5 Reasons: Why Deer Valley Could win the 5A State Title
The title says enough – most people feel as though it is a foregone conclusion that Sunnyslope, the returning 5A state champion who brought back their entire team, will win the state title. While they could be accurate and Sunnyslope has to be the favorite, their is good reason early on to believe that Deer Valley, who faces Sunnyslope tomorrow, needs to be taken seriously as a state championship contender.
In getting to the championship round, Deer Valley has played solid and beaten the likes of Ironwood, who is 2-1 and made the elite 8 last year, by 40; last year’s state title runner-up Apollo, and last year’s final four participate Liberty. It is safe to say that no one has more impressive wins this early in the season.
5 Reasons: Why Deer Valley Could win the 5A State Title
1. Strong guard play
I will admittedly go on the record and say that through 3 games, there has not been a more impressive group of guards in 5A than Deer Valley. Deven Breckner is shooting the basketball at a high rate, finishing around the rim, and creating for others. Everyone knew he would. However, the other guards are the game changers. Ari Danzy, Johnny Diaz, and Keyvaughn Williams are playing at an extremely high level. They all bring something slightly different to the table. With that said, they all have a good IQ and are making extra plays for their teammates.
2. Post Play
Much like Breckner, everyone expected Bryce Davis to be solid. With that said, in his most recent game against Apollo, he did more than just be solid. He demonstrated a number of moves and countermoves on the block while finishing with both hands. In addition to Davis, Brandon Savage has emerged. He is still raw in certain aspects of his game, but he is playing with an intensity and motor that he has never played with before. This is huge as it gives Deer Valley multiple 6’7+ bigs who can impact the game.
3. Length
Deer Valley has a lot of length and athleticism. The Allen twins, Jaret and Jalen, bring chaos on the wings due to their length and athleticism. They use presses and traps to generate turnovers and dictate the tempo of the game. Even when teams break the press, Deer Valley is able to create rushed shots and turnovers that create transition opportunities.
4. Balance
This team has a great balance between high IQ guards who can shoot, long and athletic wings who are also capable shooters, and bigs who can take care of business in the paint. They have all of the pieces that are needed to make a legitimate state title run.
5. Depth
They are able to play at a tempo that is hard for any team in the state to handle. They have so many pieces and a great balance of talent that enables them to sub and have a number of interchangeable parts. They can wear teams down while they continue to sub and get production. If teams try to run with them, they will struggle to handle the amount of depth that this team has.
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