The inaugural Arizona Preps Middle School Fall Showcase was an overwhelming success, as nearly (150) young prospects from throughout Arizona came together for a tremendous day of basketball.
The event featured seventh- and eighth-grade prospects from the Classes of 2032 and 2031, including many of the top young players in the state. The turnout from players, families, club programs, coaches and members of the Arizona basketball community made the event even more special. For our Arizona Preps' staff, this event was a major undertaking, but the tremendous support we received from the basketball community made it all worthwhile. Most importantly, the players did not disappoint.
Our staff had an opportunity to evaluate a tremendous amount of young talent throughout the day. We walked away from the Showcase with loads of video, evaluations, notes and information that will help us identify and follow Arizona’s top young prospects over the next several years. In fact, there were so many strong performances that our work is still ongoing.
Our staff continues to review video and compile evaluations and recaps on many of the Showcase’s top performers. With nearly (150) prospects participating, this process will take some time, but we want to make sure we give these young players the recognition they deserve.
Beyond the talent, though, what impressed me most was the passion these young men have for the game. The players competed hard throughout the event. They played with energy, enthusiasm and a genuine love for basketball. After covering and evaluating Arizona basketball for more than (30) years, watching these young prospects compete personally gave me renewed excitement and vigor for the future of basketball in our state. The future of Arizona basketball is extremely bright.
An event of this magnitude could not have happened without tremendous support. I want to personally thank our title sponsor, The Fair Exchange, a local business operating in the cryptocurrency industry. The Fair Exchange stepped up in a major way to support our vision for this event, and their sponsorship played an important role in helping us provide this opportunity for Arizona’s young basketball players.
I also want to personally recognize and thank my assistant Andrea Bernado, Mark Bernal and Brando Hernandez for their tremendous support and contributions to the event. Their efforts behind the scenes were extremely important to the success of the Showcase. A very special thank you also goes out to the AZ Unity program, Arizona Phenoms, and the numerous other local club programs, organizations and coaches who supported the event and encouraged their players and families to participate.
And, of course, a tremendous thank you goes to every parent and family member who supported these young men and made the commitment to be part of our Showcase.
Arizona Preps has always been about helping young basketball players gain exposure, develop their reputations and ultimately create opportunities for themselves through the game of basketball. This event allowed us to begin that process much earlier with two outstanding groups of young prospects.
The Classes of 2031 and 2032 have a tremendous amount of talent, and many of the names we saw at this event will become very familiar to Arizona basketball fans over the coming years. For these young men, their basketball journeys are just beginning.
Our staff will continue to release evaluations, video highlights and individual player features from the event as we recognize many of the Showcase’s top performers.
To everyone who participated, supported, sponsored, volunteered or simply came out to watch:
Thank you for making the inaugural Arizona Preps Middle School Fall Showcase such a tremendous success. We are already excited about what comes next.
