The 5th Annual Super 80 Phoenix was held on Friday evening, October 2nd at Arizona Christian University in Fultz Memorial Gynasium. Organized by Area Codes Basketball and Chad Groth, this event is held in connection with the Arizona Junior College Jamboree, which brings in a number of college coaches from smaller schools around the country.
This event annually features some of the top high school boys basketball players from Arizona for the 2019, 2018, 2017 and 2016 classes. This event every year is well attended by college coaches, as coaches from the D-II, JUCO & the NAIA levels flood the gym.
Arizona Preps was in attendance for this event, and I came away very impressed with the large number of sleeper prospects for ths event. There were numerous top performers on the evening that I have never seen before, which is always exciting.
Here are my top performers from Friday night's action. Each of these individuals helped themselves with their play on the evening in front of the numerous scouts and media in attendance . . .
2016 Class Top Performers
Isaiah Jones 6-7 SR PF Shadow Mountain HS - 2016 Class
- Jones has really come on as of late - playing very impressive basketball over the past few months. I have been very impressed with his size and willingness to use his body to gain a physical advantage over his opponents inside the paint. A strong post player with a good jump hook and solid footwork. Has good hands. Runs the floor. Good finisher. Very good rebounder. OK athlete. While he is not a finished product by any means yet, he has some upside and should really develop over time at the next level. Worthy of some serious attention from smaller college programs.
Jachal Taylor 6-6 SR SF Planete Athlete Academy - 2016 Class
- Taylor is an athletic wing prospect with a knack for scoring in transition and playing well above the rim. A very good slasher and open court player. A very good finisher. OK shooter, but has a good mid-range game. Solid ball handler. OK passer. Has very good potential as a player. Needs continued work on his overall offensive skillset to maximize his potential as a player.
Nick Johnson 6-4 SR SG/SF Boulder Creek HS - 2016 Class
- Johnson continued his consistent play in this event, as he has done in several events that I have seen him in this fall. Johnson continues to shoot the basketball very well off the catch or while moving, which is impressive. Johnson plays the game with a high level of confidence and is capable of scoring the basketball against any defense. An excellent shooter with a quick release, Johnson has developed into a serious scorer from anywhere on the floor. His skill level makes him an easy target for smaller college programs. Set to have a big senior season.
Richie Lucero 6-5 SR SG/SF Grants HS (NM) - 2016 Class
- Lucero is an excellent shooter of the basketball with unlimited range on his shot and a quick release. A left hander. Very skilled prospect with an ability to put up points in a hurry. Crafty offensive approach to the game. Has a good overall feel. A good ball handler and passer. Has good length of body. Thin physically. Needs to add some physical strength and size to maximize his potential as a player.
Seth Mason 6-7 SR SF/PF Hillcrest Academy - 2016 Class (Committed to New Mexico Highlands University)
- Mason is a superb athletic talent with loads of athleticism and potential for the future. Still very thin physically, Mason is a very intriguing prospect as a result of his unique bounce off the floor and ability to finish plays well above the rim. He still needs to add consistency on his jump shot from longer ranges and acquire a stronger handle of the basketball to reach his maximum potential as a player. A solid rebounder with excellent length of body and good timing, but he still lacks the physical strength to get good inside position consistently. A good shot-blocker with good timing. A very intriguing prospect that has tremendous upside for the future.
William-Mich Johnson 6-8 SR PF/C Student Choice Graduation HS - 2016 Class
- Johnson left me wanting to see him again, as he has an excellent body for the college level. An imposing looking player, Johnson looks much older than he is physically. An enforcer inside the paint. An active rebounder and a good finisher. Still raw offensively. Good shotblocker. Good athlete. Runs the floor. Needs footwork and offensive post moves to maximize his potential as a player. A good sleeper prospect for a smaller college program.
Matthew Morgan 6-7 SR PF Fairfax HS - 2016 Class
- Morgan is a work in progress but he has developed a great deal since I last saw him. A tall and long 4-man prospect with a thin, wiery frame that needs physical size to reach his potnetial as a player. An active rebounder and shotblocker. Solid finisher. OK athlete. Runs the floor. Good shotblocker. Morgan has excellent potential for the future and will make a smaller program proud, as he is a good looking sleeper prospect.
Destin Barnes 6-6 SR SF Planet Athlete Academy - 2016 Class
- Barnes is an athletic wing prospect with a solid skill level. A good mid-range shooter and slasher. Good finisher. Good scorer in transition. Good ball handler. OK passer.
2017 Class Top Performers
Trey Checkett 6-5 JR SG/SF Chaparral HS - 2017 Class
- Checkett (pictured) is a very good-looking wing prospect with a nice body, good size and a very nice shooting stroke. Fundamentally sound performer. Has a good overall feel for the game. Shooter with range. A good ball handler and passer. Sees the floor. Plays with excellent energy and confidence. Very good sportmanship and has the work ethic to become a very good sleeper prospect in the 2017 class.
Shane Grier 6-5 JR PF Corona Del Sol HS - 2017 Class
- Grier is an undersized power forward with a good overall skill level. He is capable of scoring inside and out to three-point distance. Best inside the paint. Can score with his back to the basket. Active rebounder, good on the offensive glass. Wide body. Good low post defender. Solid finisher. OK athlete.
2018 Class Top Performers
Tyson Beringer 6-7 SOPH PF Poston Butte HS - 2018 Class
- Beringer is a tall and very long and athletic post talent with some serious upside as a player. He is just beginning to realize his potential as a player and will only continue to develop a great deal over the next three years. He can make and finish plays already that most players his size cannot, as a result of his tremendous length of body. Keeps the basketball up high and finishes high on offensive catches and rebounds. An active rebounder and shotblocker. A very good finisher. Has excellent potential for the future.
Jared Martin 6-4 SOPH SG Saguaro HS - 2018 Class
- Martin is a very skilled 2/3 prospect with an excellent feel for the game and a nice shooting stroke with a quick release and unlimited range. Has an ability to make shots with a defender in his face from longer ranges. Can also create shots for himself off the dribble and make plays. A good ball handler that is also capable of bringing the basketball up the floor from the point position as well. A very good passer with vision. Pushes the ball up the floor. Solid defender. Good rebounder. A good looking prospect.
Christian Anigwe 6-6 SF Desert Vista HS - 2018 Class
- Anigwe is the younger brother of USA women's basketball team member Kristine Anigwe. This Anigwe is a long and athletic wing prospect that could develop into a 4-man over time as well, as a result of his tremendous length of body and size. Still growing a great deal. Has a good overall skill level already, with a good shooting stroke out to 18 feet. Capable of making plays for himself and others off the dribble. Good finisher inside. Active rebounder. Good shotblocker. Runs the floor. Has very good potential.
Trey Wood 6-6 SOPH SF/PF Anthem Prepatory Academy - 2018 Class
- Wood is a nice looking talent that has excellent length and size and looks to be still growing a great deal. Has a good skill level and is able to score around the basket with either hand. A good scorer around the basket. Solid mid-range shooter, still needs to improve his range. A good ball handler and passer. Still very thin physically, so he will need to add much more size to his frame to reach his potential as a player over time. A very good finisher around the basket. Active rebounder. Capable shotblocker. Runs the floor hard.
Nathan Steers 6-0 SOPH PG/SG Gilbert HS - 2018 Class
- Steers is an athletic combo-guard prospect with a live body and very good athleticism. Good finisher in transition and enjoys playing in the open court. Very good defender. Active rebounder. Good ball handler. OK passer. Has very good potential for the future.
2019 Class Top Performers
Walter Talley 6-6 FR SF/PF Cesar Chavez HS - 2019 Class
- Talley recently moved to the state of Arizona, and immediately becomes one of the elite young prospects in the state. He was the top performing young prospect in this event on the evening. Talley has excellent size already and physical strength. While he likes to play on the perimeter, he often finds himself playing inside as a result of his physical strength and toughness. He is capable of playing either position, but gets a lot done inside the paint and around the basket. Over time he will develop into a serious 3/4 prospect. Has very good athleticism and is always around the basketball. Runs the floor hard and is a very good finisher in the opn floor. A very good scorer and a good shooter from mid-range. OK shooter from deeper ranges. A very good shotblocker for his size. Excellent young prospect.