When head coach Eli Lopez took over at Mountain Ridge High School almost three years ago, the talent pool at the program was very limited in scope. Since taking the helm, Lopez and his staff have worked hard to develop their players – creating a basketball culture within the program that has improved a great deal and now promotes winning and competing at a high level. As a result of the advanced teaching by Lopez and his staff, players at the program have developed quickly. No player in the program has developed more than rapidly developing 6-foot-9 senior post Luke Smith. After two years of teaching…
Author: Anthony Ray
Westwind Prep Academy has seen their share of struggles recently with the recent academic ruling by the NCAA, but things are now looking up in a big way – and I mean big. With the introduction of a new Director of Basketball Operations, Jai Steadman, a former professional basketball coach, and Nick Weaver as the school’s head coach for the high school program, Westwind has made some significant changes to their program. There are also some other big advancements to the school’s program that we will talk about in the near future. This season, in an attempt to move forward and to continue…
One of the elite girl’s prospects in Arizona’s 2014 class has already had a very nice high school career, and will look to finish it off with a big senior season for herself. Before the start to the 2013-2014 high school basketball season, there was some unfinished business by Tempe Prep High School’s 6-foot-1 senior guard/forward Camille Zimmerman. While being sought after by numerous division-I programs across the country, Zimmerman has made her college decision. This week Zimmerman decided to bypass the heavy interest from many high-major division-I programs for an opportunity to play at a program from the Ivy League – giving…
The Area Codes Super 80 Phoenix took place last Friday evening on the campus of Arizona Christian University and included some of the top prospects in the state from each class. Here are my top performers on the night from the final game on the evening, the Best of the Best Game. The game included members of the 2014, 2015 and 2016 classes. This game included many of the top-rated prospects in the state, and also included several prospects from outside the state of Arizona. This game was led by the overall performance of South Mountain High School’s 6-foot-8 senior guard/forward Zylan Cheatham. While nearing a…
The Area Codes Super 80 Phoenix took place last Friday evening on the campus of Arizona Christian University and included some of the top prospects in the state from each class. Organized by tournament organizer and local basketball scout Chad Groth (Area Codes), this event is one of my favorite events to attend each year, as it gives me a chance to see some of the top basketball talent in the state in one venue. The atmosphere is always exciting, as the event takes place the night before the annual ACCAC Junior College Jamboree and, as a result, is attended by many smaller college programs…
The Area Codes Super 80 Phoenix took place on Friday evening on the campus of Arizona Christian University and included some of the top prospects in the state from each class. Organized by tournament organizer and local basketball scout Chad Groth (Area Codes), this event is one of my favorite events to attend each year, as it gives me a chance to see some of the top basketball talent in the state in one venue. The atmosphere is always exciting, as the event takes place the night before the annual ACCAC Junior College Jamboree and, as a result, is attended by many smaller college…
I spent the day at Glendale Junior College on Saturday, and I mean the entire day watching this year’s annual ACCAC Junior College Jamboree. My favorite event of the year, as I get a chance to watch each of the teams in the conference before the season begins – in a pre-season format. While there are never any guarantees that the players I watch on the day will necessarily be all of the top prospects to watch for during the season, this event is always very exciting and gives a very good glimpse into who to watch for the up-and-coming…
I spent the day at Glendale Junior College on Saturday, and I mean the entire day watching this year’s annual ACCAC Junior College Jamboree. My favorite event of the year, as I get a chance to watch each of the teams in the conference before the season begins – in a pre-season format. While there are never any guarantees that the players I watch on the day will necessarily be all of the top prospects to watch for during the season, this event is always very exciting and gives a very good glimpse into who to watch for the up-and-coming…
I caught up with South Mountain High School’s gifted 6-foot-8 senior forward prospect Zylan Cheatham last night while participating in the Super 80 Showcase event, and we spent some time together discussing his college recruitment and plans for the future. Cheatham advised me that he is currently down to three schools in his college recruitment, as the talented wing prospect will now decide between Washington, San Diego State and New Mexico. Cheatham has already taken official visits to both Washington and San Diego State, and will plan to take his final official visit to New Mexico later this month on October 18th. Cheatham…
The recruiting process for Sunnyslope High School’s talented 6-foot-10 senior post Michael Humphrey has been a very secretive one as the senior prospect has kept his recruiting decisions very close to his vest. While Humphrey received the recruiting assistance of several key contributors during the recruiting process, which helped significantly in his promotion to college programs across the country, he has decided to rely only on his own intuition and family to reach a college decision. On Thursday evening, after taking 3 of his 5 planned official recruiting visits, Humphrey decided to narrow his list of college programs down to two schools – without…