Valley Vista High School (8-3) is as good as any girls team in the state this season, and is absolutely deep and loaded with talent. While the team has suffered three losses this season to three of the top girls basketball programs in the state, Seton Catholic, Dobson and Mesa Mountain View, the girls are back playing strong – winners of their last four games on the season. On Friday evening, the team would travel to take on a good Horizon HS (7-3) team on the road. While it seemed like a great match-up between two very good teams, Valley…
Author: Anthony Ray
Sunnyslope High School’s gifted and impressive 6-foot-3 senior combo-guard prospect Sammy Barnes-Thompkins is already have a tremendous senior season for the Vikings. He would absolutely explode though on Tuesday evening in his team’s narrow, double-overtime loss to a very athletic Cesar Chavez team. In the 81-78 double-overtime loss, Barnes-Thompkins would sit out the game’s first half, but then would score, what must be a state scoring record of 40 points, in the game’s second half. barnes-Thompkins would sit out the first half due to team rules (missing practice), but would come out on absolute fire in the game’s second half. …
Scottsdale, AZ – Ranked as the #3 basketball team in the latest MaxPreps Xcellent 25, Findlay Prep (NV) returns to Arizona to challenge two of the top teams in the desert – Hillcrest Academy and Shadow Mountain High School. In last year’s event, Findlay Prep defeated three-time defending state champions Corona Del Sol, and state-runner up Pinnacle on their way to a 31-5 record and an appearance in the Dick’s Sporting Goods High School National Tournament in New York City. The 2014-15 squad is led by 6’4″ senior and University of Arizona commit Alonzo Trier. Ranked by ESPN as the #3 Shooting…
While Basha High School (6-2) and Marcos De Niza (0-3) would face each other on Tuesday evening, in a very lackluster performance which would get more exciting late in the game, there was more excitement in the stands as two college programs were in the building to catch the game. With University of Oregon assistant coach Mike Mennenga and Rice University assistant coach Scott Pera in the building, it made for a much more exciting match-up. Oregon was in attendance solely to watch Basha High School’s gifted 6-foot-11 junior post prospect Devin Kirby, while Pera was in attendance to observe both Kirby and…
The 2014-2015 junior college basketball season in the Arizona Community College Athletic Conference (ACCAC) is now in full swing. Here are this week’s Players of the Week in men’s basketball in the conference . . . ACCAC Division-II Player of the Week: Brandon Brown – Phoenix College Brandon Brown led Phoenix College to (2) wins against Division-I opponents last week, as the Bears beat Mesa Community College and Central Arizona – two big wins. Brown averaged 22.5 points, 4.5 assists and 3 steals per game, while shooting 89% from the free throw line. The Bears are now 8-2 on the season.…
Dobson High Schoool’s 6-foot-5, 180-pound senior forward Mike Mellinger is coming off a good spring and summer for himself on the club circuit, and is now looking to carry over his strong play to the high school season. In hopes of leading his Dobson Mustangs to the state playoffs, Mellinger will look to expand his game this season to help his team, and also expand his college recruitment. This spring and summer, Mellinger traveled and competed with a well-coached Arizona Aces club program coached by former college coach and high school varsity head coach Aaron Windler. Windler’s Aces team would…
Arizona’s 2017 class of prospects is shaping up nicely to be a strong class in the state, as many young prospects in the class have already emerged among the top prospects at their respective positions in the state. One of the elite point guard prospects in the class has now recently emerged as one of the top overall guard prospects in the state. Apollo High School’s 5-foot-11, 155-pound sophomore guard Holland Woods Jr. is the real deal and is one young guard prospect to be wreckoned with in the state. Woods (pictured left) has worked hard on his craft as…
One of the better prospects in Arizona’s 2015 class is not well known yet by college coaches, but is making his case quickly with opposing high school teams. While currently soaring under the recruiting radar, Moon Valley High School’s talented 6-foot-3 senior guard prospect DJ Lujan has emerged as one of the better guard prospects in Arizona’s 2015 class. Lujan is a nice athletic talent that has a very good ability to score the basketball off the ribble on slashing drives to the basket, or from the perimeter where he has a sweet left-handed shooting stroke with nice range. He is able to…
The top unsigned prospect from Arizona’s loaded 2014 class was Westview High School’s 6-foot-9 gruadated post prospect Andre Adams. Considered as the top available unsigned post prospect in the country by some national scouting services and media outlets across the country, Adams made his decision to attend an elite-level prep school in Florida – electing to attend a post-graduate year at IMG Academy in Florida. IMG Academy is widely known nationally for developing some of the nation’s elite level high school prospects, as the program has very impressive facilities and resources for their athletes. The facilities at IMG Academy are unreal and superior to most division-I college programs across the country. Adams (pictured…
After a dismal beginning to the season, Arcadia High School (2-3) looked to get things rolling on the season in a big home game against long-time rival Tempe High School (1-1). Arcadia had struggled to begin this season, while Tempe was coming off a big win over a talented Gilbert Christian HS program. With Tempe sporting a very talented and athletic group of guards, Arcadia would need an epic performance on the night to get back on the winning track. And Arcadia would get one from skilled 6-foot-5 senior wing Connor Nichols. Nichols would explode for a game-high 37 points…