Gilbert Holiday Tourney Teams Update
Watching a preseason tournament, while entertaining, can be confusing as well. It offers you a first look at teams, which often leads you to question just how accurate expectations were leading into the season. Now that we have had a…
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Continue ReadingWatching a preseason tournament, while entertaining, can be confusing as well. It offers you a first look at teams, which often leads you to question just how accurate expectations were leading into the season. Now that we have had a week of games since to give us more clarity, here is a breakdown of the Gilbert “Welcome to the Jungle” Holiday Tournament and the participating teams’ early season start.
Pinnacle emerged as the top team of the tournament after going 4-0 to win the Championship. They looked every bit as impressive as you would think along the way. In the Championship game, they took out a tough Westview team that surprised a lot of people. Behind D’Maurian Williams, this team could actually make some noise this year and vastly outplay expectations.
The third place game saw Mountain Pointe defeat Perry. Mountain Pointe has a handful of talented, yet inconsistent players that can score either 20 or 2 points any given night. If they are able to avoid multiple key players disappearing on the same night, they could do some things. Perry, meanwhile, is a balanced team with solid guard play, and a productive front court. It doesn’t appear that they have established a “go to guy”, which could lead to great balanced success some nights. Other nights, they may be left looking for someone to step up in tight situations.
Playing for fifth place, Gilbert defeated a seemingly more talented team in Chandler.
In the seventh place game, Williams Field beat Higley.
Team Breakdown
Chandler
This team is filled with talent. From 2018 star Tevy Jones, to the back court of Brandon Thompson and Jalen Gibson- Starks, the Wolves have all of the ingredients on paper to beat anyone. The problems, they can be stagnant on offense and resort to ISO ball often when the first and second option of a play are covered. Defensively, they pressure you, which creates offense for them, but a patient, fundamental team can break their pressure and get layups and open looks. Since the tournament, Chandler beat Mountain Ridge on the road. They take on a tough Desert Vista team, have a rematch with Gilbert, and battle Red Mountain this week. The addition of Jarick Caldwell will help solidify the team.
Gilbert
The Tigers play hard, they have depth, and they understand who they are. Playing solid team defense, they do a good job of holding teams to one shot. Offensively, they are well balanced and have Caden Towt that is a reliable option when needed. Gilbert seems to be a difficult teams to figure out, as evidenced by last week’s loss to Boulder Creek, which preceded wins against Mesa and Pinnacle. They will take on Red Mountain and Chandler this week.
Higley
Higley has some pieces, but aren’t a very deep team and they struggle against athleticism. Chris Wright is capable of having big games, as he is a good scorer. Last week, they beat Sunrise Mountain, Estrella Foothills, and lost to Saint Mary’s. This week, they take on Combs and Coronado.
Mountain Pointe
Mountain Pointe has been without some key pieces this year, but have found ways to win games. Each time you see them, a different player may stand out to you. Usually a good thing, in their case, it has had more to do with inconsistency than an abundance of go to options. Still an inexperienced team, it has been an encouraging start to the season, but their schedule will get much tougher. Region play will pit them against Desert Vista and Corona twice each. If the sophomore back court of Khalid Price and Malik Salahuddin can continue to mature, they could be a player come February. Last week, they went 3-0 against Brophy, Boulder Creek, and Valley Vista. This week, they will face Mountain Ridge, have a rematch against Perry, and travel to Sunnyside in Tucson.
Perry
Rajhan Billingsley and Jake Schulte inside, Blake Williams and Jalen Williams form a solid core that can all do multiple things. Coach Sammy Duane has returned and looks to replicate the successes he had at Corona Del Sol. Not the most athletic team, they execute their offense and get good shots, while being tough to handle on the glass on both ends. After falling to Highland last week, the Pumas have Desert Mountain, Mountain Pointe, and Lake Oswego (OR) this week.
Pinnacle
Let’s start where all conversations about Pinnacle will start for the next four years; Nico Mannion. First, let it be stated that this kid is the real deal. Still a freshman, he will have games where he gets sped up by athletic defenses. He’ll have nights where his shot isn’t falling. He will occasionally try to force a pass through that isn’t there. With a young talent, those things can be expected, but it is obvious when you watch this team play that Nico has a huge impact. The attention that a defense has to give to him opens up Trent Brown for open shots and Spencer Rattler for drives to the rim. Mason Johnson is formidable inside. This team is deep and good, and will win a lot of games, while scoring a lot of points. After beating Central and falling to Gilbert last week, they play Cesar Chavez and Mesa this week.
Westview
One of the big story-lines this season will be that D’Maurian Williams has emerged as one of the best guards in the state. His physical stature creates a match up problem for most opposing guards. He controls the game on both ends and carries a lot of the load for his team, while showing the ability to go to another level in big games. Pair him with the always active Brenden Van Dyke and Josh Tafoya, and you have enough to win games. Last week, Westview won their sole game against Horizon, and will face Alhambra and Cibola this week.
Williams Field
Williams Field looks like a middle of the pack 5A team that will play hard consistently and win about as often as they lose during the season. Coming off of a win against Verrado and a loss against Arcadia, they will face Poston Butte this week.
It will be interesting to see how things shake out this season. There are sure to be both surprises and disappointments. There will be a lot of exciting basketball, which we all can be excited about.