The work starts in the summer.
American Fork girls' basketball coach Corey Clayton knows his varsity team's success during the regular season will depend greatly on the improvements made in the offseason. So, in the second week of June, Clayton and some of his past players hosted a skills camp, emphasizing dribbling, passing and shooting.
He saw the campers getting better, but it will be a while until those girls can compete for a Class 5A state championship. That's because even the oldest girls in the camp are just in junior high.
Clayton's camp is designed to keep American Fork on top. Gone are the days when Mountain View dominated girls' basketball in not only Utah County but the entire state. The Bruins won 11 state titles from 1991-2004.
This year, American Fork and Mountain View took the Class 5A and 4A state titles, respectively, hinting at what could be the beginning of more than one powerhouse program from the area.
"When I first came here, it was Mountain View and then everybody else in the state," said Clayton, who has coached for six years. "Utah County was famous not because of the depth of talent but for Mountain View. Now, more than one team is respected. Teams that were traditionally bad now have made a name for themselves."
Power is cyclical in girls' basketball. One year, the team to beat could be from Davis County, like Layton in 2005. The next year, the teams could be from Salt Lake County, like Skyline and Bingham in 2006 and 2007.
But this season, teams from all over Utah County proved to be some of the best in the state. And with the talent that is coming back next season, that doesn't look like it will change anytime soon.
Tougher Competition
Pleasant Grove was one point away from making it to the Class 5A semifinals. American Fork was the most dominant team in Utah, beating every in-state opponent by an average of more than 20 points. Lone Peak was a young-yet-talented team and was the only Utah team this past season to take the Cavemen to overtime.
In 4A, Springville was a favorite all season long. Springville, Mountain View and Payson took turns beating each other in region play.
And the most promising thing for Utah County basketball is that these team will be just as tough next year. The Vikings will return 6-foot-7 center Jennifer Hamson and she'll be joined by quick guard Danielle Hoffman. The Cavemen have another crop of talented young players coming in combined with returning experienced players. Marquelle Funk and Whitney Johnson will lead a tough Lone Peak team. And Timpanogos will make some noise with center Morgan Bailey, who is receiving attention from Division I programs.
It's a far from the days when Mountain View was usually the only relevant team.
"Before, people think Utah County and they think Mountain View; they didn't need to know about everybody else," said Liz Darger, who coached at Timpanogos last season but has recently taken an assistant coaching position at Utah Valley University. "Now they need to know. There's more awareness. Utah County plays good basketball."
Providing options
Mary Waters remembers a time when girls in Utah County didn't have many options in basketball. They would have to travel to Salt Lake City to play on a traveling team and it would be tough to keep certain groups of players together.
Around 2003, she started the Utah Flight, a club basketball team that was known by a different name at the time. Practices were held at Lehi's Open Court. Players from all over the state were welcome to tryout for the team but for the first time, there was an outlet for girls in Utah County who wanted to take basketball seriously. Players didn't have to travel far to be exposed to club basketball.
That first year had eighth-graders Haley Holmstead, Nikki Ybarra, Cyd Mason and seventh-grader Amy Krommenhoek. All of whom evolved into key players for American Fork when the Cavemen won the state title in 2009.
"It's been frustrating. There is no basketball in junior high and they don't have an opportunity to play until high school. There wasn't anywhere to play," said Waters, who played at Timpview. "I wanted to give girls opportunities I never had."
Mountain View's impact
Back in 2002, when Glen Larson started coaching at Pleasant Grove, he knew a game against Mountain View would make for a long night.
"Mountain View was beating everybody by 30 or 40 points," Larson said. "Timpview and Orem, they were pretty good but there was a big dropoff."
Times have changed. Larson has seen how the surrounding schools have improved over the years to be just as competitive. Even though opposing coaches dreaded playing the Bruins, it is hard to ignore the impact Mountain View's dominant legacy had on the girls' basketball scene in Utah County.
The Bruins were well-coached and well-disciplined. Mountain View could play any style it wanted -- the Bruins had the speed to run the floor and the size to pound it inside. From 1997-2001, the Bruins were unstoppable as they won 106 consecutive games.
"I remember thinking if they can play at that level, then so can the other girls," Waters said. "They were the first team to say, 'Let's take them out of state.' Now we've got a lot of teams going out of state. They were the first to introduce that philosophy of thinking. It made everyone try to step up their game, to be able to break that streak."
Looking ahead
Strong programs are located all over the state. Bingham and Skyline have been dominant in Class 5A in recent years. Riverton was a favorite to take it all last season. Sky View has created a reputation for fast-paced, hard-nosed basketball. Davis County has consistently produced quality teams. Teams down south always seem to make a splash in the state tournaments.
But with all the talent returning, it seems the Class 5A and 4A state titles might once again, go through Utah County. If not, at the very least, many of those schools will be in the conversation.
"Two schools from our county won it in one year but one year doesn't make a trend," Larson said. "I don't think you can look at one year and say they're going to win it again but I think we'll be competitive."
