Northern Arizona University and Head Coach Shane Burcar and his staff have made it a priority to recruit the state of Arizona, as the Lumberjacks' program has consistently recruited Arizona's top prospects under the leadership of Burcar, a former high school head coach in the state @ Mesa High School. After already reeling in some of the state's elite prospects over the past several years, now NAU has received another commitment from a top-rated Arizona prospect, as Casteel High School's 6-foot-5, 180-pound senior guard/forward Amare King has now given a verbal commitment to Northern Arizona.
King decided on NAU this week after also considering offers from UMKC, Seattle, Siena and Loyola (MD). King's father Commander King, one of the top HS coaches in our state, also attend and played at Northern Arizona University, so this was a really nice opportunity for Amare to follow in his father's footsteps and also stay close to home.
King emerged last high school season as one of the better prospects in the 2025 Class, and was relied on heavily last season to lead Casteel to a strong finish. King had a good junior season for himself, and then continued his strong play on the club circuit with a talented AZ Select UAA Team that had an excellent showing on the UAA Circuit this spring and summer. As a result, King reeled in numerous offers for himself, and saw his college recruitment transform and reach new heights.
King is among the state's most versatile prospects, as he was able to play all over the floor last season for Head Coach Aaron Windler and his staff, and he will have a big senior season, where he will be among the top individual performers in the state.
Last high school season, King played a very versatile role for his Casteel team, that had a very good season together - finishing with a 22-8 record on the season in the state's 5A Division. Alongside his former teammate, 6-foot-2 senior guard Aidan Schmidt (Pima CC signee), King and Schmidt became one of the state's best one-two punches - leading Casteel to last year's McClintock Holiday Shootout Tournament Championship. King averaged very good and versatile numbers as a junior - 15.8 points, 4.2 assists, 6.4 rebounds, 1.8 steals and 1.9 blocks per/contest. King is one of the best overall stat sheet stuffers in the state, as he does it all as a player. King will have a big senior season, and should have tremendous numbers as a result.
Congratulations to Amare King and his family on this nice accomplishment, and good luck to him in the future from our staff here at Arizona Preps. King is a very good prospect for NAU - a very good sleeper prospect in the West for the 2025 class.
Arizona Hoop Review Scouting Report: King has very good size and a fundamentally sound offensive skillset. He is a good ball handler and passer from the guard position, and likes to have the basketball in his hands. He is an effective scorer that can make shots from the perimeter, and has improved his consistency from longer ranges, which opens up his mid-range jump shot, and ability to make plays off the dribble. He is a good slasher and finisher that has good body control and can finish in traffic and over defenders, at times. He is a good rebounder from the guard position. He is a good all-around prospect with versatility that will only improve over time with continued hard work and improved physical strength, as he continues to mature physically. King is among the best prospects in Arizona's 2025 Class, and he will definitely move up in our next player rankings for the class.
