The most influential player on the court for the undefeated and fifth-ranked Pima Community College men’s basketball team is a 5-foot-9 point guard who had no offers from four-year Division I schools.
It’s the kid with the unusual first name. The one who doesn’t have the famous last name.
Michael Lev is a senior writer/columnist for the Arizona Daily Star, Tucson.com and The Wildcaster.
Sophomore Cohenj Gonzales is the sparkplug that makes the Aztecs’ engine hum.
Gonzales ranks second in the Arizona Community College Athletic Conference in scoring (20.5 ppg) and third in assists (5.7). He’s tied for second in steals (2.3).
“He’s just a warrior,” said longtime Pima coach Brian Peabody, whose 20-0 squad visits South Mountain on Wednesday night.
The player who’s tied with Gonzales for second in the ACCAC in steals per game is his backcourt mate, Max Majerle. The son of former NBA All-Star Dan Majerle also is thriving in Peabody’s up-tempo offense. Majerle is averaging 16.2 points per game (ninth in the ACCAC) and 3.8 assists (eighth). He leads the team in 3-point percentage (42.1%).
Pima guard Cohenj Gonzales, left, drives under Chandler-Gilbert forward Ollie Hinder, drawing the and-one on his basket in the first half of their game at Pima Community College on Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025.
The Majerle name is well-known in Arizona; “Thunder Dan” played his first seven seasons with the Suns and lives in the Phoenix area.
Gonzales comes from a basketball family, too. His mother, Candice Gonzales, is the girls basketball coach at Gilbert Mesquite High School. She recently won her 500th career game.
Candice played at Grand Canyon, where she went by her maiden name, Candice Forsgren. When she left GCU in 1997, she was the Lopes’ all-time leading scorer.
At GCU, Candice met Josh Gonzales, a guard on the men’s team. They would have five children who’d all play basketball: Shaylee, Zaiah, Cohenj, Kahlia and Skylie.
Shaylee was an Arizona Gatorade Player of the Year at Mesquite. She played at BYU and Texas and currently plays pro ball in Europe.
Pima guard Cohenj Gonzales, right, springs in to swipe the ball out of the hands of Chandler-Gilbert guard Nolen Christensen, denying him a rebound, in the second half of their game at Pima Community College on Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025.
Zaiah preceded Cohenj on the Mesquite boys team. Kahlia and Skylie play for Candice with the Wildcats, who are ranked No. 2 in Class 4A behind Salpointe Catholic.
Despite his genes and production — Cohenj averaged 21.3 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 2.7 steals across three varsity seasons — the middle Gonzales child got no love from D1 schools. That’s what happens when you’re 5-9. It’s like throwing in the low 80s as a pitcher. It’s just hard to get noticed.
Being overlooked motivates Cohenj Gonzales every day — even after he finally received his first Division I offer, from Iona.
“Just being an underdog all the time, I feel like — I know — I can go out there and do everything someone that’s like 6-5 can do,” Gonzales said after scoring 17 points in Pima’s 95-55 home win over Chandler-Gilbert on Saturday.
“I don’t let the height get to me. ... I feel like I’m the best player out there.”
Peabody has said as much. He first heard about Gonzales from a connection in the juco basketball world who told him, “You need to go watch this kid.”
Pima head coach Brian Peabody has a few questions for one of the game officials after the Aztecs didn’t get a call late in the second half against Chandler-Gilbert at Pima Community College on Jan. 18, 2025.
“I was actually in Vegas recruiting, and he was in a back gym playing,” Peabody said. “I just fell in love with him from Day One.”
Peabody didn’t care how tall Gonzales was, or wasn’t.
“I’ve had 33 years of coaching experience,” Peabody said. “I’ve had a lot of 6-10 (players) and 7-footers that don’t have (Gonzales’) heart. So size doesn’t bother me at all. It’s what’s in here.”
Peabody pointed to his chest.
“He’s got a huge heart,” the veteran coach said. “It doesn’t matter who we play. He brings it every night.”
Against Chandler-Gilbert, Gonzales hit a variety of pull-up jumpers, finished strong at the rim and set up teammates on pick-and-pops. His parents didn’t necessarily envision him having a knockdown “J” when they named him; Cohenj said they liked the name Cohen but thought it was too basic, so they tacked the “j” onto the end.
The name makes him unique. It helps him stand out — even if he has to explain that his name is Cohenj, not Cohen Jay.
Pima guard Max Majerle, left, looks for room to get off a shot against Chandler-Gilbert forward Will Coates in the first half of their game at Pima Community College on Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025.
The name Majerle undoubtedly was mispronounced until Dan became a college star, a U.S. Olympian and a first-round pick in the NBA Draft. The youngest of his four children followed his path to Central Michigan. Max Majerle even wore his dad’s No. 44, which had been retired.
After three years at Phoenix Arcadia — where he averaged 13.3 points and 5.2 rebounds — and one year of prep school, Majerle played a meaty role as a freshman for the Chippewas in 2022-23. He averaged 4.0 points in 22.3 minutes while starting 17 of 30 games.
Majerle redshirted last season and decided to transfer. He determined that CMU “wasn’t the best fit for me” and wanted to go somewhere where he could get major minutes. He didn’t say it in so many words, but being the son of Dan Majerle at the school where his father held the scoring record for almost three decades couldn’t have been easy.
“There was definitely pressure there,” Max Majerle said. “But I feel like I’ve been through that my whole life, in a way.
Pima guard Max Majerle gets off the shot, but it gets tipped away in the first half against Chandler-Gilbert at Pima Community College on Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025.
“I was just excited to play college basketball because that’s all I’ve ever wanted to do. But my situation there wasn’t the best. So that’s why I came down here.”
Peabody was thrilled to finally land Majerle after trying to get him out of high school. The best part: He doesn’t have to be a star at Pima. He can just be himself.
“I think this has been good for both parties,” Peabody said. “We play fast, and he gets a lot of freedom. So there’s not a lot of pressure. He doesn’t have to make every shot. We’ve got other guys to share the wealth.”
The Aztecs are not a two-man team. Five players average double figures: Gonzales, Majerle, big men Wes Ball (Marana High) and Gabe Oldham, and forward Mason Hunt. Oldham leads the ACCAC in rebounding, and Ball ranks third. Pima leads NJCAA Division II in scoring (107.2 ppg) and assists per game (25.4).
Most junior college athletes are seeking opportunities at four-year schools. Gonzales, Majerle and their teammates are no different.
But what separates these Aztecs is how much they support one another. Starters enthusiastically encouraged and coached their backups from the bench during the game against Chandler-Gilbert. On multiple occasions, whoever wasn’t on the court started a “de-fense!” chant.
“They root for each other,” Peabody said. “I’ve just got to cherish these games and time with this team because it doesn’t come around very often.”
Pima has never won a national championship in men’s basketball. The Aztecs were runners-up in 2018.
The current players seem to understand that the best way to achieve their individual goals is by excelling as a team.
“I want to know where my next step will be next year. But my biggest focus is on winning a national championship, and getting there is the biggest thing,” Majerle said.
“That will get me recruited and everyone else recruited. But we’re not worried about that. We’re worried about winning.”
