Arizona
How a five-time pickleball champion is growing the sport in Arizona
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When the five-time national pickleball champion Brett Warner steps onto the court, he makes his presence known. Through the unrelenting forehands, laser-sharp focus and angelic footwork, Warner is not the guy you want to see on the other side of the net.
But off the court, the Mesa resident has been laying the foundation for the fast-growing sport in the state of Arizona. With his knowledge and experience with the game of pickleball, Warner is doing all that it takes to build the strongest pickleball community in the world.
“I’ve got great friends and training partners here in Arizona,” Warner explained. “Whether it’s your first time walking on the court by yourself, or families coming together to play, Arizona has the best pickleball community in the world.”
From being the mastermind behind PURE Pickleball & Padel, paving the way for Arizona high schools to make pickleball into a club sport, and establishing clinics to teach people the game, Warner’s dream for the game of pickleball is becoming reality.
From rookie to pro
Warner, who grew up playing tennis at a very young age, used his years of experience to become a collegiate athlete at George Washington University.
After his time in college, Warner learned the game of pickleball through his brother who came to visit his family for the holidays.
Warner was immediately hooked, adding that the “learning curve was very quick.” With his background in tennis, it was no surprise that pickleball came naturally to the athlete.
“I had the fortunate run of the true amateur experience,” Warner said, describing his time in the pickleball pro circuit.
In his first-year competing in 2021, Warner was successful as he qualified for a national tournament; in the end, he won it all.
Warner continued his domination in the professional pickleball world, as he went on to win four more national championships in 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025.
The recent rise in popularity for pickleball in Arizona comes as no surprise as the game has been around since 1965 and has been a west coast staple for years. Created in Bainbridge Island Washington, founders Joel Pritchard, Bill Bell, and Barney McCallum are crowned as the inventors.
Originally created as a way to bring families and friends together, pickleball has taken the world by storm with some countries even submitting requests to have pickleball in the 2032 summer Olympics.
Pickleball is coming to Arizona high schools
With Warner’s extensive knowledge of tennis and other racquet sports, Warner has formulated a plan to capitalize on the mainstream rise of the sport and make Arizona the pickleball capital of the world.
PURE Pickleball & Padel, co-founded by Warner, has created a way for high school students across the Valley to create pickleball clubs for their schools.
“Having the option of playing on high school teams and giving kids the chance to play at the next level is the goal at the end of the day,” Warner said.
Having helped around 30 different schools across the state create pickleball clubs through staff sponsors and student leaders, this is just the foundation for the game at a high school level.
“We are moving so fast, and the feedback from players and parents is so consistent of wanting to play more that we actually started PURE academy.” Warner explained.
Through the help of PURE, these school clubs have the ability to compete against each other, bringing home trophies for their schools, and even potentially earning a collegiate scholarship.
Ben Fier, ambassador of engagement manager for USA Pickleball, said he is excited to see what Warner is growing out here in the West.
Fier initially met Warner at a national Pickleball tournament six years ago, when Warner demolished Fier in three minutes flat.
“I told him as we got off the court, ‘Dude, you’re going to be the best singles player in Arizona.’”
Though Fier had stepped away from playing pickleball professionally, the passion for the game is still alive as Fier has taken up the role as a west sector ambassador manager for USA Pickleball.
As an ambassador manager, Fier is in charge of overseeing 13 different states in the West and about 600 ambassadors for USA Pickleball. In doing so, Fier said he believed Warner would be perfect as an ambassador for the game.
In Warner’s role as an ambassador for USA Pickleball, he is able to use his knowledge and experience is critical in curating a positive learning atmosphere for any player that are either just starting to get into the game, or long-time enjoyers of the sport.
With his goal to attract younger players to ensure the longevity of the sport, Fier praised Warner for his exceptional talent to connect with pickleball players both young and old, a rare talent that has significantly contributed to the growth of the pickleball in Arizona.
In the collaboration between USA Pickleball and PURE, the two men have paved the way for young men and women to enter the game at a higher level.
“USAP has certified the leagues and players that Warner has started with these high school clubs, and in doing so these kids will now have opportunities to compete in tournaments across the nation,” Fier said.
Building the world’s largest indoor pickleball facility
With the assistance of USA Pickleball, Warner’s plans for PURE are just getting started, with the new state-of-the-art pickleball facility coming to the East Valley.
Caliber, a private real estate investing firm from Scottsdale, is turning Warner’s visions into reality.
After taking a look into the business plan presented by Warner, Caliber CEO Chris Loeffler said he understood what need to be done and why it was crucial.
“In investing, there’s a concept of betting,” Loeffler said. “You don’t bet on the horse, you bet on the jockey, and Warner is the jockey we were looking for.”
During the meeting initial meeting between both companies, entrepreneur Kevin J. Berk and Warner were recognized as being true visionaries, Loeffler saw how the duo was willing to take the initiative to be intimately involved in every component in design.
This inspired Loeffler to get involved and ensure the men to make sure the facility they dreamed of gets built.
“Warner is a great a visionary and salesperson, that combined with an emphasis on being growth oriented,” he said. “It’s a perfect combination to what we look for in operators.”
With the help of Caliber and HonorHealth, the 197,000-square-foot, $65 million project will feature the works: 48 pickleball courts, eight dedicated padel courts, fitness center, pro shop, locker room and spas. Other amenities include a restaurant and bar by Wolfgang Puck Catering, event and meeting spaces, and a rooftop patio.
The indoor facility, which was set to open in 2027, will also feature a 1,200-seat pro arena, fit with professional broadcasting booths.
“We’re going to create the greatest family entertainment option in Arizona, where everyone can show up, play together, and then wrap it up by sharing an amazing dinner together. It is a one-of-a-kind experience,” Warner said.
Predicting which teams will make the NCAA Tournament six weeks before the season even begins is a difficult task. This year, with hundreds of players still in eligibility limbo, it feels like an impossible task.
But that’s exactly what Joe Lunardi of ESPN has done, and with it comes more sky-high expectations for Tommy Lloyd and the Arizona Wildcats entering the 2026-27 season.
Lunardi has Arizona as the No. 1 seed in the West Region, where they would play in Sacramento against the winner of a play-in No. 16 matchup between Bethune-Cookman and Long Island.
The other two teams in the projected pod are No. 8 Ohio State and No. 9 Oklahoma out of the Big Ten and SEC, respectively.
Arizona enters 2026-27 with massive expectations
Lloyd enters his sixth season in Tucson after finally breaking through in the NCAA Tournament last year, taking the Wildcats to the Final Four for the first time since 2001. But Lloyd had tremendous regular-season success prior to last year’s deep run, with Arizona earning two No. 1 seeds, two No. 2 seeds, and a No. 4 seed in the five years he has been on the sideline.
Lunardi clearly believes this Arizona squad will be back atop the mountain in 2027, and it’s not hard to see why. The Wildcats return two high-level starters in center Mo Krivas and forward Ivan Kharchenkov, who will both be in the preseason All-Big 12 conversation after averaging in double figures last year.
The Wildcats once again bring in a loaded freshman class as well, with 5-star guard Caleb Holt a legit candidate to go No. 1 overall in the 2027 NBA draft, while 4-star wing Cameron Holmes has an NBA pedigree thanks to his older brother DaRon, and is a good athlete and projectable two-way talent.
Arizona still has questions to answer
The core is excellent for Arizona, but there are questions about the team’s overall guard depth and at power forward. RJ Godfrey was a beast last year at Clemson and is a near-perfect fit to replace Koa Peat at the four…but he’s currently ineligible after the NCAA granted a stay request in the Georgia lawsuit, which initially gave him eligibility.
While his status certainly could change, for now, the 6’7 bruiser is not eligible to suit up for Lloyd’s club – putting more pressure on Kharchenkov, Holmes, and backup Maxsim Brnovic to contribute right away.
Additionally, the Wildcats are relying heavily on a pair of sophomore transfers to run the point in North Carolina’s Derek Dixon and Washington’s JJ Mandaquit.
Both were excellent facilitators with high assist and low turnover numbers last year on power conference clubs, and Dixon is a high-level shooter and scorer who should start right away next to Holt and Kharchenkov.
But after Mandaquit, the backcourt depth dramatically falls off, with Bryce James – who redshirted last year – the only other guard expected to play rotation minutes on the roster.
Lunardi projects 10 Big 12 teams in the field
Lunardi projects 10 teams from the Big 12 to make the field in 2027, with the expansion to 76 teams playing a key role in getting that many teams in the mix.
Joining the Wildcats from the Big 12 are Houston (3 seed), Kansas (4), Texas Tech (5), Iowa State (5), BYU (6), Oklahoma State (10), Baylor (11), TCU (11), and West Virginia (12).
Baylor and West Virginia are included in the last four in, while Cincinnati and Arizona State are the top two teams listed among the first four out.
Arizona begins the season Nov. 2 in Las Vegas against former Pac-12 rival, and projected No. 7 seed, UCLA. The game is set to tip at 7:00 PM PT at T-Mobile Arena.
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