Basketball in Mesa, Arizona is a past-time, like baseball in many other areas. The city of Mesa is filled with basketball enthusiasts, and, as a result, Mesa and Mesa Mountain View High School are two historically elite programs that always make for an intense and exciting match-up. This season, due to the pandemic, the two programs would face off super early in the high school season, but this time void of the large contingent of fans and students. On Friday evening, both programs would compete in a much different looking environment and format, but with the same level of intensity and focus for both…
Author: Anthony Ray
Basketball in Mesa, Arizona is a past-time, like baseball in many other areas. The city of Mesa is filled with basketball enthusiasts, and, as a result, Mesa and Mesa Mountain View High School are two historically elite programs that always make for an intense and exciting match-up. This season, due to the pandemic, the two programs would face off super early in the high school season, but this time void of the large contingent of fans and students. On Friday evening, both programs would compete in a much different looking environment and format, but with the same level of intensity…
It was not too long ago that we saw superstar, 6-foot-9, 200-pound senior forward DaRon Holmes (University of Dayton signee) leave the state of Arizona – transferring to national basketball power Montverde Academy (FL). While it was thought that the Arizona basketball community had seen their last glimpse of Holmes playing for an Arizona-based program, and it was a sad fact to imagine, Holmes is now back and has joined an already juggernaut AZ Compass Prep program that is currently ranked as the #4 overall prep program in America, and having one of the best seasons in the country. During…
The last time we saw any action taking place in the Arizona Community College Athletic Conference (ACCAC) was last spring, as Glendale Community College and Head Coach Ken Carrillo (pictured) would knock off Pima Junior College in Glendale to win the Division-II Region Championship. While it was expected that Glendale would then advance to the National Division-II Tournament in Danville, Illinois, it would never happen, as the 2020 NJCAA Division-II Men’s Basketball Championship would be cancelled, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Teams that qualified were awarded a national tournament appearance in the NJCAA Record Books. Glendale would never get the…
With many top-rated prospects around the state recently moving on from the AIA to the prep school ranks, there are still many top-rated prospects competing for AIA programs in Arizona. There are also still some very good teams, comprised of serious Division-I talent still in the state as well. On Wednesday evening, two of the elite programs in the AIA faced off very early in the 2021 AIA season – making for a delightful match-up for the basketball enthusiasts to observe and enjoy. A very talented Sunnyslope team would begin their season on Wednesday on the road – facing an…
Dream City Christian Prep’s star talent, 6-foot-4 junior guard/forward Shaedon Sharpe is a tremendous national talent, and is recognized among the top 20 national prospects in America’s 2022 Class. Formerly known as the #2 overall prospect from Canada, Sharpe recently transferred to Dream City Christian, where he is now having a big junior season, and has reeled in numerous elite high-major Division-I offers as of late. Sharpe came to Dream City Christian via Sunrise Christian High School in Kansas – one of the top (5) high school basketball programs in America. After desiring a better opportunity for himself, Sharpe decided to move…
With the official start to the AIA High School Basketball season now officially underway, as high school programs across the state kicked off the season Tuesday evening, a very talented Perry High School program began their season with an exciting match-up with regional rival Hamilton High School, on the road. In what would normally be a highly anticipated contest for fans and media, instead, the environment was very stale as a result of the current COVID-19 pandemic. With the large gymnasium at beautiful Hamilton High School void of any spectators, and rather just a handful of parents and media, it…
Northern Arizona is an area of the state that has almost gone unnoticed by scouts and college coaches, but the there are numerous top performers in the region that deserve major attention. One of these elite prospects and the top overall prospect in the area, according to our Northern Arizona Arizona Preps’ contacts, is 6-foot-4 sharp-shooting junior guard Jason Parent. Parent is a very skilled and fundamentally sound offensive weapon that has torched his competition over the years, and is more than worthy of some serious recruiting attention. Parent has been a steady performer throughout his short high school career,…
Hillcrest Prep has been widely known nationally for producing some of the best basketball talent in America annually. As the catalyst for creating the amazing prep school movement and revolution in Arizona, the program continues to reach new heights annually. After making major national noise last season with the mid-season addition of Makur Maker (Howard University), the program landed a brand partnership with rap superstar Meek Mill before this season, and now has added some serious talent to this year’s team, as the program prepares themselves for another national championship run. With superstar senior forward Mike Foster absolutely killing his…
With the start to the 2021 AIA high school basketball season now scheduled to kick off this week (Tuesday, 1/19) all over the state, Arizona Preps attended Scottsdale Saguaro High School’s Media Day at their program this weekend for their boy’s and girl’s basketball program. The day was filled with excitement for both basketball programs, and was an absolutely joy to watch as each of their players geared up for the highly anticipated AIA high school season. Arizona Preps caught up with new, first-year Head Coach Lucas Ramirez regarding the purpose for this weekend’s event, which was very much needed…