5A Region Preview: Union
The Union region looks to be filled with a lot of returners and athletes. Unlike some regions, most of these teams played young last year and the teams will undoubtedly expect great improvement due to another year under their belts.…
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Continue ReadingThe Union region looks to be filled with a lot of returners and athletes. Unlike some regions, most of these teams played young last year and the teams will undoubtedly expect great improvement due to another year under their belts. Look for a strong showing from this region.
Union Top 3
Fairfax High School
Last year, this group finished with a .500 record, but with the majority of the team returning, they should hope to do better in the upcoming season. In fact, due to the amount of talent that will be rejoining the team, Fairfax is the early lead contender for the Union Region championship. Some of the key players to watch for this team are 2017 Vincson Landrum, 2017 Briggs Avione, and 2017 Isia Slater. Landrum is a quick guard who gets into the paint well and shoots it at a high enough level from deep to keep the defense honest. Avione is a 6’3 forward who looks to extend the floor with his shooting but also uses his strength and athleticism to create opportunities for himself driving and on the glass. Slater is another quick and athletic guard who plays very hard. Despite only being 5’11, he averaged 3.5 rebounds per game. All three of these guards and forwards will need to step up huge in the glass due to the departures of their leading rebounders from last season.
Camelback High School
This might come as a surprise to some as the team only finished with 3 wins last season, and they have a new coaching staff. However, the school has received a couple of key transfers and looks to compete at a high level in the Union region. The success of this team will start with one of the most unheard of players in this state, 2017 Elijah Mead. I have heard from multiple college coaches that they believe he is a low NCAA Division-1 type talent. Mead will be the leader of this group from the point guard position. He has a high basketball IQ and does a good job of getting teammates involved in positions where they can be successful. In addition, he is a top tier shooter who can fill it up off of the catch and shoot or off of the dribble. Do not be surprised if Camelback makes a serious run at the Union region title.
Carl Hayden High School
Hayden lost a good portion of their team from last year; however, they look poised to have a solid season with the return of leading scorer and rebounder 2018 Isaiah Rhymes. Rhymes does it all for this group and will have an even heavier work load in this upcoming season. Last year, he averaged a near double double at 12 points and 7 rebounds per game. Although it is realistic that he will have a bigger year than last year, he will still need some support from his running mates. Fortunately, they return fellow 2018 Kaleb Martin. Martin had a strong showing last season as well, despite only being a sophomore. He averaged 10 points and 7 rebounds per game as well. Look for this team to be physical, athletic, and control the glass against most opponents.
Union Best of the Rest
Independence – They will return their two leading scorers from last season, with one of them being a solid post presence.
Players to Watch
Alexis Jimenez 6’1 PF 2018 Independence
Eddie Murguia 5’10 PG/SG 2017 Independence
Deshawn Pearson 6’0 SF 2018 Independence
Devin Johnson 6’1 SG 2017 Glendale
Isaiah Rhymes 6’3 SG 2018 Carl Hayden
Kaleb Martin 6’3 PF 2018 Carl Hayden
Elijah Mead 6’1 PG 2017 Camelback
Vincson Landrum 5’8 PG 2017 Fairfax
Briggs Avione 6’3 SF 2017 Fairfax
Isia Slater 5’11 SG 2017 Fairfax