The future of Arizona basketball will be on full display this weekend, as Arizona Preps hosts its first annual Middle School Fall Showcase, featuring more than (130) young student-athletes from across the state. The event will feature players from the Class of 2031 and 2032 - this year’s eighth and seventh-grade classes, and will give Arizona Preps an outstanding opportunity to get an early look at the next generation of basketball talent in our state.
After more than (30) years of covering and evaluating basketball talent throughout Arizona, one of the things I have always enjoyed most is identifying young players early in their development and then watching them grow throughout their high school careers and eventually into college basketball. This weekend will give us that opportunity once again.
The Arizona Preps Middle School Fall Showcase was created to provide a tremendous platform for young players to compete, gain exposure and showcase their abilities in front of coaches, evaluators and members of the Arizona basketball community.
We want to identify the top prospects in the 2031 and 2032 classes, but this event is about much more than simply identifying the best-known players. We will also be looking closely for the up-and-coming prospects, surprise performers and sleeper prospects that Arizona basketball needs to know about. There are always young players who enter an event without much recognition and leave having opened a lot of eyes. That is what makes an event like this so exciting. This weekend will provide Arizona Preps with an excellent early look into the future of Arizona basketball.
While evaluation and exposure are major parts of the event, our biggest priority is the experience of the young student-athletes. We want every player who walks into the gym this weekend to feel like he is part of something special. Our goal is to put on a show. From the moment the players arrive, until the final game is completed, we want the Arizona Preps Middle School Fall Showcase to be an experience that the players and their families will remember.
Arizona Preps has always been about helping young people receive exposure and opportunities through the game of basketball. This event is another extension of that mission. We want these young players to be seen by high school coaches, college coaches, scouts, evaluators and members of the basketball community, while giving them an opportunity to compete against many of the best players in their respective classes.
Thank You, Arizona. Most importantly, I want to personally thank the entire Arizona basketball community for the tremendous support we have received for this first-year event. To have more than (130) players participate in our inaugural Middle School Fall Showcase is something we are extremely proud of. To every parent who registered their son, every coach who supported the event, every player who decided to compete and everyone throughout the basketball community who has helped spread the word — thank you.
Your support means a great deal to me and to Arizona Preps. We understand the trust that families place in us when they participate in an Arizona Preps event, and we do not take that responsibility lightly. We want to provide an organized, competitive and exciting showcase that everyone involved can be proud of. We want Arizona Preps events to continue to set the standard in our state, while always keeping the development, exposure and experience of the student-athletes at the center of everything we do.
The first annual Arizona Preps Middle School Fall Showcase will introduce us to many of the names we will be talking about for years to come. Some will arrive already highly regarded. Others will begin making a name for themselves this weekend. And there will undoubtedly be some young prospects who surprise everyone.
Who are the best players in Arizona’s 2031 and 2032 classes? Who are the players on the rise? And who will emerge as the sleepers we need to know about?
We’re about to find out. The future of Arizona basketball is coming, and this weekend, Arizona Preps will put it on display.
