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…
Author: Anthony Ray
For more than three decades, Arizona Preps has been at the forefront of basketball coverage, scouting and recruiting throughout the state of Arizona. Now, we are preparing to take those conversations to another level. Coming soon, Arizona Preps will launch its new podcast, “In the Paint,” featuring myself, Anthony Ray, alongside Willow Canyon High School Head Coach Joe Colletti. This will not simply be another basketball podcast. “In the Paint” will take listeners inside the game and address the serious topics affecting basketball today – both here in Arizona and throughout the country. We will discuss recruiting, player development, transfers, college basketball, high school basketball, NCAA rules,…
Chandler High School has built one of Arizona’s premier basketball programs, and after finishing with a strong 20-9 overall record last season in the state’s highly competitive 6A Division, the Wolves enter the 2026-27 season looking to reload rather than rebuild. Although Chandler lost a couple of key contributors to transfers during the offseason, the door is now open for 6-foot-6, 200-pound senior Jamir Smith to step into a much larger role and emerge as one of the featured players for this year’s team. Smith has developed consistently throughout his high school career, improving each season, and now appears poised for a tremendous breakout…
Basha High School has developed into one of the elite basketball programs in Arizona over the years, and one of the program’s brightest young prospects is Lleyton Leonard, a 6-foot-4, 180-pound rising junior guard/wing in the 2028 class. Leonard has been an impact performer since entering high school and has already put together two excellent seasons for the Basha Bears. After an impressive freshman campaign, Leonard took another significant step forward as a sophomore, raising his production and establishing himself as one of the elite prospects in Arizona’s loaded 2028 class. As a sophomore, Leonard averaged 14.5 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.3…
Basha High School’s Kingston Montague has established himself as one of the most productive young guards in the country, and after an excellent first two seasons at the high school level, the 6-foot-1 combo guard is deserving of much more attention nationally. Montague has been Basha’s top overall performer and is coming off a tremendous sophomore season in which he was selected as the Arizona 6A Premier Region Player of the Year and earned numerous postseason honors, including First-Team All-Conference recognition. As a sophomore, Montague emerged as one of the top young performers in Arizona and nationally. He averaged 19.1 points, 3.3 assists, 2.9 rebounds…
Javon “Vonny” Bardwell made a huge decision recently when the elite national prospect announced that he had decommitted from the University of Kansas, and decided to reclassify from the 2027 to the 2026 Class – making him eligible to play this college season. Bardwell’s big decision re-opened his college recruitment very late in the recruiting process. Bardwell, a 6-foot-6, 175-pound guard prospect, had been committed to legendary Kansas Head Coach Bill Self and the Jayhawks since last fall, when he became the first and only member of Kansas’ 2027 recruiting class. Now, after careful consideration, Bardwell elected to go in a different direction. In…
The state of Arizona’s 2027 class features numerous talented prospects, and Deer Valley High School senior point guard Micah Andrews is a player that college coaches should be paying very close attention to this season. The 5-foot-11 Andrews is one of the top guard prospects in Arizona, regardless of class, and is also one of the better pure point guard prospects in the state’s 2027 class. He enters his senior season prepared for what I believe will be a breakout year for Head Coach Jed Dunn and the Deer Valley Skyhawks. Andrews played an important role last season for a Deer Valley team that…
The Phoenix College men’s basketball program has made a significant move with the hiring of Jermaine Kimbrough as its new Head Coach, bringing an experienced and highly regarded college basketball coach and recruiter to the Arizona Community College Athletic Conference (ACCAC). Kimbrough takes over the Phoenix College program following the departure of former Head Coach Duane Eason, and will now look to restore the Bears’ basketball program and establish Phoenix College as a consistent contender in the ACCAC. This is a major addition not only for Phoenix College, but also for the conference. Kimbrough has spent numerous years coaching at the NCAA Division-I level…
One of the more recognizable names in Arizona basketball has returned home to take the next major step in his basketball career. Former Corona del Sol High School standout Casey Benson has been named as an assistant coach for the Arizona State University men’s basketball program under new Sun Devils Head Coach Randy Bennett. Arizona State officially announced Benson’s hiring on August 21, adding the Valley native to Bennett’s first coaching staff in Tempe. For Benson, the opportunity represents much more than simply another coaching position. It is a homecoming for one of the most accomplished high school basketball players to come…
One of the biggest recruiting storylines nationally in the 2027 class continues to surround AZ Compass Prep’s 6-foot-8 senior DeMarcus Henry. Henry has established himself as one of the elite prospects in high school basketball and is currently rated as the No. 2 overall prospect in America’s 2027 class by ESPN and 247Sports. Coming off an excellent spring and summer, Henry was also one of the most heavily watched prospects in the country, as college coaches from many of the nation’s premier programs followed him closely throughout the evaluation periods. Henry recently announced that he had narrowed his college recruitment…