Now that the 2015-2016 high school basketball season has come to an end, it is now time for our staff to make our selections for our Players of the Year, Coaches of the Year and All-State Teams. Here are our staff’s selections for our 2016 Arizona Preps All-State Teams, led by our 2016 Arizona Preps Big School Player of the Year, Shadow Mountain High School’s 6-foot-2 senior point guard Michael Bibby Jr. and our 2016 Arizona Preps Small School Player of the Year, Tri-City Christian Academy 6-foot-7 senior forward Brock Gardner. Arizona Preps First Team All-State Selections Alex Barcello 6-1…
Author: Anthony Ray
Now that the 2015-2016 high school basketball season has come to an end, it is now time for our staff to make our selections for our Players of the Year, Coaches of the Year and All-State Teams. Our 2016 Arizona Preps Big School Player of the Year is Shadow Mountain High School’s 6-foot-2 senior point guard Michael Bibby Jr. After missing much of his junior season to injuries, Bibby came back in his senior season to lead his program to another Division-II state title – the second of his high school career. Led by the leadership of his father throughout…
Now that the 2015-2016 high school basketball season has come to an end, it is now time for our staff to make our selections for our Players of the Year, Coaches of the Year and All-State Teams. Our 2016 Arizona Preps Small School Player of the Year is none other than Tri-City Christian Academy 6-foot-7, 200-pound senior forward Brock Gardner (Liberty University signee). After a terrific senior season and an illustrious high school career, Gardner saved his best for last this year – leading his team to a big 20-1 overall record this season and a runner-up CAA state title…
Now that the 2015-2016 high school basketball season has come to an end, it is now time for our staff to make our selections for our Players of the Year, Coaches of the Year and All-State Teams. Our 2016 Arizona Preps Big School Coach of the Year was very difficult to select this season, as there were numerous top-rated coaching performances. But in the end, no other head coach stood out more among big schools this high school season than Sunnyslope High School’s long-time, hard-working and disciplined head coach Ray Portela. Portela has done an excellent job of leading the…
Now that the 2015-2016 high school basketball season has come to an end, it is now time for our staff to make our selections for our Players of the Year, Coaches of the Year and All-State Teams. Our 2016 Arizona Preps Small School Coach of the Year is Casa Grande High School head coach Gino Crump. Crump is well-deserving of this honor, although it was his first season as a head coach in the Arizona Interscholastic Association (AIA) – an amazing accomplishment. After taking over a struggling Casa Grande basketball program during the spring of 2015, Crump worked tirelessly to…
The Hillcrest Prep National Team is currently 21-4 and headed for the National Tournament this weekend, after winning another major tournament this past weekend. Hillcrest Prep heads to the national prep tournament as the #2 overall seed in the event – a tremendous accomplishment for an Arizona-based prep program. No other Arizona team has ever accomplished such an honor. To achieve such an honor nationally, Hillcrest defeated three different programs this season that were ranked in the USA Today Top 15 this season. Hillcrest is led by the nation’s top 2017 basketball prospect and future NBA Lottery pick, 7-foot-1 junior…
Who would have thought that a year ago we would no longer be talking about former Corona Del Sol superstar basketball prospect Marvin Bagley Jr. in Arizona, but instead, another superstar – Hillcrest Academy 7-foot-1 junior post DeAndre Ayton. A year ago, it was thought that Bagley, who was building his national reputation on the club circuit, would return to Corona Del Sol and lead the Aztecs to a fifth consecutive Division-I state championship. Now a year later, Bagley, the top overall prospect in America’s 2018 class, and his family have moved to the state of California. Instead, now Arizona…
With the recent end to the 2015-2016 high school basketball season, Arizona’s 2017 class of prospects is now preparing to take center stage on the spring and summer AAU/club circuit. One prospect in the class that now has seen his recruiting stock increase a great deal amongst our Arizona Preps’ basketball staff is Student Choice Prep Academy 6-foot junior combo-guard prospect Elijah Mead. Mead is a lesser known prospect in the 2017 class – a player that most basketball enthusiasts in the state still have not seen since he does not play for an AIA high school program. Mead and…
Legendary Arizona basketball product Mike Bibby is as big as it gets for basketball in the state of Arizona. After gracing the Arizona basketball hardwood as a player in his younger years, then winning a national championship for the University of Arizona as a college superstar, Bibby returned to the state of Arizona, after a long and terrific NBA professional career, to lead his former high school program back to dominance and two Division-II state championships. It is a rare find in today’s world of professional basketball where star athletes today move on to the big stage and often forget…
The Area Codes Spring Showcase took place recently at Mesa High School with more than 60 different prospects in participation – each looking to gain exposure to college coaches, scouts and media in attendance. Organized by tournament director Chad Groth, the Arizona Preps’ staff was in attendance for this year’s event to bring you our top individual performers from this annual event. Here are my top individual performers from this year’s event . . . Top Senior Performers – 2016 Class Myles Thompson 6-0 SR PG American Leadership Academy – 2016 Class Thompson (pictured) is a big-time athletic talent that…