Arizona Preps has partnered with Skyline Education LLC and will now look to help develop the level of basketball in the state among charter schools in Arizona. There are more than 70 different charter schools in the state of Arizona. The charter schools leagues are filled with talented prospects that have always gone unnoticed in the state among basketball enthusiasts, but now we will focus on this level of basketball to help raise the level of play and exposure in this arena.
The Arizona Preps website was formed in 1999, and has been the leader in communicating, reporting and following Arizona basketball for almost 20 years. Our staff has always focused on Arizona high school basketball in the state, and has not really paid much attention to charter schools in the state for the majority of our years of service. That will now change drastically, as our staff will help to raise the level of exposure for both AIA and CAA programs annually.
Skyline Education encompasses three different charter schools - Arizona Compass Prep in Chandler, Skyline Prep in Phoenix and D-5 in Gila Bend, Arizona. We will work closely with each of these schools to provide venues for future Arizona Preps' events, which will be formed and utilized to help benefit student-athletes in the charter schools.
Such events will include the up-and-coming Arizona Preps Basketball Academy (March), Anthony Ray's Recruiting Academy (March) and also pre-season, post-season and holiday tournaments for members of the charter school leagues.
Historically, student-athletes in the charter school leagues have believed that to get recruited by college programs that they would need to attend AIA member institutions. This has not been true, but consitently, top performers from charter schools have flown well below the recruting radar. Over the past few years, as a result of the tremendous success of such charter schools as Tri-City Christian Academy, that has changed. Such top-rated college prospects as Brock Gardner (Liberty University) and Nigel Shadd (Kansas State signee), both products of Tri-City Christian, have changed the perception of basketball enthusiasts in the state.
Arizona Preps will continue to do our best to change that perception - providing more opportunities for Arizona charter school student-athletes. Through our development of exposure events, clinics and instruction, we will look to raise the level of basketball in the state at this level as well.
Arizona Preps was formed in 1999 to help create a basketball community in the state and to raise the elvel of college exposure for Arizona's athletes. We have done that over the years, and now plan to do the same at the charter school level.
