Doormats no more: Winslow boys gaining traction after two tumultuous years

GILBERT, Ariz. – In the past two seasons the Winslow boys basketball team compiled a 9-35 record.

Head coach Venton Nelson went through some “growing pains” with those squads after having led the Bulldogs to a 14-2 record in his first year in the 2020-21 season that was shortened because of the pandemic.

In his fourth year at the helms, Nelson has some key pieces to work with as Winslow owns a 12-6 record heading into its Jan. 9 game with Snowflake.

“In my first year we had that group during the Covid year that lost the first game in the state playoffs,” Nelson said. “After that group left, we had to rebuild with a young group. We struggled with growing pains, and it seemed like we were everybody’s doormat.

“But the kids just kept working,” he said. “These kids never gave up; they were in the trenches. This is the same group that came up together from the freshmen team to JV and now they’re varsity players.”

The Winslow team is looking to return to that promised land once again, with seven returners and five players that moved up from the JV squad.

“Our JV coach did a really good job with our JV boys,” Nelson said. “They’re filling in very nicely with this year’s varsity team. But a lot of these boys played a lot during the summertime. They did travel ball and so they have that chemistry down.”

With its tallest player standing at 6-foot-1, the undersized Winslow team has been getting things done on the defensive end. So far, the Bulldogs have amassed a 6-2 record against 3A opponents, which includes a 4-1 mark against teams from the 3A North.

The Bulldogs have beaten the likes of Chinle (69-52), Tuba City (78-56), Window Rock (70-37) and Alchesay (76-74). Its only blemishes have come at the hands of Page (61-53) and Camp Verde (68-53).

“These boys have a lot of character,” Nelson said. “They’re coachable, and they’ve really bought into our defensive sets. In the past, (the teams I coached) were mostly offensive-minded, but this group understands that we need to work hard on the defensive end.

“They’re giving me 110%, which has really impressed me,” he added.

One of the group’s leaders is junior captain Isaac David, who is Winslow’s tallest player.

“I think one of the main reasons why we’re winning is because we’re playing as a team, and we’re connecting as a team,” David said. “In the past two years when we struggled, I noticed that we weren’t playing as one. We weren’t playing for each other and now we’re playing together and we’re not selfish with the ball.”

By being unselfish, the Bulldogs are breaking down the other team’s defense and that has led to players being open for uncontested shots.

“With this team, there is not one player scoring all the points,” senior guard Tyren Puhuhefvaya said. “Everyone contributes so it’s hard to stop us from scoring.”

Puhuhefvaya, who has been playing varsity for the past three years, also credits the team’s connection for its early success.

“We’ve been playing for a long time, ever since our 12U co-ed days,” he said. “We have a great pack. We’ve played in a lot of (summer) tournaments, so we know each other.

“One of the keys is we stay positive even when we make mistakes,” he added. “We just encourage one another. We just move onto the next play every time we make a mistake.”

Both players believe they can win the 3A East region and, perhaps, make a deep run in the 3A state playoffs.

“We’re not super tall, but we make it up by being fast,” David said. “We’re not going to let height tear us down. We’re going to come out and compete every time.

“I’m excited about the rest of the season,” he added. “I feel like we’re

ready for it and I know we can do good.”

“I think we’re going to do well in our region,” Puhuhefvaya said. “We just have to stay level-headed and not get too cocky because any team can be easily knocked down. We’re going to have our disadvantages, but I love this team. We just have to keep working.”

Unlike previous years, Nelson said there are “no clear favorites” to win this year’s 3A East crown.

“The past three years it’s been either Holbrook or Snowflake,” the Winslow coach said. “All of our teams in our region are evenly matched. You know, Show Low brought back their center, Preston Powers, so they’re going to be pretty tough.

“Holbrook is young, but they have Tyler Tapaha and he’s leading the way for them,” he added. “They’re winning a lot of their games and they won the Round Valley tournament for a third year.

“You can’t count Snowflake out,” he said. “They’re well-coached. I think when they find their groove, they’re going to do some damage in the 3A East.”

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