There have been numerous prospects move to the state of Arizona since the end to the high school season last year. While many of these top-rated prospects have been at local prep programs, St. Mary's High School recently received a nice addition of their own when 6-foot-9, 250-pound sophomore post Bear Cherry landed at the Knight's program.
Bear Cherry is the younger brother of current Arizona State sophomore forward Taeshon Cherry, and so the younger Cherry and his family moved to Arizona to be closer to Taeshon, via San Diego, California. The move will be a very good one for Bear Cherry and the St. Mary's Knight's program, which is definitely on the rise in a major way.
Head Coach Damin Lopez has quickly developed the St. Mary's basketball program through a lot of hard work and commitment to returning the program's winning ways. After just two seasons, Lopez has Knights' fans very excited about the immediate future, and Cherry will be a big part of the Knight's future success.
Cherry has already made his presence felt since emerging in the state, as he has played very well in a couple events that I saw him play in. First, in the recent Area Codes Frosh/Soph Camp, Cherry was among the very best overall prospects in the event. He then participated in the Showdown in the Desert event at Phoenix College, and he turned in another strong performance in the 2022 Class All-Star game in the event. Cherry was regarded as one of the top overall performers and prospects in the contest.
Cherry is an excellent addition to the state's 2022 Class, as he is a big, wide-body post player that runs the court hard and finishes strong in the open floor, while also being able to step outside in the half-court set and make shots with range. Cherry is a rare find in the state, as there are not many bigger post players in the state with his combination of sheer size and mobility. As Cherry matures physically, he should become much more athletic and stronger physically, which will suit him nicely as he continues to develop over the next few years. Cherry has very good versatility for his size and he is also a strong rebounder and finisher inside the paint.
St. Mary's this high school season will have strong guard play from talented 6-foot-4 junior guard Keiren Brown and a host of other young guards, so the emergence of Bear Cherry inside the paint for the Knights could be the difference for a team that will look to compete for a 4A State title this season.
I look for Cherry to emerge among the top overall prospects in Arizona's 2022 Class, and become a serious recruiting target for many division-I college programs. He should develop into a high-major division-I prospect, like his older brother, although he is very different as a player. While his older brother is more of a perimeter player and focuses on the perimeter before moving into the painted area, Bear is more of a post player that first starts in the low post, before moving out to the perimeter.
I will continue to follow the progress of Bear Cherry closely as a college prospect, but also this season as he looks to make a name for hismelf in the valley, while lhelping lead the Knights' program back to the top of the 4A Division.
