The Arizona Preps Beat The Heat event took place in Prescott Valley, Arizona this weekend at two different gym locations, Mayer High School and Canyon View Prep High School. Arizona Preps is very appreciative of the support of all of the teams from this year's event, which included Bradshaw Mountain, Gilbert Christian, Ironwood Ridge, Casa Grande (pictured), Youngker, Anthem Prep, Kingman Academy, Valley, Cicero Prep and Ash Fork High School.
With two different gym locations for the event, I evaluated the teams and talent at the Canyon View Prep High School location. Here are my top overall individual performers from that location (In no particular order) . . .
Top 2022 Individual Performers
Damon Newton 6-1 SR PG/SG Casa Grande HS (Casa Grande, AZ)
A skilled combo-guard prospect with a strong ability to score the basketball. A very good shooter off the dribble and capable of making plays for himself and others with his unique ability to create for himself. Has good body control and a good mid-range game. Good in the open floor. A very good defender with quick hands and feet. Plays with superior confidence. A 2021 prospect.
Coleman Anderson 6-4 SR SF Ironwood Ridge HS (Tucson, AZ)
Anderson has good size and length as a shooter. A left-handed shooter with extended range and a quick release on his shot. A specialist over time. A good ball handler and passer. Sees the floor. Active rebounder. Solid defender. Competes. Has upside.
Josue Luna 5-8 SR PG Bradshaw Mountain HS (Anthem, AZ)
Luna is an electric, smaller guard prospect with a very good handle of the basketball and a nice overall feel for the game. He enjoys having the basketball in his hands and making plays for himself and his teammates. A floor general. Has a high basketball IQ. Sees the floor and advances the ball with the pass. A good shooter with range. Shifty guard prospect. A good finisher in the lane. A good defender. Competes and has a great attitude. A good guard prospect for a smaller college program.
Mason King 6-4 SR PF Anthem Prep (Anthem, AZ)
King is an undersized low-post performer that plays hard and uses his body to make plays around the basket. A strong, physical low-post presence, that does not mind physical contact, and uses his body to gain an advantage over smaller low-post defenders. A solid finisher around the basket. An OK shooter that does not have consistency on his shot from longer ranges. Runs the floor hard and has excellent toughness. Strong rebounder. Has a great attitude.
Top 2023 Individual Performers
Charlie Mellor 6-2 JR SG Cicero Prep (Scottsdale, AZ)
Mellor is a big-time shooter with excellent range on his shot and a quick release. Made a lot of three-pointers in the event, even while contested. A specialist as a shooter. Fundamentally sound. A good ball handler and passer. Not overly athletic, but makes up for it with a high basketball IQ and a good understanding of the game. Competes hard. Has an excellent attitude and is a great teammate. A very good prospect for a smaller college program.
Max Lightfoot 6-5 JR PF Gilbert Christian HS (Gilbert, AZ)
The younger brother of University of Kansas player MItch Lightfoot. A left-hander. A skilled low-post prospect that enjoys scoring around the basket and moving around the paint for open opportunities for himself, where he is a good finisher around the basket. Solid shooter but does not show much range yet at this point, and primarily scores around the basket. Runs the floor hard. Active rebounder. Has some upside.
Christian Zuniga 6-2 JR SG/SF Youngker HS (Buckeye, AZ)
Zuniga is a utility guy that plays all over the floor, and with an excellent intensity level. He is a coach on the floor and a very vocal leader for his team. Competes hard and accepts challenges. A strong rebounder and low-post scorer for his size. A solid finisher. A good shooter from mid-range, but will need to extend the range on his shot consistently to maximize his potential as a player. Runs the floor hard. A good low-post defender.
Noah Williams 6-7 JR PF/C Ironwood Ridge HS (Tucson, AZ)
Williams is a developing post prospect with a thin and long, lengthy frame. Still very raw offensively, Williams is a developing low-post prospect with a some potential for the future. Active rebounder and shotblocker. Still needs some serious work on his footwork and perimeter shootign to maximize his potential as a player and college prospect.
Top 2024 Individual Performers
Keon Talgo 6-3 SOPH SG Gilbert Christian High School (Gilbert, AZ)
An excellent shooter with extended range on his shot and a quick release. Shoots a high percentage on the floor, from longer and shorter ranges. Has a high basketball IQ. Does not waist much movement or dribbles, very efficient. A good ball handler and a willing passer - fundamentally sound. A good rebounder. Plays bigger than his size suggests. Has good overall toughness. Among the best pure shooters of the basketball in Arizona's 2024 Class.
Mason Hunt 6-4 SOPH SF Bradshaw Mountain HS (Anthem, AZ)
Hunt is a skilled wing prospect that is just beginning to come into his own. A nice overall talent that has a good overall skill level for the wing position. Capable of playing inside and out. Has good overall toughness as a prospect. Competes hard. Runs the floor. A good finisher that will develop a great deal over time with maturity and explosiveness. Active rebounder. A good shooter with some range on hsi shot, but adds he adds better consistency from longer ranges, he will see his game develop and progress naturally. A good looking prospect that I would like to continue to follow closely over time.
JJ Griffin 5-11 SOPH SG Youngker HS (Buckeye, AZ)
A skilled and tough guard prospect with an ability to score off the dribble and finish in the lane. A good overall scorer with a good shooting stroke. A good ball handler that can create off the dribble. Plays with very good intensity. A very good defender - two-way player. A good looking young prospect that can maximize his potential as a player by becoming an even better facilitator with the basketball, and improving the consistency on his jump shot from longer ranges.
Top 2025 Individual Performers
Dovantae Powell 5-10 FR PG/SG Casa Grande HS (Casa Grande, AZ)
Powell is a major bright spot in his play throughout the weekend event. While his team only had (5) players, Powell was a key contributor for the team, as they finished 3-1 in the event. An excellent shooter with range on his shot, a quick release and plays with superior confidence. A strong ball handler and passer. A good creator off the dribble and finisher in the lane. Capable of playing both guard positions. Has a bright future ahead.
