TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — The Pima Community College (PCC) women’s basketball team secured the program’s first NJCAA Division II national title after defeating Kirkwood Community College 64-58 Saturday.
The big celebration was on Thursday night where friends and family packed the West Campus Aztec Gymnasium to honor the team and commemorate the history made.
Sophomore guard Melicia Nelson was named tournament MVP after recording 20 points and 11 rebounds in the championship game. Though she was a big part of the win, Nelson remained humble and gives much praise to her teammates.
"It's an amazing group, you know, throughout the whole season we had ups and downs, but I think everyone just bought in, stayed committed, played their role, and yeah, every moment with them is just something to cherish for the rest of my life," Nelson said.
Head coach Todd Holthaus said Nelson is the heart and soul of the team and always leads by example.
"She took over the huddle. I just stepped away and she stepped in and did her thing and everybody knew it was from a place of love and it was cool because the ladies rallied around it," Holthaus said.
He said she takes a lot of pride representing the Navajo nation, Window Rock.
"She always wants to make them proud and man, I'll tell you, she's made them proud because the one thing before she came out, well when she was on a recruiting trip, she had told me, coach, I'm tired of finishing 2nd. She'd always finish 2nd in the state championships, 2nd for this tournament, 2nd. She goes, I'm tired of getting 2nd," Holthaus explained.
"So probably the highlight of my night Saturday night was being able to just hold her tight, whisper to her, you're no longer 2nd, you're number one and it was awesome."
Holthaus said the journey to the championship was remarkable but not easy.
"We face struggles and somehow collectively come together each time to rise up and keep going and I think that was probably the key and it demonstrated itself in the games when we were down or whatever. Nobody really panicked. Nobody threw in the towel. We just found a way to win," Holthaus said.
Freshman guard Nevaeh Urenda said being from Tucson makes the win even sweeter.
"I love Tucson. This is home, so the fact that I won a championship and I was able to bring it to my hometown is like even more special," Urenda said.
She says without the team and relationship with her coaches, they wouldn't have gotten this far.
"Honestly at the end of the day it's not really about how you play, which I mean it is, but it's also really the relationships and all of us being able to trust each other and know that we have each others backs in order for us to get to the game in the first place, let alone win it," Urenda said.
Holthaus has been with the program for almost 20 years. He had help from former University of Arizona legendary assistant coach Jim Rosborough.
"He's a great friend of mine first and foremost. But he's kind of like the grumpy old grandpa of the team. When freshmen first come in, they kind of don't know how to take him. But once they realize and peel back a few layers, they understand that it is all love. It is all about being a better basketball player," Holthaus said.
Nelson says she's very fortunate and blessed to have Holthaus and Rosborough as coaches.
"They're legends and just to be able to be coached by them, you know, they implemented a lot into my game. They've taught me so much, not just things on the court, but off the court too," Nelson said.
The team has always been a dominant regional force, but Holthaus said the new title has a better ring to it.
"Oh man, probably still sinks in each day, but it's a great sound because forever we'll always be the 2026 national champion," Holthaus said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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Vanessa Gongora is KGUN 9's Westside reporter.. Vanessa fell in love with storytelling by growing up in sports. She was fascinated by how sports reporters go beyond the x's & o's to tell players' stories, and how sports bring people together, inspiring Vanessa to provide the same impact as a journalist. Share your story ideas and important issues with Vanessa by emailing vanessa.gongora@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook, Instagram, and X.
