On October 26th ArizonaVarsity attended Anthony Ray's 15th Annual AZ Preps Showcase at the JCC in Scottsdale (Ariz.). This was the last showcase of the year before the start of the HS season. It was a very exciting day of hoops along with top rated Arizona prospect Zylan Cheatham announcing his college decision to San Diego State. Here were the top performers from the event in the 2014 class.
Players with Division-1 potential 6-foot-8 SF Zylan Cheatham attends South Mountain. Cheatham was a terror all day in the open court on defense and offense. Anytime he saw a crease to the lane, he would blow by his man and finish with a lay-up or a high-flying dunk. He was also terrific coming over from the weak side and blocking or challenging any opponent trying to finish off a lay-up and collecting steals. He has very good court vision and is one of the better rebounders for his position in the state. He will need to keep working on his jump shot and when the game slows down in the half court, he will need to cut down on his turnovers and make better decisions with the ball in his hands. Cheatham is a top-shelf athlete with potential to be a top-25 player in the country.
6-foot-9 PF Payton Dastrup attends Mountain View. Dastrup looked leaner and quicker since club season finished. He got up and down the court well and at times beat his defenders up the court with some thunderous dunks. He hit some deep shots during the game and made some hook shots, tip-ins and offensive rebound put-backs. He also had some solid fake-and-go buckets, as he put the ball on the ground to drive by his man comfortably. Dastrup is a top-100 recruit and he has narrowed down his list to Ohio State, BYU and Florida.
6-foot-8 PF Andre Adams attends Westview. Adams looks special at times turning shots away in the paint or helping out his teammates and being the enforcer. He also can step out and hit a 15-foot jumper, but he disappears far too often. At times he isn't aggressive and needs some fire under him to get going. He needs to ramp up his motor to further his game. He is obviously talented and does well inside with dunks, put-backs and lefty hooks, but you leave feeling he can do more with his size and skills.
6-foot-4 SG Kodi Justice attends Dobson. Justice came for just the All-Star game, but he didn't disappoint. He hit deep 3-point shots from all over the court. He missed some shots too, but coming in cold off the street while all the rest of the players had already played I thought was impressive. He also had some nice assists to his teammates on the run and just has an off-the-charts IQ to make players around him better. Justice is an ASU commit.
6-foot-5 F Pablo Rivas attends Cesar Chavez. Rivas played well today bringing much energy and had many explosive plays defensively and catching some lob-dunks. The thing that really impressed me today was his shooting. He normally isn't known to be a knockdown shooter, but he hit many 3-balls during the 2 games he played, including in the All-Star game. Rivas actually took home the MVP trophy with his outstanding all-around play in the game. Strong on the glass ad scoring, but he still needs to improve his ball handling long term. He has offers from Denver, Boise State and Portland State.
6-foot-7 F Spencer Nicolds attends Gilbert. Nicolds was a menace all day on the glass and in the open court. He easily had over 10 tip-in dunks with terrific timing in the three gaes of play. He also scored on many mid-range jumpers and drove by his man at times with his long strides for a bucket. He can run the floor like a guard and has a solid handle. He isn't your typical back-to-the-basket type of player, but has many talents to help out a team on the next level. The more range he gets and tighter the handle he will improve his game. Colgate, Columbia and University of Texas at San Antonio are highly interested in Nicolds.
6-foot-2 PG Hunter Thomas attends Desert Ridge. Thomas has all the tools you may want for the next level. He has shifty handles to go by his man, a nice long-range jumper, a long wingspan and can facilitate as well. All that being said, he has to cut down on his turnovers. Every three sensational plays come with one bad turnover. He can have a triple-double with points, assists and turnovers. Not the stat you want to have for a point guard. No one will question his skills, but his mentality has to improve. He is trying to make too many perfect plays, then just the simple play. The talented guard is garnering interest from some Division-1 schools.
6-foot-9 PF Luke Smith attends Mountain Ridge. Smith has really come on the scene recently and impressed many. He has an easy stroke out to 20-feet and shows terrific footwork down low in the paint. He really has a nice jump hook in the middle to score efficiently and can drop step and fade-away. He doesn't like true physical contact yet and he is very thin. He sometimes looks like the game is going too fast for him but when he has the ball he feels comfortable. He looks like a thinner version of Michael Humphrey offensively with the beautiful touch, but doesn't have his defensive awareness, which makes Humphrey special. He is attracting some Division-1 interest with Air Force on him the most.
Players with Division-2 potential 6-foot-6 F Chris Davis attends Mountain Pointe. Davis had a little more bounce in his step this weekend. He looks more athletic then he has been showing and is still not at 100%. He has small forward skills with a power forward body. He can handle the ball in traffic and drive by his man and finish through contact with his thick body. He can shoot from 15-feet and in and can rebound well down low. He has to continue working hard getting back in shape and getting his stamina back up.
6-foot-6 F Jorge Cano attends Maryvale. Cano is an athletic forward with good timing on the defensive end to block shots. He rebounds well in his area and can hit some 15-foot shots. He has some bounce to throw it down as he slashes to the hole with his decent handle. He needs to get more consistent, but some nice potential to play at the next level.
6-foot-1 CG Marco Morales attends Chandler. Morales arguably has the quickest release in the state. He has easy range from about 25-feet and in. He led the state in 3-point shots made and he looked the part today hitting many from long range. He does have to get stronger to defend, but shows fight to improve. He has a solid handle and vision to facilitate, but is mainly looking to score. Morales has interest from Webster University, Minnesota-Deluth and Arizona Christian University.
6-foot-3 PG Deron Kyle attends Deer Valley. Kyle is one of the more improved guards in the state. It doesn't hurt that he had a recent growth spurt of a few inches. He has long arms and a good feel to the game. He has an improved 3-point shot and has some bounce to throw down. The more of a true facilitator he becomes, the better off he will be long term.
6-foot-4 SG Isaiah Bellamy attends Westview. Bellamy is a physical wing player that is more of a defensive player by nature, but was scoring more then usual today. He was being aggressive shooting from distance and taking the ball to the basket. In club season, he didn't attempt many shots, but just guarded the opponent's best player and usually contained whomever he was guarding.