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…
Author: Anthony Ray
The key to success in any high school basketball program begins with attracting the top younger talent consistently to your school. For Notre Dame Prep, the basketball program is looking to turn the corner, after a strong finish to the 2021 season. Behind the strong leadership and player development of first-year head coach and former Grand Canyon University staff member Luke DallaRiva, the program is headed in the right direction. Now with the additions of top-rated middle school prospects Bryce Quinet and Brennan Peterson, the future looks extremely bright for Notre Dame Prep. Notre Dame Prep is coming off a…
College recruiting is beginning younger and younger these days, so it is now never too early to talk about the best basketball prospects in middle school or even earlier, especially when these younger prospects are as good and as dominant as rising 8th grader Mason Magee. A very young rising 8th grader and a member of the 2026 Class, Magee is still a mere 12 years of age, and actually should be entering the 7th grade. Either way, Magee has made a tremendous case very early on as a youngster, and is one of the state’s most impressive young talents…
Another high-level prospect now available in the 2021 Class of prospects is Bella Vista Prep’s 6-foot-8, 190-pound unsigned senior wing prospect Jamel King. King now becomes the best available in the 2021 Class, alongside Eduprize’s Justus Jackson, after a previous verbal commitment to the University of New Mexico has now changed for King. As a result, King is back on the recruiting board and looking for a new college home for himself this summer. King was offered a scholarship by the previous New Mexico staff, but when new head coach Richard Pitino took over the Lobos’ basketball program, some things…
The top available prospect still remaining in Arizona’s 2021 Class of prospects is Eduprize Prep’s gifted 6-foot-1 senior point guard Justus Jackson. Jackson went into his junior season as one of the hottest prospects in the class, possessing numerous Division-I offers for himself, and was absolutely on the rise in his college recruitment. After a changing schools for his senior season, and having an excellent senior campaign for Eduprize Prep, Jackson is now mulling over his recruiting options for his future. With numerous options on the table to consider, of course, Jackson would like to accept the best offer for…
Valley Vista High School’s gifted 5-foot-11 rising senior guard/forward Jennah Isai is among the nation’s elite prospects in the 2022 Class – currently rated by ESPN as one of the top 30 prospects in the country. With many high-major Division-I offers on the table for herself, it has been a major deal to see which college program would ultimately land the skilled prospect. With many schools to choose from and many basketball enthusiasts ultimately waiting for her decision, Isai has given an early verbal commitment to the University of Oregon and their coaching staff. Isai’s decision to become an Oregon Duck is…
St. Mary’s High School’s 6-foot-4 rising junior guard Jason Fontenet is on another level and rising in America’s 2023 Class of prospects. The gifted combo-guard prospect had a terrific sophomore season in leading his St. Mary’s program to an impressive 21-1 overall record, and a 4A State Championship. Fontenet has not slowed down one bit since the high school season. Instead, the gifted and promising talent has taken his game to another level this spring, and has become one of the hottest prospects nationally in the 2023 Class. Fontenet has played this spring with Arizona Preps’ staff member Paul Suber…
After leaving Chandler High School during his senior year to play for AZ Compass Prep, 6-foot-8 senior wing Isaiah Brody had a senior season that worked out much different than he expected. After being pegged to have a monster senior season for Chandler, where he would rank among the elite overall prospects in Arizona’s 2021 Class, instead, Brody spent his senior season as a role player for one of the elite high school programs in the country. While it was definitely challenging for Brody, it has all worked out in the end, as Brody recently made his college decision to…
Girl’s basketball in the state of Arizona is definitely well on the rise, as prep girl’s basketball programs are growing and making a tremendous impact on the girl’s basketball culture. With the emergence of girl’s top-rated basketball programs competing on the nationally acclaimed Grind Session last season, now we can add Dream City Christian Prep’s girl’s basketball to the national mix. Dream City has hired local successful basketball product and well respected coach Prileu Davis to lead their girl’s National basketball program, which will now also compete next season on the Grind Session. Dream City is not playing around also,…
Former Adidas Grassroots Director of Basketball of Operations Chris Rivers, once one of the most powerful individuals in the game, gave an amazing speech to the campers at the Big Baller Brand Middle School Regional Camp. Rivers, a staple in the development of grassroots basketball across the country over the past (20) years, and one of the original developers of the Oakland Soldiers (Nike-EYBL) club basketball program in Northern California, spoke to the campers about real-life application that they could utilize in life, and coached the players to “tune out the noise” created by the basketball culture today, and work…