With the beginning of the high school and prep seasons now here, and after a busy summer and fall, we have updated and now release our NEW Individual Player Rankings. We begin our new rankings for Arizona's 2023 Senior Class of prospects. The 2023 Class is very loaded with some gifted prospects, many who have already committed or signed national letter of intents to play college basketball.
Top-rated prospects in the class helped themselves in our new rankings with strong performances this summer and fall, as prospects emerged throughout the process and now are in the conversation for much higher college recruitment. Either way, these rankings have no guarantees for an individual player's recruitment, as there are only so many college scholarships or recruiting opportunities available, but these rankings can have an impact. For some committed/signed prospects, these rankings could solidify their standing in the class, while for some others that are uncommitted, it could put a stamp of approval for a prospect that a college program is considering. Either way, our staff did the best job we could to create these new "Super 25" Player Rankings to help with the process.
These rankings for the 2023 Class are talented at each position, and do not dictate a player's value or worth to a college program, as each player has different and unique attributes that will help with their ability to play beyond high school. A higher or lower ranking by our staff does not indicate a player's potential opportunity to play college basketball, but rather where they rank among their peers overall in the class. Our staff has seen each of the top overall prospects in the state through countless hours of evaluations and scouting events and games daily throughout the year, so we believe our player observations to be very accurate.
Here are some additions made to our NEW "Super 25" Individual Player Rankings for high school seniors for the 2023 Class, in ranking order. These rankings are updated throughout the season (Full List of Complete Top 30 Located on Website) . . .
Zaveion Bineyard 6-8 SR PF Verrado High School (Buckeye, AZ) Club Team: Team Zona
A very intriguing prospect that has loads of upside and potential for the future. Our staff loves this young man's promise and potential for the future. While his Verrado program is not a top program, Bineyard has almost gone unnoticed, but had a very good junior season, and also a strong performance this spring on the club circuit with Team Zona. He has a long frame with an excellent wingspan and has good timing for blocking shots. Bineyard's skillset needs some refining, but he has the physical tools and has a good overall skillset that allows him to score inside and out. He has major upside and projects nicely as a college prospect.
EJ Scroggins 6-4 SR SF AZ Compass Prep (Chandler, Arizona)
Scroggins has superior physical size and strength and an ability to dunk the basketball with extreme authority around and over defenders. Scroggins is a very compact, well put together physical presence that has a nice overall skill level and has loads of talent in his frame. He is also able to play on the wing and make shots and also create scoring opportunities for himself off the dribble. He is also very unselfish and a creator for others on his team. Sees the floor very well and can facilitate. He is a bull with the basketball and overpowers opposing defenders around the paint with his physicality. Reminds me also of a young Michael Craig, who previously played for South Mountain JC, and has went on to have a nice professional career for himself. A big-time sleeper prospect that will make the right college program very happy over time. A tremendous overall athletic talent.
Cohen J Gonzales 5-9 SR PG Mesquite High School (Gilbert, Arizona) Club Team: Team Arizona
When you watch Cohenj play, it is exciting, as this young man plays with inspired effort throughout every game I have watched him compete in, and never stops running. He competes at a very high level all game, and plays much bigger than his smaller size suggests. His smaller frame does not matter, and he is among the state's best shooters and scorers of the basketball - able to break down defenders at any time in the offense, and always a threat defensively, as he possesses a very strong physical compact frame. While he is only 5-8 in height, he is able to play both guard positions on the floor, as needed. He is a floor general with the basketball in his hands and makes plays for himself and others, almost at will. His quickness is very difficult to match, but his intensity on the floor is what makes him so unique. He competes hard, regardless of what other players throw at him. He is an absolute dog on both ends of the floor, and, as a result, he will have a very bright future in the sport and in anything he decides to do in life.
Mark Brown 6-0 SR PG Bella Vista Prep (Scottsdale, Arizona) Club Team: Team Zona
Brown (pictured) is as tough as they come physically, and he is a nice point guard prospect that embodies the position. He is a strong, well-built guard prospect with a strong handle of the basketball and a bull-like mentality when driving to the basket and finishing strong in the lane. Brown is a strong driver of the basketball and finisher, and also has a good mid-range game to go with it. He also has a nice shooting stroke from three-point range, which sets up his strong drives to the basket. Also a strong rebounder for his size, Brown is a lock-down defender on the ball, where he has good lateral quickness and is physical on opposing guards. Brown is an excellent floor general though and knows how to run a team. The better players he plays with, the more effective he can be. This young man is also coming off an excellent spring and summer performance for himself, while playing for Sal Garcia and Team Zona.
Emery Young 6-5 SR SF Centennial High School (Peoria, AZ) Club Team: Compton Magic
Emery will look to come into his own now as a player and a college prospect. He has excellent vertility as a player and as a defender, where he is able to guard multiple positions on the basketball court - his best asset as a player. Young absolutely loves the game and has excellent work ethic as a player. This work ethic is what benefits him over his opposition, as he is always playing the game and also working on his game. Over time, he will realize his true potential as a result. Young is at his best as a small forward, although he is able to play as a 2, 3 or defend 4's on the court. He is a good ball handler and passer, and is also an active rebounder. Young has a good shooting stroke with range. His three-pointer late in the 5A State Championship game helped lead his team to a state championship title. Emery will have his most success as he develops his mid-range game over time, and is able to post up and score from mid-range consistently. He does this well now, but will improve with improved physical strength and explosiveness gained from natural maturity.
