Since the end to the 2011-2012 high school basketball season, there have been numerous college prospects present themselves within the state of Arizona. With so many high school teams within the state and so many players, the spring and summer often is a great time to uncover new prospects.
One of the better prospects that I witnessed at the guard position this spring was McClintock High School's 6-foot-1 rising senior point guard prospect BJ Cuevas.
While playing with the Arizona Stars Elite team this spring coached by Ray Arvisu, Cuevas impressed me with his superior toughness for the guard position, willingness to defend opposing guards and ability to break down defenders off the dribble and get to the basket - all nice attributes for a point guard his size.
Cuevas plays the game with extreme confidence and is as tough as they get in the state of Arizona. In fact, he may be the toughest kid on the floor that I have seen in the state of Arizona. As a result, he can get caught up, often times, into talking on the court rather than playing, but Cuevas seems to use this tactic to get under other player's skin and to create an advantage for himself. Either way, I love his toughness and willingness to sacrifice himself for his team.
Cuevas was on a McClintock team last season that saw their struggles - finishing with a 10-16 overall record on the season. Cuevas will look to return next season under the leadership of head coach Samuel Dentz, to lead his Chargers in the Division-I, Section-III standings.
According to the Arizona Stars organization, Cuevas is currently receiving recruiting interest from such schools as UC-Riverside, Eastern Washington, Phoenix College and Pima JC. He will look to improve his college recruitment with continued strong play this summer while traveling with the Stars.
Cuevas has emerged as one of the top point guard prospects in the state's 2013 class. I will continue watching this guard prospect and bring you any recruiting updates as they continue to develop.
Arizona Hoop Review Scouting Report: Cuevas plays the game with extreme confidence and is as tough as they get in the state of Arizona. In fact, he may be the toughest kid on the floor that I have seen in the state of Arizona. As a result, he can get caught up, often times, into talking on the court rather than playing, but Cuevas seems to use this tactic to get under other player's skin and to create an advantage for himself. Either way, I love his toughness and willingness to sacrifice himself for his team. He has a good handle of the basketball and likes to bully his way to the basket on penetrating moves into the lane, where he is also a good finisher. Cuevas does not mind physical contact and, in fact, enjoys it as he is a physical player. He is a solid passer and gets the basketball to the open man. A capable shooter, Cuevas needs to continue to improve his range on his shot and ability to knock down shots consistently from the field. He is an excellent defender - his best asset as a player. He guards tight and keeps his man in front of him. A good looking prospect for a smaller college program.
