Prospect Spotlight: Deven Breckner
Deer Valley High School had ambitions winning the state championship last year. However, those dreams were ended in an upset to Maricopa. With that said, Deer Valley has a talented team and many of those players are back from last season. One of the top prospects on that team who will be returning is Deven Breckner. Breckner, a 6’1 PG 2018, will look to lead Deer Valley to even more success this season.
Deven Brecker High School
Breckner has started varsity for the vast majority of the past three seasons. He has impressed many greatly due to his skill set and tough mentality. He has always been undersized with strength and height. However, he has never lacked the bulldog mentality and focus that is necessary to compete.
Breckner has recently add more height and muscle mass. Those have been two of the biggest question marks. With that said, no one questions his toughness or skill set. He has great change of pace and direction on his ball handling moves. Further, he can shoot it from anywhere on the floor at a high rate, and he can score in an array of ways. Lastly, he has an extremely high basketball IQ and does a great job of creating for teammates and getting the ball up the floor in a hurry
As far as this season goes, Breckner is very confident in his team’s ability. In fact, when asked about his goals for the upcoming season, he stated, “To win a state championship and play my best basketball”. He added that in order for this to happen he will have to be “a leader and the best guard on the floor every night”.
In addition bringing back one of the best guards in the state, Breckner stated that he thinks his team also brings back “experience”. He noted that “a lot of guys who were inexperienced” got the opportunity to play and gain valuable experience.
Some of the improvements to look for in Breckner that will help Deer Valley is improvement in size and height. Further, he participated with Team Harden which afforded him the opportunity to play against “really good competition”. Breckner is one of the hardest workers in the entire state, and he should be ready for a great senior year.
Deven Breckner College Interest
At this point Breckner has not received any offers. With that said, he has received letters from “Washington State, Cal Poly, Whittier College, and University of Dallas”. As far as schools he has actually talked to, he stated, “Lake Forest and ACU”.
Breckner’s primary concern is that he wants to play basketball after high school. When asked if he would play at any level, he eagerly said yes. He loves the game and wants to continue to invest into. When asked what he is looking for in a school, he stated that outside or basketball he doesn’t have many requirements.
This workhorse mentality has long been known about Breckner by people in the state. Over the summer, he had an injury to his right hand that would have caused most to sit out. Also worth noting, his shooting hand. Instead of shutting it down, he played left handed for the rest of the summer.
He is a frequent attendee at team workouts and at the local gyms. He is always eager to improve his game. With that in mind, his goal for this off-season has been to “put on weight, get stronger, and get more athletic”.
Deven Breckner College Projection
When asked what kind of player a college program would get in Breckner, he stated, “A kid who is dedicated”. He added, “A good kid off the court and who works hard on the court”. Lastly, he noted that they would be getting a “very skilled” player. I could not agree more with these statements. Further, I would add that they would be receiving a humble and coachable player.
As far as projections are concerned, I see Breckner being a high level contributor at a mid NAIA or NCAA Division II school. However, his work ethic gives him an even higher ceiling.