As we complete another summer, this summer was a very unique one, of course, as basketball returned to business as usual. After almost two years of very limited basketball and very little college recruitment, as a result of the lack of college coaches being able to hit the road and evaluate prospects, the state of Arizona's top basketball prospects, boys and girls, were impacted a great deal. As a result, the past several months have been instrumental in helping Arizona basketball prospects gain recruiting momentum to aid in the process of helping each prospect land a college home. For unsigned seniors (2021 prospects), it was an opportunity to get looks and ultimately help the large number of unsigned prospects land a college or post-graduate home for their immediate futures, while, for the younger prospects, it was an opportunity to showcase themselves for future college recruitment. Both situations were invaluable as student-athletes, high school and club coaches and tournament organizers welcomed the return of NCAA Division-I coaches back to the road, and the state of Arizona is much better as a result.
The NCAA Evaluation Period began in June on two separate weekends with the Section 7 event being hosted in the state. The event was the first of it's kind, as it was very well organized and created a stage unlike any we have seen in Arizona before. The event brought a large number of college coaches, from all levels, to the state, which was a very welcome sight, after not seeing a college coach in the state for a long time. Even before the COVID pandemic hit the country, college coaches did not venture to Arizona much, so the opportunity to have college coaches in the state, and also at high school gymnasiums (Brophy Prep) was awesome. Many of Arizona's top prospects were given an opportunity to compete against many of the West's top high school programs, and also other local talent, in front of a nice crowd of college coaches. Many student-athletes saw their college recruitment take off and even soar, in some respects, and our staff and many in the Arizona basketball community are very appreciative of the many opportunities that the Section 7 event brought to the table.
This was only the second time that the Section 7 event was held, and both events have been amazing. The future of this event looks very bright and I, for one, am very thankful of the exposure that it brought to our state. As a result, many of Arizona's top-rated prospects will benefit over time. I am very thankful that this event was brought to Arizona, and will continue to flourish in the future.
The July evaluation period was also a very welcome sight, as NCAA-certified events took place in Arizona, and in the West. Our staff traveled throughout the entire month of July and covered almost every top event held in Southern California and Las Vegas, and there were many. We covered many events, teams and players throughout the month, and did our very best to cover as many prospects as possible for our viewers and supporters. We will now feature as many of these prospects for you over the next month, as we prepare for another high school season. There were many, so we will look to feature as many of them as possible on the Arizona Preps' site, as well as through our social media outlets.
As we approach the Fall, we are excited again to bring you our 23rd Annual Arizona Preps Fall Showcase, which will be held on two separate weekends this year, for boys and girls. We will hold our girl's Fall Showcase event on Saturday, October 9th, and will hold our boy's Fall Showcase event on Saturday, October 16th. Both events will be held this year @ The PHHACILITY. We are forever thankful to Greta Clark, the Clark family and Inspire Courts for hosting this event for us the past several years. Inspire Courts is a terrific venue and the Clark family is the best. We are extremely appreciative of their amazing support of our organization and this event.
As we move into the Fall and look to recap many of the exploits of Arizona's best basketball talent throughout the summer months, we are most appreciative of each of our supporters! Our agenda with Arizona Preps is simple, as we work hard daily to create opportunities for Arizona's student-athletes through our hard work and support of their accomplishments. We appreciate and support every high school program, prep school, club program and event organizer as they each look to create opportunities for student-athletes across the state. We wish everyone success and support each of you, as we understand how difficult it truly is to help student-athletes get scholarship and financial opportunities to go to college. Thank you all for your continued support and we will continue to work hard to support each of you and each student-athlete's opportunity to advance in life.