In celebration of its opening day, the Prescott Valley Jr. Suns/Jr. Mercury program welcomed guests Phoenix Suns Alumni Mark West and the Phoenix Suns Gorilla. Saturday, January 12, 2008 marked opening day ceremonies which took place at Bradshaw High School and was shared with many members of the local Prescott community.

West tipped off the celebrations by interacting with the Jr. Suns/Jr. Mercury players of Prescott. West signed autographs, took pictures and answered questions about his Phoenix Suns career. The Jr. Suns/Jr. Mercury participants were eager and excited to interact with one of the greatest Suns of all time!

West delivered some advice on the importance of playing hard and developing basketball skills early in order to make a difference in a player’s game. Additionally, he stressed the significance of the Jr. Suns/ Jr. Mercury program and its ability to give participants the opportunity to grow and mature as basketball players.

With West’s advice in mind, festivities continued as the Phoenix Suns Gorilla entered the gym with a burst of orange and purple streamers, energized the crowd with his dancing and gave away Phoenix Suns t-shirts.

As a part of opening day ceremonies, a raffle was conducted to raise money for the Prescott Valley Jr. Suns/Jr. Mercury program. The raffle included a Phoenix Suns autographed jersey, an autographed picture and tickets to a Suns game. Local businesses donated gift certificates and prizes as part of the raffle.

For more information about the Prescott Valley youth basketball program please visit the league locator at jrsuns.com.