Recruiting Report: Santino Duarte (Arizona-2017)
Sunnyside High School has turned into a consistent contender every single season. All looked bright this past season until the injury to 6’6″ F/C Santino Duarte. Duarte was named 1st team all-section the previous season and had many of his talented…
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Continue ReadingSunnyside High School has turned into a consistent contender every single season. All looked bright this past season until the injury to 6’6″ F/C Santino Duarte. Duarte was named 1st team all-section the previous season and had many of his talented teammates back to assist him in taking Sunnyside to new heights.
Although Duarte’s injury set the team back, Sunnyside was still able to be very successful this past season as they made another run deep into the state tournament. However, the team and the rest of the state were left to wonder what could have happened had Duarte been uninjured.
In addition to the team potentially enjoying more success, there is a strong potential that Duarte would have been able to acquire more interest and offers from colleges. As it currently stands, he has received “interest letters” from “NAU, Stanford, Dallas, North Nazarene, Cincinnati Christian University, and Mesa Community College.”
Duarte has great footwork, soft touch around the rim, and a high basketball IQ. Rob Harrison, the former coach at Sunnyside, talked with me after one of the state tournament games. He expressed how Duarte is one of the most coachable young men he has ever been around. It is one thing to be talented and another to be talented and eager to grow as a player.
Duarte has officially been cleared to begin physical activities again. However, he is unsure if he will play club basketball during the live period. If he does, he is hoping to attain more college interest, and he will participate with “Powerhouse”.
His sights are mostly set on his participation with his high school team this upcoming season as he stated that he is “Excited [due to] being the leader of the team along with Mikey. [We will] have to get used to [playing] with a new team and new coach.” Although Harrison is gone and so are many of the talented players from the past couple of seasons, there is plenty of potential in this program, especially with strong leadership.
As far as his role for next season, Duarte acknowledged he would have to do more due to having a new coach and some new players., He stated he would need to step up even more and be “a role model for these guys on and off the court.” He is certainly in a position to be the leader the team needs due to his success on the court and his behavior off of the court.
In addition to wanting to attract suitors, as Duarte is most likely an NCAA Division-II or NAIA Division-I caliber player, he wants to “prove everyone that’s doubting us this year wrong. Nobody thinks we will be as good as we were these past years.” He will have a tall order in filling those shoes, but he is eager, talented, and a hard worker.