ve battled has allowed me to reset my focus and remember what makes this game so great and it isn’t basketball itself, but rather the young men and women who pour everything they have into a game.

It’s the way the crowds roar for these young athletes, as if every night is game seven of the NBA finals.

So as I find myself, hoping to recover and be live in a gym soon, the views from NFHS will have to do in the meantime.

And although it isn’t live and in living color, the ball still hits the back of the net the same and the passion for the game will never change.