History

For the second consecutive year, the Fiesta Bowl and Mesa Community college team up to present the Fiesta Bowl Junior College Shootout hosted by Mesa Community College. Eight teams from around the country will compete in three-day double elimination tournament that tips-off on Wednesday, December 28 in Heap Gymnasium. The competition brings together some of the best talent in junior college basketball. The all-time leader in JUCO wins, Coach Gene Buss, leads his Three Rivers (Missouri) Raiders into the tournament. The Lake Land (Illinois) Lakers are pre-season #14 in the nation in the NJCAA polls, and The Monroe (New York) Mustangs finished with a 33-5 record in 2010-11 and a #19 ranking in the season’s final poll. The reigning champion of the tournament, The Salt Lake CC (Utah) Bruins, is back, as they look to build upon repeat and build upon their success from a year ago. Junior colleges from Texas, North Dakota and Arizona round out the field.

The Mesa Shootout began as a community service project in 1983.  It was developed by MCC basketball coach Tom Bennett along with Jim Huckeba and the Rev. Russ Durler of the Mesa West Rotary Club. The first shootout was in 1984 with Dixie College of Utah winning the championship, and since then the tournament has hosted more than 50 teams from 23 states and Canada, bringing thousands of players and fans to the Valley of the Sun.