The annual and exciting junior college basketball season in the Arizona Community College Athletic Association (ACCAC) is about to get underway again in the state of Arizona, with many of the top prospects in the class set to get underway. The Arizona Preps' staff will be out in full force again this season to bring you the best in junior college basketball in the ACCAC each week.
We will be featuring the state's top junior college prospects this season for the freshman and sophomore classes.
Here are my top sophomore prospects in the conference to watch this junior college season . . .
Isaac Allen 6-11 SOPH C Arizona Western JC (Yuma, AZ)
- Allen (pictured) is a skilled low post prospect that has made his travels around the country in the last two years. A 2015 high school graduate, Allen found himself first traveling to another country before deciding on a college program last season. Now a sophomore post prospect in the ACCAC, Allen should have his way in the conference this junior college season, as there are not many post players that should be able to give him problems. He has developed physically a great deal since high school and plays strong now in the interior. He also runs the floor and is a good finisher in transition. Allen should receive a lot of attention this junior college season, and could receive a high level of college recruitment as a result of his size and potential to help a program immediately. A very good looking post prospect that has developed and should have a big season for a program that should compete for the conference title.
Dallas Polk-Hilliard 6-7 SOPH SF Cochise JC
- Polk-Hilliard is among the elite prospects returning from last season in the ACCAC. He may be the best returning prospect, so this junior college season will be very important in the success of Polk-Hilliard, as well as the Cochise college program. A native of Milwaukee, WI, Polk-Hilliard is a very nice atheltic talent with loads of potential. He has superior athleticism and bounce off the floor, combined with a nice motor on both ends of the court. His size suggests that he should be a perimeter player, but he is able to play both forward positions on the floor and should this junior college season. He is a nice talent that should garner loads of recruiting attention this season from many mid-major division-I programs. While waiting until the late spring signing period, this young man could receive much higher college recruitment. A nice looking prospect.
Edward Hardt 6-10 SOPH C Mesa Junior College (Mesa, AZ)
- Hardt is the conference's best true post player with serious size. Weighing 245-pounds, Hardt enjoys physical contact and likes to use his body to gain excellent low post position inside the paint. This season, Hardt is projected as my top post prospect in the conference, alongside Arizona Western JC's 6-foot-11 sophomore post Isaac Allen. Much different than Allen, Hardt is a wide-body post player with broad shoulders, excellent physical girth and a strong motor on both ends of the floor. Hardt will be a 20 point, 10 rebound performer this junior college season for a very talented Mesa JC team that will compete once again for a Division-I junior college title. Hardt will be instrumental in the program's success this season, as he should be as good a rebounder as there is in the conference. Hardt is a true post player - one that uses his big body to his advantage and competes hard on both ends of the floor. He gets very good inside position and is a space-eater - an asset to any team. Signed with Seattle University.
Deion James 6-8 SOPH SF/PF Pima JC (Tucson, AZ)
- James has really developed nicely since leaving the high school ranks, as he has added some size and has a much better overall motor now, which allows him to make plays at a high rate. James is an attractive looking prospect, as a result of his nice size and skill level. This young man has excellent potential for the future, as he continues to mature physically and mentally. He is just beginning to realize how good he can become. Still very young, James is a talented and skilled 3/4 prospect that has very good size and a nice overall skill level. He needs to embrace the four position much more in his play rather than fade to the wing. As he continues to play stronger in the low post, he will open up his overall game as a player. Plays similar to that of a young Boris Diaw (NBA - Utah Jazz), as he is a big forward prospect that loves to pass the basketball to the open man on the floor. Will be the best passing forward in the conference this junior college season.
Karriem Simmons 6-8 SOPH SF Central Arizona JC (Casa Grande, AZ)
- Simmons is a gifted wing prospect with good physical size as a wing player, and is among the top returning players in the conference from a year ago. A skilled wing player, Simmons has developed hsi ability to shoot the basketball with range, and has a nice overall repetoire of skills that allows him to make plays for himself and others. He also has a good mid-range game for himself - his best attribute as a player. An active rebounder. Solid defender. Good overall athlete. Has some upside. A solid prospect for a mid-major division-I program or higher. Will have a big sophomore season for CAC, and should rank among the top overall producers in the conference this season.
Tarion May 5-10 SOPH PG Glendale Junior College
- May is a high energy point man with a very good handle of the basketball, and an ability to make plays for himself and others off the dribble. He scores at a high rate either in transition or in the half-court set, and is also able to get into the lane almost at will where is able to make plays at the rim. Excellent pushing the basketball up the floor and creating opportuntiies for himself and others. A good shooter with excellent range on his shot. A very good on-the-ball defender that plays passing lanes and has quick feet/hands. Could lead the conference in scoring this season. Committed to Cal-State Fullerton in high school, but did not make it academically. Could get the same college recruitment with a big year this season.
Obi Megwa 6-0 SOPH PG Mesa JC (Mesa, AZ)
- Megwa is a nice talent that will battle thsi season for thehonor as the conference's top point guard prospect. After starting every game for MCC last season as a freshman, he is more than primed and ready this season to have a big sophomore campaign. An excellent ball handler that is able to get to anywhere he wants to on the floor, and is a very good finisher in traffic, where he uses excelelnt body control to finish plays at the rim. A good shooter with range on his shot - takes good shots in the offensive set. A very good passer that is a floor general for his team. A one-man press breaker. A very good on-the-ball defender that is capable of becoming a lock-down defender at the next level. Very good in transition. A serious sleeper guard prospect that should rank among the best point guard prospects in the country this junior college season.
Desmond Johnson 5-11 SOPH PG South Mountain JC (Phoenix, AZ)
- Johnson is a quality point guard prospect with a nice overall feel for the game and an ability to score the basketball. A left hander. Has an excellent handle of the basketball and can get anywhere he wants to on the floor. A native of Ankorage, Alaska. Pushes the ball up the floor and is good in the open court. A very good on-the-ball defender. A good point guard prospect that should have a big scoring year for South Mountain and will put up big numbers overall.
Damon Dubots 6-9 SOPH C Pima JC (Tucson, AZ)
- Dubot is a long and tall, but very thin post player with good lift off the floor and an ability to finish strong at the rim. A good finisher that will only improve a great deal over time as he adds some size to his thin physique. Has solid low post moves and can score inside the paint, as needed. Does most of his work on the glass and blocking/changing shots in the interior. Runs the floor. Solid low post prospect.
O'Shayne Reid 6-6 SOPH PF Cochise College
- Reid is a wide body low post player with very good size - weighing 245-pounds. A native of Jamaica Queens, NY, Reid is a bit of a tweener, but he does what he does best - rebound. A good finisher inside the paint that also gets to the free throw line quite often. Does not mind physical contact. Runs the floor. Good low-post defender. Solid low post prospect for a smaller college program.
Nick Orr 6-10 SOPH PF/C Eatern Arizona JC
Orr is a tall, lean low post player that is able to play inside and out. He has good size for the low post position and is able to score inside and out, with a nice perimeter shooting stroke which allows him to score from the wing on the floor. He has a soft touch. An active rebounder and a capable shotblocker. Runs the floor and is mobile. Solid prospect.
Simon Okulue 6-10 SOPH C Central Arizona JC (Casa Grande, AZ)
- Okulue is a big post player with a nice body with good length and a strong physical frame. He is still very much a project as a player, since he is very raw offensively and is still learning the game. He runs the floor hard and competes on both ends of the floor, but he is not a scorer by any means. At this point in his young career, he is a rebounder and low post defender and could provide immediate depth in the interior for a smaller division-I college program, but he will get good interest this junior college season from many college programs, as a resut of his size and work ethic.
Avonte Nelms 6-6 SOPH SF/PF Phoenix College (Phoenix, AZ)
- Nelms is a skilled wing prospect that is capable of playing both forward positions on the floor. He likes to play the perimeter much more often than he does on the low block, which makes this young man a versatile performer. Has a good shooting stroke with range and also a solid overall mid-range game, which is his best asset - allowing him to score inside and out. A good rebounder. A good low-post defender and capable of guarding quicker players on the wing. A solid ball handler. Solid prospect overall.
Torin Webb 6-o SOPH PG/SG Arizona Western JC (Yuma, AZ)
- Webb is a very good shooter of the basketball with unlimited range on his shot, which allows him to play both guard positions on the floor. A combo guard, Webb has an excellent body and knows how to play the game. He has a good overall feel for the game. A good ball handler and passer. A good on the ball defender. Should have a very good season for AWC and provide excellent depth in the backcourt.
Chaz Mack 6-6 SOPH SF/PF Cochise College
- Mack is a hard-hat that has very good work ethic and competes hard on both ends of the floor. As a result, he gets the most out of his ability and is a nice addition to any team that he plays for. Mack has improved his ability to make shots from the perimeter with range, which now makes him difficult to defend for opposing teams. A mis-match for opposing defenders on the floor, Mack is an effective rebounder that plays much bigger than his size suggests. A good low post defender and also able to defend smaller perimeter players on the court. A solid prospect for a smaller college program. A winner.
Kaveon Moore 6-4 SOPH SG Phoenix College (Phoenix, AZ)
- Moore is a superior athlete that plays well above the rim and is very good in the open floor. A high energy and electric wing prospect, Moore can score in bunches and loves to play in the open floor or slash to the basket in a half-court set. Still needs a lot of work on his perimeter skills and jump shot to become more consistent from beyond the arc. Needs to polish up his overall fundamentals for the game to become more of an offensive threat. Currently, he is a sure-fire athlete. He is an excellent defender and shotblocker with very good lateral quickness defensively. A potential lock-down defender at the next level. OK ball handler and passer.
Darrin Clark 5-10 SOPH PG Eastern Arizona JC
- Clark is a heady point guard prospect with a nice handle of the basketball and floor general-like qualities. He pushes the basketball up the floor and looks for the open man. He has very good quickness with the basketball and is very good in the open floor. A good on the ball defender. A solid shooter. A good overall guard prospect.
Johnathan Matthews 5-9 SOPH PG Phoenix College (Phoenix, AZ)
- Matthews is a floor general point man that will make the Phoenix College offense go this junior college season. He is a very good ball handler and passer that likes to push the basketball up the floor and make plays for hismelf and others. Gets into the lane and is a good finisher for his size. A good shooter with range. An excllent on the ball defender. Solid guard prospect that lacks size but makes up for it with intensity of play.
Stevin Nelson 6-2 SOPH SG Tohono O'Odham JC
- Nelson is the conference's best pure shooter of the basketball. Possessing a very pure shooting stroke with unlimited range on his shot, Nelson can make shots from anywhere on the floor and at a very consistent rate. A sure-fire shooting specialist for any team needing help in that department. This season, look for him to have some big nights at the office shooting the basketball. A good ball handler and passer. Fundamentally sound.
