* First in a series examining the basketball landscape of West Coast recruiting areas
Tucson has normally been a sleepy town when it comes to high school recruiting.Well-known as the hometown of a national college hoops power – University of Arizona – it has not fared so well in the past compared to other similar-sized cities (900,000 population) when it comes to NCAA Division I scholarship basketball athletes although it has had a few natives like Sean Elliott (Arizona/NBA) and Fat Lever (Arizona State/NBA) “make it” at the next levels.
Tucson is slowly starting to shed this “sleepy” label due to the efforts of a growing number of youth organizations like Sporting Chance (led by Art Gage and Gary Malis) who have begun teaching the game to Tucson youth at an earlier age and who are now traveling all over the West looking for the best competition available.
The last two years, we have ventured to Tucson each fall to get a closer “grade-by-grade” look at Tucson best ballers.Last October’s Fullcourt Press Tucson Fall Showcase gave us just that opportunity.
As was the case during last year’s event, the Class of 2008 served notice that it may be the best this area has seen in quite sometime.In the Top 20 Sophomore game here, severalprospects showed serious college potential, including 6’7” power forward Enoch Andoh (Salpointe/Tucson AZ), 6’7’ Austin Smith (Mountain View/Tucson AZ), 6’3” Chase Adams (Salpointe/Tucson AZ), 6’3” Tyler Gage (Salpointe/Tucson AZ) and 6’3” Brian Hill (Tucson HS/Tucson AZ).
Andoh (who earned a spot in the Top 25 Game at the 2005 Fullcourt Press All-Frosh/Soph Camp last fall) continues to improve rapidly and is really solidifying himself as one of the West Coast’s top soph post prospects.Andoh (a very good student – 3.8 GPA) has nice footwork and really knows how to use his wide body in the paint.While Andoh is quickly becoming a popular name in Class of 2008 circles, one of the event’s pleasant surprises was the emergence of 6’7” soph Austin Smith.
Smith played very well here, impressing us with his agility, athleticism, quickness to the glass and ability to score in traffic inside.Smith looks to join Andoh as another quality post prospect that will have coaches making Tucson a “must stop” on the Class of 2008 recruiting trail.
Adams is an active combo-guard with court savvy and is a very lethal slashing scorer (had a game high 18 points here). Gage (an excellent student - 4.0 GPA) has legitimate offensive skills, including an improved ability to attack the basket to go along with his nice jump shot (scored 12 points).Hill is an excellent on-ball defender and athlete with a good looking perimeter stroke (contributed 12 points here).
Other soph players that impressed here include 5’8” Alan Li (Ironwood Ridge/Tucson AZ), 6’2” Jordan Stafford (Rincon/Tucson AZ), 6’1” Nick Navarrete (Salpointe/Tucson AZ), 6’2” Matthew Gipson (Amphitheatre/Tucson AZ), 6’1” Roger Castro (Tucson/Tucson AZ), 6’4” Daniel Nicholas (Canyon Del Oro/Tucson AZ), 6’4” Eric House (Tucson/Tucson AZ), 6’2” Calvin Barbera (Ironwood Ridge/Tucson AZ) and 5’9” Jeremy Joe (Tucson HS/Tucson AZ).Li (a terrific student – 4.0 GPA) is quick off the dribble and has a high “basketball IQ”, Stafford is a good slashing scorer (scored 12 points in this game), Navarrete is a good shooter with nice touch off the dribble, Gipson has a soft scoring touch (had 11 points), Castro threw a nice “dime” on the break, Nicholas is a good shooter with size, House has a strong build as well as an effective mid-range game, Barbera is a nice looking wing player (scored 8 points) and Joe is a quick ballhandler and good passer.
Other Tucson sophomores of note include 6’0” Rio Perez (Pusch Ridge/Tucson AZ/9 points), 6’3” Adam Corrales (Tucson HS/Tucson AZ/3.3 GPA), 5’10” Sam Gansline (Catalina Foothills/Tucson AZ/10 points), 5’8” Jamier Morris (Cienega/Tucson AZ/10 points), 5’11” Sam Zarifi (Salpointe/Tucson AZ/10 points), 6’2” Anthony Faidley (Mountain View/Tucson AZ/10 points), 6’0” Brandon Leavenworth (Sabino/Tucson AZ), 6’1” Joshua Brent (Catalina Foothills/Tucson AZ/4.0 GPA), 6’0” Michael Grayson (Buena/Sierra Vista AZ) , 5’11” Shane Loomer (Salpointe/Tucson AZ), 6’0” Thor Peterson (Patagonia/Tucson AZ), 5’11” Gabriel Orta (Tucson HS/Tucson AZ), 6’2” Eli Crevelone (Canyon Del Oro/Tucson AZ), 6’3” Isaac Dombrowski (Salpointe/Tucson AZ), 5’11” Guillermo Jarillo (Tucson/Tucson AZ), 5’9” Robert Grant (Palo Verde/Tucson AZ) and 5’9” Geremy Satcher (Cienega/Tucson AZ).
The top two college prospects among the Juniors are also high school teammates 6’8” Ryan Sharkey (Ironwood Ridge/Tucson AZ) and 6’7” Trent Anderson (Ironwood Ridge/Tucson AZ). Sharkey (a good student - 3.4 GPA - who bears a striking facial and body resemblance to former USC forward Rory O’Neil) struggled at times here but is a very agile combo-forward that runs the floor well and finishes in transition.Ryan also has a nice basketball body, good hands and is aggressive around the basket.Very nice upside, but needs to be more consistent in his effort!
Anderson (a great student – 4.0 GPA) is another skilled wing-forward with very nice perimeter skills that has a style of play reminiscent of former Arizona Wildcat forward Ricky Anderson. His length makes him an excellent defender as well.
Other juniors that impressed here include 6’2” Kyle Ludwig (Catalina Foothills/Tucson AZ), 5’9” Louis Lehman (Catalina Foothills/Tucson AZ), 6’2” Jordan Belobraydic (Sahuaro/Tucson AZ),5’11” Ruben Boreago (Salpointe/Tucson AZ), 5’9” Tyler Schlegel (Canyon Del Oro/Tucson AZ/3.6 GPA), 5’11” Phillip Carrasco (University/Tucson AZ), 6’3” Thomas Johnson (Cholla/Tucson AZ) and 6’4” Corey Lane (Cienega/Tucson AZ),
Ludwig (a terrific student – 3.9 GPA) is a strong guard that looks to score (had 13 points), Lehman is a quick point with a nice spot-up jump shot (12 points here), Belobraydic (an excellent student – 3.9 GPA) is a sharp shooter with a nice feel for the game (father played at Arizona for Fred Snowden), Boreago is an effective slashing scorer that has a nice perimeter stroke (scored 15 points), Schlegel is a fine passer who also found the scoring touch here (15 points), Carrasco has nice ability to take defenders off the dribble (scored 14 points), Johnson is a very good athlete who can get to the cup (12 points) and Lane is a strong physical postman and an active rebounder who worked hard for 14 points.
Other Tucson juniors of note include 5’11” Daniel Vidal (Ironwood Ridge/Tucson AZ), 5’8” Chris Utter (Rincon/Tucson AZ/4.0 GPA/1350 SAT), 6’3” Oscar Caballero (Salpointe/Tucson AZ), 5’7” Ronnie Barlow (Cienega/Tucson AZ), 5’11” Ross Sampson (Catalina Foothills/Tucson AZ), 5’11” Nick Vanderuff (Ironwood Ridge/Tucson AZ) and 6’0” Ryan Quillen (Cholla/Tucson AZ).
Among Tucson Seniors, two Class of 2006 prospects have risen to the top of the class - 6’8” David Jackson (Rincon/Tucson AZ) and 6’6” Roger Sharp (Buena/Sierra Vista AZ).Jackson is a very intriguing, but thin forward who is currently a low-mid major prospect with potential to be higher.Jackson (a solid student 3.0 GPA) has the size to play inside – his long arms allow him to be an effective rebounder and shotblocker while his agility permits him to beat post-players up the floor in transition as well as roam the perimeter to defend shooters.Jackson (who had a game high 18 points in this game) also has nice range on his jump shot and is an underrated ballhandler.Sharp is a very athletic player with an excellent wing-forward build that gets a lot done around the basket.Sharp has a decent stroke from the 3-point line and a nice touch in the paint.
Other seniors of note are 5’9” Steve Ledesma (Salpointe/Tucson AZ), 6’6” J.J. Palmer (Desert Christian/Tucson AZ), 5’10” Sean Arrington (Flowing Wells/Tucson AZ), 6’5”Schuyler Witt (Buena/Sierra Vista AZ), 6’0” Terrence Hill (Rincon/Tucson AZ), 6’2” Jared Deal (Palo Verde/Tucson AZ), 6’2” Shannon Doctor (Buena/Sierra Vista AZ), 6’0” Chris Brite (Catalina/Tucson AZ) and 6’0” Jared Timmons (University/Tucson AZ).
Ledesma (a solid student – 3.0 GPA) was injured and did not play here, but is a very savvy point that knows how to run a team and is an excellent passer, Palmer is a strong and physical power forward who fares well as a post-up scorer (had 10 points here), Arrington is a good dribble penetrator that knows how to find open teammates and has improved range on his jump shot, Witt is a rugged rebounder as well as an excellent student (3.8 GPA), Hill is quick guard with nice ball control, Deal can knock down the perimeter shot (pumped in 14 points here) and is an impressive student (3.6 GPA), Doctor has a nice three-point stroke and is an underrated passer, Brite (tied for the game’s leading scorer – 14 points) has nice ability to get to the cup and finish and Timmons (a good student -3.4 GPA) has a knack for steals and ability to breakdown defenders off the dribble (10 points here).
Other seniors deserving mention in this game were 6’3” Bryan Reisner (Catalina Foothills/Tucson AZ), 6’3” Malcolm Dombrowski (Salpointe/Tucson AZ), 5’8” Matthew Dickman (Cienega/Tucson AZ), 5’9” Brandon Rosenthal (Catalina Foothills/Tucson AZ), 5’8” Guillermo Valdez (Amphitheater/Tucson AZ), 5’8” Nicholas Alexander (Rincon/Tucson AZ), 5’10” Jordan Cook (Pusch Ridge/Tucson AZ), 5’11” Jordan Wade (Cienega/Tucson AZ), 6’3” Orlando Dominguez (Pueblo/Tucson AZ) and 5’11” Johnny Carrizoza (Pueblo/Tucson AZ). Reisner (an excellent student - 3.7 GPA) is aggressive around the basket and has a nice left hand, Dombrowski is a strong slashing scorer, Dickman is a “tough as nails” point guard that can knock down the perimeter shot, Rosenthal has nice 3-point range, Valdez has nice ability to drive to the basket, Alexander threw a very nice lead pass on the break, Cook has an accurate outside stroke, Wade has the ability to hit the pull-up jumper, Dominguez is a pesky defender and Carrizoza is a solid ballhandler.
Among the Freshmen, the players that performed well include 6’0” Taylor Devlin (Salpointe/Tucson AZ), 5’5” Frank Kalil (Salpointe/Tucson AZ), 6’2” Xavior Frodge (Amphitheater/Tucson AZ), 6’4” Aaron Aikman (Desert Christian/Tucson AZ), 6’4” Derek Unguran(Sabino/Tucson AZ), 6’2” Clark Castillo(Salpointe/Tucson AZ), 6’1”Nathaniel Foster (Rincon/Tucson AZ), 5’10” Trevor Eggleston (Salpointe/Tucson AZ), and 5’4” Travis Timmons (Rincon/Tucson AZ).
Devlin is a skilled all-around player player that has nice ability to create off the dribble but needs to improve his attitude in order to reach his full potential, Kalil is small but hustling point that can get his shot off and has a real solid handle (had a game high 11 points here), Frodge has a very nice feel for the game (scored 10 points), Aikman is a promising forward that runs the floor well and rebounds effectively, Unguran is a physical rebounder and defender, Castillo is a nice slashing scorer who is active around the basket, Foster is an athletic defender that can also score (had 8 points), Eggleston is a very fine passer with a solid handle and Timmons is a quick PG with a nice 3-point stroke.
Other freshmen of note include 5’11” Jordan Case (Cienega/Tucson AZ), 6’0” Chris Harris (Ironwood Ridge/Tucson AZ), 6’0” Ernesto Escarcega (Catalina Foothills/Tucson AZ), 6’0” Michael Hawkins (Sabino/Tucson AZ), 6’1” Tyrone Miller (Salpointe/Tucson AZ), 6’3” 240 lbs Rob Perry (Rincon/Tucson AZ), 5’10” Doyle Bode (Catalina Foothills/Tucson AZ), 5’10” Kevin Rountree (Catalina/Tucson AZ), 5’11” Daniel McLrer (Catalina/Tucson AZ/8 points), 6’0” Greg Harris (Ironwood Ridge/Tucson AZ), 6’0” Omar German (Tucson/Tucson AZ/8 points), 6’2” Sterling North (Catalina Foothills/Tucson AZ) and 6’2” Steven Lopez (Desert Christian/Tucson AZ).
