The Arizona Preps Spring Classic took place on Sunday @ Rancho Solano Prep Academy in North Scottsdale, and featured the state's top club programs and many of the state's top players. With 16 different teams in action on the day, the scouts and media in attendance were able to catch some very good and lesser known college prospects.
With numerous college coaches, scouts and media in attendance for the day's events, there were many top performers on the day. Here are the top individual prospects that I observed on the day (in no particular order), led by Tournament Most Valuable Player, Aspire Prep Academy's 6-foot-3 sophomore guard Joel Brown.
Darrell Handy-Johnson 6-5 SR Maricopa HS - 2017 Class
A long and athletic wing prospect with good versatility and a nice overall skill level. Has good size and length but will need to add more size to his thin frame over time to maximize his potential as a college prospect. A good athlete in the open floor. A good finisher with nice lift off the floor and a good motor. An active rebounder. A very good finisher aroudn the basket and over defenders. A very underrated prospect that is still unsigned, and should blossom over the next 1 -2 years. Has a twin brother that is also very talented as well. Both can help any team that lands them both.
Jacob Johnson 6-3 SR Casa Grande HS - 2017 Class
Related to former NBA player and Suns announcer Eddie Johnson, Jacob is a skilled guard prospect with a good overall feel for the game and a nice approach to the game. Johnson has very good size for the point guard position, and is also capable of playing as a combo-guard as a result of his ability to shoot and score the basketball. He has a good feel for the game also, and has a good understanding of when the score or set up teammates on the floor. He knows how to run a team very well and also has good leadership qualities. He is an effective ball handler and passer and is simply a solid all-around guard prospect for a good smaller college program. Johnson is a very good sleeper guard prospect in Arizona's 2017 class, and is worthy of serious recruiting attention late from a smaller college program. He is also a very good student, and is already a full academic qualifier.
Kyle Fischer 6-4 Junior Sunnyslope HS - 2018 Class
Fischer is coming off his best year to date, after leading his Sunnyslope Vikings to this year's 5A Division state title. This spring and summer will be a major one for Fischer, as he looks to gain exposure to college coaches around the country. A tweener prospect that is able to play several positions on the floor, Fischer is a nice overall talent with a variety of skillsets for the game. He is a versatile performer with a nice overall feel for the game and an ability to make plays for himself and others, almost at will. He is a good scorer inside and out, and is at his best with the basketball in his hands, where he is able to score either with his back to the basket or while facing the defense out to three-point distance. A good ball handler and passer that sees the floor very well, and is able to create scoring opportunities for his team from anywhere on the floor - his best attribute as a player. A good rebounder that is able to push the ball on the break. An active rebounder. A good team defender, and a solid one-on-one defender. Has excellent toughness and plays with a high level of confidence. A very nice sleeper prospect.
Ajack Ajang 6-7 Junior Ironwood HS - 2018 Class
Ajang is a native of Africa and possesses a very long and thin frame that suggests that he has terrific upside as a college prospect. He has a nice overall skill level to go with long arms and legs. I expect this young man to grow to be 6-9 in height and become a much better prospect over the next 2 -3 years of growth. Likes to float on the perimeter where he is able to handle the basketball and score off the dribble, and also create for himself and others. A solid shooter with range, but still needs to add more consistency to his game from longer ranges. As he becomes a more consistent shooter, this young man will develop into a much higher rated college prospect. A good rebounder that rebounds outside of his area on the floor, as a result of his length. Also a very good shotblocker that changes shots and keeps balls in play. Plays much bigger than his size suggests. A very intriguing prospect now though and an excellent sleeper prospect. I will be keeping a very close eye on this young man over the next two years.
Donovan Rogers 6-5 Junior Fairfax HS - 2018 Class
Rogers is a very underrated prospect that I have not seen before, and he made a very strong case for himself in this year's event as someone to be reckoned with in the class. A bigger wing prospect that is able to play inside and out, but looks to be at his best as an undersized four-man in the future. A solid shooter with range, Rogers is at his best from mid-range and in the post, where he uses good athleticism and length to finish plays over defenders. He is also able to score in transition and also finish plays in the open floor. His long wingspan is glaring and allows him to make plays many other prospects cannot. A good sleeper prospect that could become a division-I prospect with a very good showing this spring and summer.
Josh Johnson 5-7 Junior Maricopa HS - 2018 Class
Johnson is a fast and electric guard prospect that plays at a very fast level with excellent quickness - making him difficult to defend for opposing guards. He is an excellent creator with the basketball in his hands and makes it difficult for opposing guards to stay in front of him, as he puts pressure consistently on the defense. An excellent ball handler and passer, and a very good scorer for his size. A very good shooter with range on his shot. Pushes the basketball as often as possible. A good finisher that is able to get into the lane and finish plays over bigger defenders. An excellent on-the-ball defender. A very good guard prospect that gets a lot done, especially for his size.
Joel Brown 6-3 Sophomore Aspire Prep Academy - 2019 Class
A native of Canada where he played for the nationally recognized club program CIA Bounce (CAN), Brown is a young but tremendous talent that has a serious combination of skills and loads of potential for the future. He is an electric guard prospect with a superb handle of the ball, and an ability to pass the basketball with prowess. He pushes the ball up the floor and looks and finds the open man on the floor, while playing with a very unselfish style of play. Brown was an integral part of the success by Aspire Prep Academy this season in their first year, and will be a major factor for the program the next two seasons as the program continues to build on their first-year success. Look for Brown to become one of the most sought after recruiting targets in the West over the next year.
John Price 6-8 Sophomore Peoria HS - 2019 Class
One of the better looking prospects in Arizona's 2019 class. A nice, skilled 4-man prospect with excellent potential for the future. Price is a good-sized, lengthy stretch 4-man prospect with very good upside for the future, suggesting that he will only continue to grow physically and should develop over time into a serious division-I prospect. He will need to continue to work very hard, but, if he does, this young man has the potential to open many eyes. As a college prospect, Price resembles that of a smaller Michael Humphrey (Stanford University), as he runs the floor in a very similar manner and has long legs and good feet. He also has good hands and is a good finisher around the basket, keeping the basketball up high on rebounds. He is an active rebounder and also has solid low-post moves, although he is still raw and needs continued development as a scorer, but he should progress nicely over time. I will be keeping a very close eye on this young man - one of the better up-and-rising young prospects in the state.
Shaun Wahlstrom 6-7 Sophomore Verrado HS - 2019 Class
Wahlstrom is a nice looking prospect for the 2019 class, as he already has a college-ready body with excellent overall size. While possessing a large frame already at such a young age, it will be very interesting to see whether he will grow much more. He also is very skilled for his size and youth - suggesting that he will only continue to improve over time in his ability to play the game. A good scorer inside and out, Wahlstrom is at his best as a four-man, where he is able to score inside and around the paint. He also is able to step outside and shoot the basketball from mid-range. As he adds more range to his shot, he will see his game flourish. A good rebounder and finisher around the basket. Has good footwork. Runs the floor. Has a lot of potential for the future. His willingness to work hard will determine his future college level.
Shekeedren Bryant 6-5 Sophomore NFL Yet - 2019 Class
Fresh off leading his high school program to a state championship this year, Bryant is looking to continue his strong play on the aau/club circuit. He is off to an excellent start after turning in a very strong performance in this year's event. A versatile and also strong and athletic wing prospect that handles the ball and makes plays off the dribble for himself and others. A good creator with the ball in his hands. A good mid-range shooter that still needs to add more consistency to his shot from longer ranges. Very good in the open floor. A good finisher with superb athleticism for his age and size. An active rebounder. A good defender that plays with good intensity on the floor. Has a bright future ahead of him and has the potential to become a mid-major plus prospect. Another very good sleeper prospect.
Mari Jones 6-0 Sophomore Desert Edge HS - 2019 Class
The 2019 class of college prospects continues to develop and look better and better. With the addition of Mari Jones to the state of Arizona, it definitely has raised the level of depth in the class. Jones is a high-scoring guard prospect with a nice motor and athleticism. The son of former University of Indiana standout Jay Edwards, Jones is a sure-fire top-prospect for the future. A good ball handler and passer, but at his best when scoring the basketball. A combo-guard prospect. Has very good lateral quickness, and could become a lock-down defender over time. Pushes the basketball up the floor. A good finisher in traffic. Creates his own shot and also sees the floor. A young prospect with a very bright future.
Jaret Allen 6-4 Sophomore Deer Valley HS - 2019 Class
Allen is a long, thin and rangy wing prospect that is able to play several positions on the floor. His length is very intriguing as he looks as if we will continue to grow a great deal over time. Able to score inside and out, but likes to play on the perimeter at this point in his young career. As he adds more size to his thin physical frame, then we will see his game progress nicely. A nice looking prospect that has a twin. Will improve a great deal over the next two years of high school, and should become one of the better prospects in the class over time.
Shane Van Huizen 5-10 Sophomore Canyon View Prep- 2019 Class
A member of a smaller charter school in Prescott, this young man is a lesser known prospect by basketball enthusiasts in the state, but he is among the better guard prospects in the class. A skilled point guard prospect that create for others and has the ability to make plays off the dribble. He is also a good shooter with range on his shot, and is a good finisher in the painted area of the floor. A good ball handler and passer that sees the floor. A good defender with excellent toughness. Has good potential to develop into a serious college prospect.
Hunter Ruck 6-7 Freshman Rancho Solano Prep - 2020 Class
Ruck (pictured) is a young, skilled post talent with a bright future ahead of him. One of the best young talents in the state, Ruck is a long and tall prospect that we do not often see in the state, especially at such a young age. Ruck's combination of size, length and an ability to score inside and out is very attractive, and will suit him very nicely with college coaches in the future. He is an effective low-post scorer, capable of scoring with either hand in the paint, and also can step outside and shoot the basketball with a soft touch. Ruck runs the floor well and is a good finisher, that should only continue to get better over time. As he matures physically and adds physical strength to his frame over time, this young man should become a serious recruiting target for many college programs in the country
