In back-to-back years now, Sierra Canyon High School (CA) has reeled in one of Arizona's elite young basketball talents. After seeing former Desert Vista High School girl's superstar Jerzy Robinson leave the state for Sierra Canyon last year, now future star, 6-foot-8 promising eighth grader and top-rated middle school prospect Trace Lopez will follow suit, as Lopez and his mother informed me this weekend that they have made the decision to also make the move for Sierra Canyon HS for the fall, and will look to begin playing for the program this summer.
It has been thought that Lopez, who was one of the most coveted middle school prospects for some time, would join his close friend Adan Diggs at the same high school ,but over time, that sentiment seemed to dissipate, as both prospects looked to blaze their own trail for high school. With Diggs announcing for Williams Field High School last week, where he will look to build the basketball program, Lopez now will look to leave the state and compete for a high school program that is already more than established. Lopez will be joining a Sierra Canyon program that is one of the featured Nike-sponsored basketball programs in America. Lopez will certainly maximize his exposure and future recruitment opportunities with this decision.
This young man is a tremendous talent with a very advanced offensive skillset for his young age. Lopez is already very well known among middle school basketball enthusiasts, as he has been a standout performer consistently against some of the top prospects in the country nationally, and has staked his claim among the nation's very best prospects in America's 2028 Class. While national rankings for the 2028 Class are still yet to be determined by ESPN or many of the top national scouting services, Lopez is already regarded as a Top 10 national prospect by many national services. Lopez is surely ahead of the game in his body, play and potential, and has the tools to become something very special nationally.
Very rarely do we see prospects as advanced and as big as Lopez at such a young age, but more importantly, as skilled as Lopez is as a prospect already. Lopez, at 6-8 in height, is very skilled offensively and is very fluid in his movements, while still a mere middle school prospect. He handles the ball very well for his size and is able to make plays for himself and his teammates off the dribble, while being a strong scorer of the basketball - utilizing his extreme size and versatility to compete at a high level in numerous national and regional exposure events.
While I was certainly looking forward to watching Lopez develop and play in the state of Arizona throughout his high school career, he will certainly have a big high school career at Sierra Canyon now, alongside many other talented prospects. Great luck to him and his mother Kim on this decision and Trace's future, on and off the basketball court.
