The Pima Community College basketball program, behind the excellent leadership of Head Coach Brian Peabody, continues to bring in top-rated talent annually, and now has brought in the services of one of the better Division-I transfers in the country. This weekend, the Pima basketball program announced the addition of Central Michigan transfer, 6-foot-4 freshman guard Max Majerle to next year's roster - a tremendous signing by Peabody and his staff, and an excellent addition to the Arizona Community College Athletic Conference (ACCAC).
The ACCAC was once regarded as one of the top junior college conferences in the country for basketball, but the league has seen it's struggles over the years in attracting top-rated talent to the league. The ACCAC and each of the program's in the conference are now working hard to attract better talent, and also promote their annual talent to college programs around the country. There is becoming a new focus on improving the league and raising the exposure of the players in the ACCAC.
The Pima College basketball program and coaching staff, behind the leadership of Brian Peabody, and his hard-working and experienced staff, have done an excellent job of attracting some of the state's top talent to play for the Aztecs. After recently landing such high-profile in-state talent as Cohenj Gonzales (ACCAC D-II Freshman of the Year) and also Dillan Baker (NAU signee), as well as many other top-rated prospects, now the Pima program has landed Max Majerle, a high-profile Division-I transfer from Central Michigan, and the son of NBA legend Dan Majerle. This addition of Majerle for the Aztecs looms big for the Pima roster next season, and also is a serious addition for the ACCAC. The signing of Majerle, who was a 2021 graduate of Arcadia High School, continues to prove the level of program that Peabody and his staff continue to build in Tucson, Arizona.
The addition of Majerle to the Pima College roster comes after Pima won this year's D-II ACCAC Conference Championship - a tremendous addition to a team that will return a lot next season, Pima will return next season with stud guard Cohenj Gonzales, strong and physical 6-foot-8 freshman Gabe Oldham, talented 6-foot-8 freshman Wes Ball, 6-foot freshman guard Kota Benson and 6-foot-4 freshman Cooper Jones, to go with other talented prospects that red-shirted last season. Pima will be very strong again next season, and Majerle will fit in quite nicely with the Aztec's high-scoring offensive style.
Majerle will look to improve his college recruitment in the process, and he should have no problem doing so, as he comes to the Pima program as an older prospect now with loads of experience. After spending a post-graduate year with highly-acclaimed Brewster Academy in Wolfeboro, N.H., after graduating from Arcadia HS, Majerle signed with Central Michigan, where he played last season as a freshman - playing in 30 games with 17 starts. Majerle averaged 4 points and 2.7 rebounds per/game this past season, and will now have one year of eligibility for Pima CC.
Majerle is a bigger shooting guard prospect with a pure left-handed shooting stroke with unlimited range on his shot. He is fundamentally sound offensively, and can score at all (3) levels with a strong physical frame that allows him to compete hard and play very physical. He can stretch the floor and also has a good mid-range game as well that allows him to score effectively in the half-court set. He can post up smaller guards and score nicely around the paint, as needed, while also showing very good versatility as a ball handler and playmaker for his teammates. A strong finisher around the basket and in the open floor. A good overall athlete and a true competitor on both ends of the floor. Majerle is also a strong rebounder from the guard position, and pushes the ball up the floor with the pass. Majerle is an underrated prospect coming out of high school that continue to soar, and should have a big sophomore season in the ACCAC.
I look for Majerle to become one of the elite prospects in the ACCAC next season, and look for his college recruitment to pick up immediately, now that he has signed with a junior college program, and will play for Brian Peabody and his staff. I look forward to watching Majerle next season in a Pima uniform and also compete in the ACCAC - proving that our conference is again on the rise.