We continue our new Fall Player Rankings with our next release - the 2017 class fall player rankings for point guards. This position among the 2017 class is absolutely loaded with talented prospects, and is the most loaded position in the class. Some of the top overall prospects in the class are ranked at this position, as the class is filled with some very talented prospects and led by numerous division-I prospects.
The top spot at this position and the top overall player in the class is Corona Del Sol High School's skilled 6-foot-2 junior guard Alex Barcello. Barcello is coming off an excellent spring and summer nationally, and is also coming off a terrific sophomore season where he led his Aztecs to a fourth consecutive state title.
Barcello is a physically impressive stud guard prospect with a very athletic frame. He competes hard each night and has a terrific skillset. He is a big-time scorer and shooter of the basketball, and is almost too good for Arizona high school basketball - scoring a high of 50 points in a single game last season as a sophomore, and for the most talented team in the state.
Currently Barcello is among the highest recruited 2017 guards in the country, possessing a large number of offers already from the University of Arizona, Arizona State, California, Colorado, Creighton, DePaul, Grand Canyon, Marquette, New Mexico, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Oregon, Providence, Auburn, St. Mary's (CA), Stanford, UCLA, USC, Utah and Washington State.
Barcello is very excited about the up-and-coming basketball season and is prepared to lead his high school program back to the top of the Division-I class. This season, without former terrific head coach Sam Duane Jr. and without hte services of superstar sophomore prospect Marvin Bagley, Barcello will look to lead the Aztecs to a fifth consecutive Division-I state title.
At Corona, Barcello will share the backcourt this high school season with the state's #2 overall prospect in the 2017 class, 6-foot-2 junior guard Saben Lee. No one’s stock in the state of Arizona rose more during the 2015 spring and summer evaluation periods than Lee. As a result, Lee reeled in numerous scholarship offers from many different college programs.
Lee currently has scholarship offers from such schools as Nebraska, New Mexico, Idaho State, Northern Arizona, Portland, Portland State, Weber State, San Diego, Grand Canyon, and Northern Colorado.
Lee is also set to have a big junior season for himself. The combination of Barcello and Lee will keep Corona in the hunt for another state champhionship - their fifth consecutive Division-I state title in a row. Look for an excellent season from Lee this year - a breakout season in the Arizona high school ranks, as he helps to lead the Aztecs back to the Division-I state championship game.
Apollo High School is coming off a very good performance as a team during the 2014-2015 season, after finishing with a nice 22-7 overall record on the season. This season, Apollo is expected to battle all season for a Division-I state title behind the superb play of their junior backcourt - 5-foot-11 junior guard Holland Woods Jr. and 6-foot junior guard De Marin, our #3 and #4 ranked prospects at the position.
Woods and Marin are both coming off excellent performances this spring and summer on the club circuit - leading their respective club teams to strong performances in the spring and summer. As a result, both prospects are beginning to garner a lot of division-I college recruiting interest.
Woods has received offers thus far from Portland State and Long Island University, while for Marin has already received offers from Idaho State, Portland State and Texas Rio Grande Valley.
Woods (pictured) is coming off an excellent July evaluation period performance for himself, after leading his club program to consecutive tournament championships in July. Woods is a ball-hawk and when he has the ball in his hands, good things happen for his team. Woods is a big time ball handler and floor general, that plays with superior confidence and knows how to run a team efficiently. Woods has an ability, almost by himself, to hold down the backcourt on the offensive end and apply constant presure on the opposing guards defensively.
Woods is known by his friends, family and teammates as "Boo Boo." Woods is capable of getting anywhere he wants to on the floor and rarely do you find guard prospects like this in the state of Arizona. He is an excellent penetrator with the basketball in his hands and is also a strong finisher in the lane and at the basket over bigger defenders. He is a good shooter with range on his shot and possesses good shot selection. He also has a strong mid-range game, which makes him difficult to slow down. Woods also pushes the basketball up the floor as often as he can, and always seems to find the open man on the floor. He enjoys making the extra pass, and gets more joy from an assist than he does scoring the basketball - although he is a very good scorer.
De Marin is also coming off a terrific breakout performance this summer, as he poured in numerous scoring outbursts. With opposing teams organizing a box-and-one defensive maneuver against him, and looking to slow him down offensively, Marin would continue to get it done. Marin would connect on a barrage of three-pointers from almost everywhere on the floor, and would also score off the dribble on drives to the basket or from mid-range.
Marin is a handful for opposing guards, as he can do almost what he wants to, and when he wants to with the basketball in his hands. He also is a big-time competitor on both ends of the floor. His sheer toughness as a player is what drives his competitive force. Marin is an excellent shooter of the basketball with unlimited range and a quick release on his shot. A very good scorer off the dribble, he is able to drive to the basket and finish strong against bigger defenders. He makes players around him better.
Chaparral High School's gifted guard prospect, 6-foot junior guard Colton Kresl is among the most talented performers in the state. A big-time scorer of the basketball, Kresl is coming off a strong showing this summer, and, as a result, he received his first scholarship offer from Northern Arizona University and head coach Jack Murphy and his staff.
Kresl is a big-time scorer from the guard position, and he has a superior knack for making shots from anywhere on the floor. He has the ability to keep his handle alive in the most difficult situations and pass with either hand. He is an excellent shooter with excellent range on his shot. He is also able to shoot the basketball from the stand-still position or while on the move. He can create for himself or others off the dribble, almost at will.
Kresl is coming off a strong spring and summer performance, while leading his Arizona Power 16U team to several strong finishes and a tournament championship at the Double Pump Best of Summer tournament this summer.
This position is very loaded among the class, and, as a result, there are numerous prospects that could see a jump in our spring rankings. Such players as Treyvon McCray (Copper Canyon HS), Keith Holmes (Desert Ridge HS), Andres Mayberry (Red Mountain HS) and Donald Carter (Cesar Chavez HS).
Here are our new Fall Player Rankings for the point guard position in Arizona’s 2017 class. While we have not seen everyone at the position in the state, these individuals have proven to be the best at the position at this point in time.
Arizona Preps 2017 Class Fall Player Rankings – Point Guards (In Ranking Order)
1. Alex Barcello 6-2 JR PG Corona Del Sol HS (Tempe, AZ)
2. Saben Lee 6-2 JR PG Corona Del Sol HS (Tempe, AZ)
3. Holland "Boo Boo" Woods 5-11 JR PG Apollo HS (Glendale, AZ)
4. Dre Marin 5-10 JR PG Apollo HS (Glendale, AZ)
5. Colten Kresl 5-11 JR PG Chaparral HS (Scottsdale, AZ)
6. Treyvon McCray 5-11 JR PG Copper Canyon HS (Glendale, AZ)
7. Keith Holmes 6-2 JR PG Desert Ridge HS (Phoenix, AZ)
8. Andres Mayberry 5-10 JR PG Red Mountain HS (Mesa, AZ)
9. Donald Carter 6-0 JR PG Cesar Chavez HS (Phoenix, AZ
10. Matthew Svorinic 5-9 JR PG Valley Christian HS (Chandler, AZ)
11. Ezekiel Alley 5-10 JR PG Cholla HS (Tucson, AZ)
12. Jordan Robinson 6-0 JR PG Tucson HS (Tucson, AZ)
13. Mikey Silva 5-8 JR PG Sunnyside HS (Tucson, AZ)
14. Nathan Gorsuch 6-0 JR PG Pinnacle HS (Phoenix, AZ)
15. David Larrabee 5-8 JR PG River Valley HS (Mohave Valley, AZ)
Fall Player Ranking Notes: Our player rankings have been determined by a body of work from each student-athlete. Each player’s body of work consisted of performances throughout the high school season, and also performances throughout the spring, summer and fall seasons. A top performance throughout the high school season impacts a player’s ranking a great deal. A student-athlete’s performance throughout the fall, spring and summer will have an even bigger impact, since our staff is able to observe Arizona players in competition against much better local, regional and national competition. The complete body of work has been taken into consideration for each of our player rankings. Player rankings are based on a particular student-athlete’s ability to play the game of basketball – not academic performance, although a player can help him or herself if he/she is an excellent student. Rankings are done to help aid college coaches in their ability to identify the top student-athletes by position and class in the state. These rankings are forwarded to college coaches at every level throughout the country. Rankings will be updated throughout the year.