The Moon Valley Rockets (0-1) this high school season will be looking to get back to being considered one of the top overall teams in the state's 4A Division this season, and two major reasons for the high hopes this season for the Rockets rest solely on the shoulders of two gifted junior prospects. 6-foot-2 junior point guard Trent Hudgens (pictured) and 6-foot-3 junior guard Ty Harper will have the Rockets among the most exciting teams to watch this high school season.
Hudgens and Harper will be worth the price of admission every night out, as these two young men are electric on both ends of the floor and play with excellent energy. If the ball finds energy on the court, as many top basketball minds believe, then the ball will find these two young men quite often, since both players play each night like it is their last game.
On Monday evening, their first game of the season, the Rockets would fall short to a talented and tough Peoria team that looks to have one of their best teams in several years. While falling at the hands of Peoria HS, 77-66, in the first round of this year's Hoopsgiving Basketball Tournament, Hudgens and Harper would keep their team within striking distance for much of the game, before the team would eventually run out of gas.
Hudgens would pour in better than 30+ points in his team's loss, as he would do everything he could offensively in the loss to keep his team in the game - scoring from every angle of the floor, and from all (3) levels. Hudgens is a nice guard prospect with a slick handle of the basketball and an ability to make plays for himself and others almost at will. He plays with a high level of confidence and is as fundamentally sound a guard prospect as you will find. Hudgens is one of the state's best sleeper prospects in a loaded 2020 Class in the state.
Harper recently moved to the state of Arizona via the state of Georgia, after also considering each of the top prep programs in the state. Harper is an ultra-athletic guard prospect with NBA athleticism already. He has better than a 40 inch vertical and soars well above the rim. He finishes exceptionally well and is terrific in the open floor or while slashing to the basket, where he has excellent body control and a super live body. Harper does need some work on his jump shot consistency and shot selection, but he plays with such a high-level of energy you live with it. Currently he is a solid mid-range shooter but lacks consistency from longer ranges. He possesses excellent work ethic though, which will allow him to improve quickly. He also is a sponge for development, which should benefit him nicely over time.
Together, these two prospects are a handful and will be a tough match-up for any 4A team this season that is not Shadow Mountain. While these two Rockets will need to get serious support from their supporting cast of teammates to reach their potential as a team this season, Hudgens and Harper will be very fun to watch all season and are two of the state's best sleeper prospects in the 2020 Class.
