We now turn our attention and focus to the recruitment of Arizona's top available prospects still remaining uncommitted to college programs. While the state of Arizona had a record number of commitments and signings this fall, there are also many prospects still available among the senior class that are still looking for college homes. Leading this list of available high school prospects in the 2026 Class is Basha High School's very athletic and versatile 6-foot-4 senior Desean Middlebrook. Middlebrook is a superb athletic talent with an excellent motor that has excellent upside and potential for the future. With his best years still well ahead of him as a player and college prospect, Middlebrook is a very intriguing prospect for college programs to take a very hard look at this spring.
With the high school basketball season now complete, the attention across the country quickly turns toward the spring recruiting period. As a result, the focus for many college programs this spring will be identifying and recruiting the best remaining prospects who can help strengthen their rosters moving forward. While many members of the 2026 senior class have already signed with their respective college programs, there are still numerous high school and junior college prospects who remain available.
One of the top available prospects currently in Arizona’s 2026 class is Desean Middlebrook, a 6-foot-4 senior from Basha High School who is coming off an excellent high school career.
Middlebrook began his high school career at Mesquite High School in Gilbert, Arizona, before transferring to powerhouse Basha High School, where he would eventually become a key piece of one of the state’s most successful programs. After transferring, Middlebrook had to sit out (9) games during his junior season due to the AIA Transfer Rule, but he persevered through the challenge and capped his high school career with a very impressive senior season.
This past season, Middlebrook helped lead Basha High School to one of the most impressive records in the state, as the team finished with a 20–8 overall record and advanced deep into the Open Division State Playoffs, where they eventually suffered a narrow loss to eventual state champion Sunnyslope High School in the Open Division State Semi-finals.
Throughout his senior season, Middlebrook raised many eyebrows within the basketball community, earning the attention of college coaches and basketball enthusiasts alike. His excellent athleticism, relentless motor, and impressive versatility made him a major contributor for Basha Head Coach Mike Grothaus, who was able to utilize Middlebrook’s skill-set in numerous ways to help make the team successful. One of the most impressive aspects of Middlebrook’s game is his willingness to sacrifice personal statistics for the success of the team. Throughout the season, Middlebrook frequently took on the challenge of guarding the opposing team’s best player, while also playing much bigger than his size suggests. He often played in the post and out of position for Basha, using his toughness, effort, and athletic ability to compete against bigger players inside.
Despite playing much of the season inside, Middlebrook possesses the tools to develop into a perimeter prospect at the college level. He has shown flashes of a nice perimeter shooting stroke, while much of his current production comes from his activity around the basket and inside the paint. With continued development and hard work, Middlebrook has the potential to grow into a 2–3 wing prospect at the college level, where his combination of athleticism, motor, and versatility could make him a very intriguing prospect for college programs moving forward.
Currently, Middlebrook is hearing primarily from local junior college programs in his college recruitment. However, his recruitment could very well rise to another level this spring, as more college coaches realize that he is available and learn about his strong play and contributions this season.
Beyond his talent on the court, Middlebrook is also known as a high-character young man who truly loves the game. His strong work ethic, positive attitude, and willingness to do whatever it takes to help his team succeed have played a major role in his development as a player. Because of those qualities, Middlebrook is the type of prospect who could make a college program very happy over time, as he continues to develop and maximize his potential.
Middlebrook is also one of my favorite prospects in the state regardless of class, and I will continue to follow his recruitment closely this spring. It will be very interesting to see where he ultimately lands, and I look forward to bringing you updates on his college recruitment as it continues to develop.
