TUCSON — Pima Community College sophomore forward Mason Hunt has accomplished nearly everything possible as an Aztec, but he says none of it matters until the team finishes the job in Danville, Illinois.
Hunt earned Freshman of the Year honors in his first season with the program and was named Region Tournament MVP this season as a sophomore. He is also part of a sophomore class that has never lost a game in Tucson.
Now, the Prescott Valley native and his teammates are taking that unbeaten home legacy on the road again, entering the NJCAA Division II National Tournament with a 32-0 record as the No. 4 seed.
But for Hunt, the hardware and the winning streak only tell part of the story.
"It doesn't really mean much once you get to Danville," Hunt said.
Last year, the Aztecs carried a perfect 34-0 record into the national tournament, and left with a semifinal loss to Parkland College. The margin was painful. The memory has been impossible to shake.
"It hurt. I mean, we were 34-0, and then just to lose to a team by...I wanna say we lost by 15. It didn't feel real. But just kind of thinking about that… we gotta get back there and I mean, we have another chance to do it, which we're so fortunate to have," Hunt said.
That sense of unfinished business has shaped everything about how Pima has approached this season. Hunt and his fellow sophomores have spent the year making sure their younger teammates understand exactly what awaits them in Danville, and exactly what it costs to come up short there.
Head coach Brian Peabody said that peer-to-peer preparation has been invaluable.
"Brock (Mendoza), Isaac (Johnson), and Mason Hunt have done a really good job… I think it means more when it comes from a player and not me. So when they're telling them what to do, what to expect, I think they take it to heart," Peabody said.
Hunt said the preparation on the practice floor has been intentionally demanding, designed to simulate conditions tougher than anything they will face in a real game.
"We're exaggerating everything in practice...defense has seven guys, offense has five. We're just kind of preparing for the worst because we know we're gonna get punched in the mouth and we're gonna have to come back from that," Hunt said.
Pima enters the tournament as the only team west of the Mississippi River in the NJCAA Division II field this year, a distinction that underscores just how far this program has come and how much is riding on this week.
"I feel like we've been working for it since we got here in June. For it to finally be here...it's kind of relieving. And it's just really exciting. I'm anxious. I just kinda wanna get it started already," Hunt said.
