The Copper State is surging with basketball talent over the last few years. There has been a big rise in national powerhouse prep programs, such as Hillcrest Prep, AZ Compass Preps, Dream City Christian, Bella Vista Prep and PHHoenix Prep. We can’t forget how big the sport is in Northern Arizona. 3A & 2A Schools build enormous gyms to accommodate huge crowds. (21) years ago, the state championship between Tuba City and Alchesay High School drew 16,010 in attendance. Rezball is short for “Reservation Basketball,” which is played at an uptempo pace. Most teams will press and trap the entire…
Author: George Courtney
Arizona is a hot-bed for basketball talent. We all have seen the numerous talented prospects on the boys’ end. However, there is just as much, if not more talent on the girls’ side. One of the most exciting prospects I have been able to observe is Casteel High School’s 5-foot-10 senior guard/forward Daeja Johnson. She is a big-time prospect with (11) offers from numerous D-2-NAIA schools. I think those colleges would make out like bandits if they were able to sign her, since I truly feel she is a Low to Mid-Major D-1 prospect. She is one of the go-to…
Pueblo High School’s 6-foot-11 junior post Zach Morgan is a huge find in Tucson. This young man has a high ceiling, and has been developing quite well. Morgan has been putting up monster numbers thus far, while averaging 11.8 points, 4 assists, 12.3 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per/game. I was able to see him play most of the summer, as well as recently against a solid Salpointe Catholic team. He has bulked up since the summer and plays with more confidence. He has a nice scoring ability from inside with a smooth jumper to hit the occasional perimeter or mid-range…
We continue our Coaches Spotlight Series with Coach Daniel Trageser of Casteel High School. His Lady Colts are ranked #1 in 5A, and have a record of 9-0. I was able to observe his team dismantle Horizon on February 13th. Coach Trageser runs an impressive defensive system, which looks to press and trap all 94-feet. His team creates havoc by disrupting their opponents’ offensive rhythm by putting pressure on their guards, trapping ball-handlers, and forcing bad passes and miscues, which translates to high percentage offensive opportunities. Here is our dialogue from our Q&A after the game . . . Q:…
As promised, Arizona Preps continues to deliver our Coaches Spotlight promoting some of Arizona’s best high school coaches in the state. I had the pleasure of speaking to Coach David Silvas, a long-time fixture in the Town of Florence. Coach Silvas is in his 17th year of coaching and 8th as the Head Boys Basketball Coach of the Florence Gophers. Coach Silvas has an impressive track record, as his teams have qualified for the 3A State Tournament (6) of his (7) years, and is looking to make it (7) of (8), including this season. He has won Region Coach of…
I had the pleasure of attending the Moon Valley-Bradshaw Mountain girl’s basketball game about two weeks ago. I have never seen both teams play, but I was very pleased I attended the game. I discovered an elite guard prospect from Moon Valley High School in 5-foot-6 senior guard Yvette Ruiz. Ruiz displayed an elite ability to control the flow of the game on offense. She has an elite ball-handling ability and vision. Her greatest attributes are her ability to defend all (5) positions, and putting herself or her teammates in the best situation to score on offense. She can score…
The Arizona Interscholastic Association (AIA) had a late start to the season, thus the condensing of schedules. One of the benefits of a condensed season is more Saturday games. In looking at which game to cover on a Saturday, Casteel’s game looked intriguing, since coming into the game they are the #1 ranked team in 5A, with an 8-0 record. Besides that, the Lady Colts of Casteel have (8) student-athletes with interests and offers from D1-NAIA/JUCO college programs. Coach Dan Trageser has done a phenomenal job in his 3rd year as the Head Coach of the Lady Colts. One of…
One of the state’s oldest rivalries took place in Central Arizona between the Florence Gophers and the Coolidge Bears. Friday evening, Florence hung on to squeak past Coolidge, 55-50 in overtime. It seemed like the Gophers played with a lot of energy, as they were led by their senior backcourt in Eddie Chapple and Malik Payton. Junior guard Chris Famer, also made a strong contribution – complimenting Payton and Chapple’s strong performance. Midway through the 2nd half, Florence led by as much as 10 points. In the 4th Quarter, Coolidge surged back, by cutting the lead down to 4 and…
Dobson has been an historically strong program. Coach Henry Bribiescas is a guru for developing nice guard prospects. This year his team is led by 5-foot-7 senior guard Rachel Early. Currently, the Lady Mustangs are 6-1 and competing for the top spot in the 6A East Valley Region. The East Valley is a tough region with the likes of talented programs, such as the Mesa Lady Jackrabbits and the Westwood Lady Warriors. Despite the gauntlet of a schedule thus far, Rachel Early has been averaging 13.1 points, 2.4 assists, 2.9 rebounds and 2.4 steals per/game. I had the delight of…
The defending 4A State Champion Salpointe Catholic Lancers looked like they graduated most of their team from last season. There has been a lot of questions regarding if the Lancers will be in a rebuilding year. The Lancers have silenced the critics with a hot 6-0 start, with key wins over Nogales, American Leadership-Queen Creek, Tucson Magnet and Pueblo High School. One of the under-the-radar keys contributing to their hot start is 6-foot-9 senior post Myles Hersha. His stats don’t jump out, as he is averaging 6 points, 3.2 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.8 blocks per/game. It seems clearly that…