Mesa High School is off to a nice 9-1 start to the 2022-2023 high school basketball season. After dropping their very first game of the season to ALA Gilbert North (57-51) in the Mesa Fear The Hop Tournament, the team has reeled off 9-straight victories and is preparing to leave the state to take part in the State Farm Classic next week in Bloomington, Illinois. A major reason this season for the success of the team has been the emergence and development of 6-foot-7, 240-pound senior forward Freddie McCoo. A transfer to Mesa High School as a senior, McCoo has gone from an unknown prospect to a surging force for the Mesa High School program. McCoo is working hard for a better life and future of opportunity.
McCoo attended Mohave High School in Bullhead City, Arizona, his first three years of high school before leaving the area to move to Mesa, Arizona for his final senior season. Living with a family where he had a very humble living situation, McCoo and his family decided to move to Mesa for an opportunity to gain more exposure and have a better chance at being successful in life. Now a senior for a basketball program that has consistently produced college talent over the years, McCoo is working hard for a better future for himself. While McCoo is new to the winning Mesa program, he has provided strong play in the interior for Head Coach Scott Stansberry and an inside presence that Mesa did not have previously. While he is still developing a great deal offensively, McCoo has become a developing force on the boards and a strong finisher for the Jackrabbits.
McCoo is on the rise as a player, as he is still developing his ability to score around the basket and also his footwork and fee for the game. Under Stansberry's leadership, McCoo is learning ways to contribute to this year's team, which primarily include running the floor hard and finishing in transition or in the half-court set. McCoo has a college-ready body and frame, and is a physical force in the paint. While he is still unpolished fundamentally, he is very athletic and finishes high above the rim and through physical contact. McCoo is one of the state's best overall dunkers of the basketball and he enjoys finishing highlight reel-like dunks over defenders. He still needs to polish his low-post footwork and ability to make shots away from the basket, as well as develop his low post moves to be more effective against better low post prospects. There arent many prospects in the state's AIA Division that have McCoo's combination of size, strength and athleticism, but, as he matures and moves on to the collegiate ranks, he will need to develop offensively to become much more effective, and to maximize his potential as a player and college prospect.
Currently, McCoo has an offer for himself from Yavapai Junior College and also strong interest from Chandler-Gilbert JC and numerous other junior college programs. As the season continues to develop and the spring nears, I would expect McCoo to become a hot target for juco programs. A stint in the junior college ranks would be very beneficial for McCoo, who could develop a great deal over two more years of strong college coaching focus and development. He is just scratching the surface of his potential as a player, and, with serious continued hard work on his craft, his size, strength and athleticism could help him develop into a serious post prospect over time.
Regardless of how much McCoo develops over the next few years, the opportunity created for him through being in such a strong basketball culture at Mesa High School, the leadership he is receiving from Stansberry and his staff and the potential of having a better life for himself over time are enough to make McCoo excited about the future. This young man understands the opportunity that is at his disposal and he is taking full advantage. McCoo is one young man that you want to see do well in life, as he comes from very humble beginnings. While he does not come from much financially, he has a mother and family that love him and want the best for him in life. He is a true example of how the game of basketball can benefit you in the game of life.
McCoo and his Mesa teammates will travel to Illinois next week for a major opportunity for the Mesa program, as they compete against some of the top programs in the Midwest @ the State Farm Classic.
