Basha High School's very athletic and versatile 6-foot-5 senior Desean 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 next season, after Middlebrook has made his college decision and has signed with Pima Community College Head Coach Brian Peabody and his terrific coaching staff. Pima is fresh off another impressive run in the Division-II National Tournament, where they finished among the Top 5 programs in the country. Now they add the services of Middlebrook for next season.
One of the top available prospects in Arizona’s 2026 class, Middlebrook 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.
Pima will be loaded once again next season in the ACCAC, as they will be returning the conference's top guard prospect in Isaiah Hill, who earned Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year honors this past season. Pima will also be adding the services of Arizona stud high school guard Adrian "Ace" Stubbs of Maryvale High School also. Stubbs recently signed with the Pima program. Middlebrook will join this excellent group of guards, alongside numerous other top-rated prospects for the Aztecs next season.
Middlebrook is one of my favorite prospects in the state, regardless of class, and he should provide excellent support for this group immediately.
Congratulations to Desean and his family on this signing and great luck to him next season in the ACCAC from our staff here at Arizona Preps.
Arizona Preps Scouting Report: Despite playing much of his career inside and around the paint, 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. Middlebrook has a nice shooting stroke from mid-range, and just needs to continue to add consistency to his shot from longer ranges over time. He has a nice mid-range game and can score inside and out. A good ball handler and passer. An active and strong finisher. Runs the floor hard. An excellent on the ball defender. A very active rebounder with a great motor. 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.
