Mesa Junior College will rank among the top teams in the conference this season, as they return a talented lineup of prospects, which includes several college transfers. One of the top four-year college transfers on the Thunderbirds' roster this season may just be the Arizona Community College Athletic Conference's (ACCAC) top shooting prospect this season. After a strong performance in a brief freshman season for the University of Nebraska-Kearney, 6-foot-3 sophomore guard Sami Bzai decided to transfer programs and now looks prepared this season to put up big numbers.
Bzai ranked as one of the best shooters to come out of the state of Arizona's high school ranks over the last 10 years - possessing a unique ability to make shots from anywhere on the floor, and with a high level of regularity. While Bzai had a strong high school career for himself, the sharp-shooting guard prospect would fail to qualify academically for Idaho State, and would then land at Nebraska-Kearney late in the summer after his senior season.
Bzai would eventually transfer from Nebraska-Kearney after the school's first semester, but not before pouring in very good scoring numbers as a freshman starter, which included an impressive 21-point performance against the University of Florida - a member of the Southeast Conference (SEC).
Bzai would land at Mesa Junior College, where he is now a sophomore prospect looking to raise his college recruitment, and land at a division-I program this time around.
Bzai knows that to achieve his goal of playing at the division-I level, he will have a lot of work ahead of himself - on and off the floor. Bzai will need to keep his grades up off the floor, while also becoming a leader for Mesa JC on and off the floor.
On the basketball court, Bzai is already off to an excellent start to the season - recently pumping in 7 of 11 three-point attempts in a road loss to top-ranked Indian Hills Junior College (IA).
Bzai, at one time was being recruited by numerous division-I programs after a strong spring and summer performance with a loaded Arizona Magic club team, that ranked among the top club teams in Arizona history. The team would win several regional tournament championships, including the Double Pump Spring Classic and the Adidas Three Stripes tournament crowns. The team, coached by Jeff De Laveaga, would also win an amazing 32-consecutive basketball games on the club circuit - achieving a #12 national ranking by FiveStarBasketball.com.
During the recruiting process, Bzai received serious interest from such division-I programs as VCU, Pepperdine, Northern Colorado, Northern Arizona and Houston Baptist. But after many of the schools dropped off during his senior season, Bzai chose to go the division-II route.
Bzai had a strong breakout junior season during the 2010-2011 season. A relatively unknown prospect as a junior after seeing very little playing time as a sophomore on a team that finished 25-5, Bzai came up big in his junior season - leading his Wildcats in scoring with a 17.5 points per/game scoring average. He also averaged 3.9 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.5 steals per/contest, while shooting 47% from the field and 38% from three-point distance. As a senior, Bzai returned to be one of the top overall players in the state, regardless of class - averaging a team-high 21 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists per/game.
Bzai has proven himself as one of the elite shooters of the basketball in the country over his young career, and I look for him to turn in strong numbers all season for Mesa JC head coach Sam Ballard and his experienced coaching staff. Bzai could become one of the better sought after juco targets in the country this spring, if he can continue to improve on and off the floor throughout the junior college season.
Arizona Hoop Review Scouting Report: Bzai is a true shooting guard prospect – capable of putting the basketball in the basket from anywhere on the floor and at a high rate. He shoots the basketball with precision and with unlimited range on the floor. Bzai is at his best shooting the basketball with a quick release, as he is among the very best shooters of the ball in the country. Possessing a very pure shooting stroke from anywhere on the floor, Bzai is difficult to defend on the court, since he has unlimited range. He also is capable of getting his shot off almost at any time, and can turn a bad shot into a good one as a result of his shooting prowess. This ability to shoot the basketball is his most attractive attribute and sets Bzai apart from many others. Bzai also seemes to raise his level of play to his opponent – making him a very tough competitor and someone you want on your team. His desire to win is very noticeable and is glaring to the observer. He still needs to focus much more on the defensive end of the floor to reach his full potential as a player. Bzai is a solid ball handler and passer, although these are two areas that he will also need to focus on to reach his maximum potential as a player. Just how good he can become will highly depend on his continued maturity off the floor.
