DESERT VISTA SELECTS WALTER BONNER TO LEAD BOYS’ BASKETBALL PROGRAM 

September 6, 2022 – Desert Vista High School has recommended Walter Bonner as their next Boys’ Head Basketball Coach. The recommendation is pending formal approval by the Tempe Union High School District Governing Board. The next scheduled meeting will be held on Wednesday, September 21, 2022.

Coach Bonner is a native of Cleveland, Ohio, and joins the Thunder with decades of experience playing and coaching at all different levels, including several seasons as a collegiate coach (Hawaii and Holy Names University) and multiple seasons as a high school coach in California, Ohio, and Arizona.

“I am excited to help elevate Desert Vista basketball through hard work, perseverance, and excellence through performance," said Coach Bonner. “At the end of a players' career, it is so much more than basketball. There are life lessons that are naturally built into my coaching style to not only build strong players but great young men.”

Bonner graduated from the University of Hawaii, where he played forward for the Rainbow Warriors. He also played internationally after graduating, in both Finland and China.

He credits his international experience with helping him examine the game from different angles, and with creating a better understanding of cultural differences. He took his experiences as a player and channeled them into coaching with a focus on building successful team chemistry.

“Coach Bonner has such a long and varied history of coaching and playing at all different levels. He will bring a new energy to our campus and to the basketball program,” said Desert Vista Principal Stacy White. “I know he will be an incredible asset to our Thunder community and we look forward to welcoming him on campus.”

About Tempe Union High School District Tempe Union High School District (TUHSD) is an A-rated school district by the Arizona Department of Education and home to approximately 14,500 students across seven high schools. Five TUHSD schools have also earned the A+ Award of Excellence from the Arizona Educational Foundation and three schools – Desert Vista, Mountain Pointe and McClintock - have earned the award twice. It is our vision that all students will graduate with the knowledge, understanding and ability to apply skills necessary for success in college, career and life. For more information, visit www.tempeunion.org.