As each round progresses, it seems like the stakes get higher and the competition gets tougher. Every team left has been playing at a high level. It is exciting to see which teams fight their way into the championship game. Here is a look at the Final Four Breakdown for 4A . . . 4A Final Four Preview #4 Mesquite at #1 Seton Catholic This is a 4A Desert Sky Region rivalry. Mesquite and Seton Catholic are two of the top teams in 4A from the past decade. Both schools have produced multiple college prospects, as well as a winning…
Author: George Courtney
Despite the pandemic, the AIA winter season was a blast to cover. For the first time, the AIA playoffs are taking place during the month of March. There is a lot of good basketball being played with a lot of parity. I was lucky enough to catch up with Coach Erin O’Bryan, the Ladies Varsity Head Coach at Desert Ridge High School. Coach O’Bryan seems to be running a pretty disciplined program. I was very impressed with her X’s and O’s, as she looked to direct her team to control the tempo and pick apart the defense with her ½…
The Mesa Unified School District is loaded with solid basketball programs in Dobson, Mesa and Westwood High. Since I was lucky enough to interview Coach Fonseca of Mesa and Coach Bribiescas of Dobson. It was only fitting I try to get a sit down with Coach Ron Campton of Westwood High. Coach Campton has done a phenomenal job with his program. His guard play is one of the top back-courts in the state. The result was the Lady Warriors finished the regular season with an impressive 15-3 record. Here is the Q&A from our sit down: Q: How long have…
The AIA State Playoffs taking place in March equals more icing on the MARCH MADNESS CAKE. The boys and girls brackets have been very exciting to watch and observe. Over the last two days there were a few games that shook up my boy’s bracket predictions. Here is a closer look . . . 6A My projected Final Four included Brophy-Sunnyslope and Mesa-Perry match-ups. There was one huge upset in the 6A Boys Bracket. The big shakeup came when #15 seeded Mesa-Mountain View Toros knocked off the #2 seed Mesa Jackrabbits. The Toros edged the Jackrabbits 56-48. Legendary Boys High…
It has been reported that the #1 seeded Casteel Lady Colts have forfeited their opening round playoff victory against #16 seed Paradise Valley. There was a violation reported via an anonymous email to the AIA and Casteel’s administration on Coach Dan Trageser’s off-season position – coordinating travel and practice facilities for a club basketball program. Here are my thoughts: Coach Trageser did not have direct contact with any of his transfers. The AIA should have had a hearing to give Coach Trageser a chance to defend his team’s case. The end result was no winners. The decision for Casteel to…
There are two teams who are projected to push their way into the 4A State Championship, which is Seton Catholic and Sahuaro. Despite the two favorites, there will still be some good games being played in the 4A Quarterfinals. Here is a breakdown of each match-up . . . The top of the bracket features #1 seeded Seton Catholic hosting #9 seed Coconino. The Lady Sentinels sport one of the deepest rosters in the state. They are led by Player of the Year candidate Amanda Barcello (BYU Commit). Barcello has impressive size and the skillset to play all five positions…
There were little to no surprises for the 1st round of the 6A state playoffs. The only upset was #10 seed Rincon beating #7 seed Highland, 40 to 33. The Lady Rangers have been flying under the radar in this unique pandemic season. They finished with an 11-3 record, mainly playing Southern Arizona Schools, and with their only (2) out of the area games in Pinnacle and Maricopa (which they lost to Pinnacle and beat Maricopa). With the win, Rincon will now face #2 seeded Valley Vista. I don’t think the Lady Rangers will be able to weather the storm…
It is a real treat for the state of Arizona to have high school playoffs in the month of March. The Canyon Athletic Association (CAA) and The Grind Session concluded their seasons last week. This week starts the last of High School Playoffs for the Grand Canyon State. Here is a look at the breakdowns of the big school tournament brackets. 6A: The Favorite: Valley Vista – Coach Rachel Matakas has done a phenomenal job in building a dominant program with her Lady Monsoon. Although they are missing key player Jennah Isai, the Lady Monsoon are getting key contributions from…
This was a fun game to cover, since the last time I was at Westwood High was back when Jahii Carson was a senior at Mesa, and I travelled to play Westwood. Coach Ron Campton has done a great job with his Lady Warriors over the last few years. The Lady Warriors are a very scrappy team, despite being undersized and they defend well. Coach Erin O’Bryan has some pieces to work with, as her team has nice size and length. In the first half, it looked that Westwood had the superior guard play against Desert Ridge. It was looking…
When I started my career in basketball here in Arizona, I have always been a huge fan of Reservation Basketball. I love the intensity and pace that Native American athletes play at. I love their ability to shoot the ball as well. This year we plan to cover more of the Native American Circuit Events to discover Arizona’s best hidden-gem prospects. Salpointe Catholic historically has had talented players. This year, 6-foot senior guard Brady Ramon has been making some noise. Ramon has been averaging 17.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 2 steals per/game. Ramon has a high basketball IQ…