Arizona's 2016 class of boys prospects looks to be another talented class for the future within the state of Arizona, as many prospects in the class have already seen major minutes at the high school varsity level in the state.
While many prospects in the class will begin to receive opportunities this fall on their respective varsity teams, one prospect that has already made his case among the elite overall prospects in the class is Westview High School's 6-foot-1, 165-pound sophomore point guard prospect Kendall Barnes. The son of long-time former successful college coach Kip Barnes, Kendall is a nice young talented point guard prospect that is definitely pointed in the right direction for the future.
Last season as a freshman starting point guard for Westview High School, Barnes saw valuable minutes early on for a very athletic and talented team that would finish 21-8 on the season, and with a 13-1 overall record in the Division-I, Section-I standings. Barnes would average 9 points and 3.2 assists per/game in his first action at the varsity level on a team that included some of the state's most talented prospects in their front-line last season.
While the team struggled to win big ball games down the stretch last season, this team will return one of the most talented lineups in the state this season - including 6-foot-4 senior forward Isaiah Bellamy and gifted 6-foot-9 senior post Andre Adams. Led again this season by the strong, young play of Kendall Barnes, this team should be a force all season during the 2013-2014 campaign and be in the hunt for an elusive state title in the winter.
Kendall, the son of former Phoenix College head coach Kip Barnes, is a coaches dream. A young, heady point guard prospect with an excellent handle of the basketball and a strong overall feel for the game, Barnes is a nice young talent that received valuable experience last season, and looks prepared to make a big splash in his sophomore season for Westview HS.
Gone this up-and-coming high school season, will be former head coach Francisco Villa, who resigned from the school's basketball program in the spring. This year's talented Westview group will be led by a new head coach and will have a lot to prove this season amongst the state's best teams.
Barnes proved this spring and summer, during the club season, that he will be a force to be wreckoned with for the future, as he turned in strong performances while competing on the club circuit - leading his club program to several tournament championships and numerous strong finishes among older competition.
Barnes teamed up with Brophy's Brock Brunkhorst and numerous other top-rated 2016 prospects with the Arizona Magic Pump N Run-2016's, and looked really strong this club season - strong for the future.
Barnes is a true-point guard prospect, although he played both guard positions last season for Westview HS. He is an attacking guard prospect with a very good motor and an aggressive nature. He gets into the lane and can finish inside the paint, while also possessing a good mid-range jumper off the dribble and a knack for making shots from the perimeter as well. While he is a capable three-point shooter now, I expect his ability to become more consistent from the perimeter in the future to develop over the next 3 years of high school basketball.
Barnes is also a tenancious on-the-ball defender and is capable of creating turnovers from opposing guards, whiel also being able to play passing lanes quite well. He gets his hands on the basketball quite often with deflections and has good court anticipation. Barnes also is a good rebounder for his size and should become much better in this area over time as he matures physically.
Over a short period of time, I expect that Barnes will become one of the top guard prospects in the state and definitely one of the elite overall prospects in Arizona's 2016 class. A very nice recruiting target that is a definite division-I prospect for the future.
