Prep Hoops Arizona Sweet 16: 1st Team

The Prep Hoops Arizona Sweet 16 had a number of high level prospects in attendance. Below are the prospects who made our first team all-tournament as they led their team to the Semifinals of the Sweet 16.

MVP: Emmanuel Taban 6'7 SF 2019 Apollo

It was a tough decision as far as who the MVP would be of the event. However, Taban earned those distinctions due to his ability to make game changing plays on both ends of the floor. Taban is an elite help side defender. He rotates extremely well and is more than willing to take charges. Further, he had a number of key chase down blocks as he protected the rim. One of which came in the 1st half championship on a dunk attempt.

Offensively, Taban shot the basketball well from deep and mid-range. The dribble drive offense employed by Apollo aids in shifting the defense and allowing open threes and mid-range jumpers for Taban. While Apollo is loaded, he will without a doubt be the key piece to whatever success Apollo has this season.

1st Team

Paris Woods 6'4 PG 2021 Apollo

It was a toss up between Woods and Taban for the MVP as these two ran the show for Apollo. Woods was the top performer for Apollo on day 1 while Taban was the top performer on the 2nd day as well as in the championship.

Woods' upside is through the roof. He is a knockdown shooter with length and shiftiness. He is tough for opposing teams to keep in front. His ability to get into the paint and illicit help side defense makes him special. Further, he has a nice floater and makes great reads with the basketball.

Stephan Gabriel 6'7 SG 2019 Hillcrest North

Gabriel did it all for Hillcrest North as the clear feature player for the group. He was able to score the basketball well at the rim as well as in mid-range situations. Further, his stroke from deep looked improved but will need to keep improving in order for him to make the leap to the next level successfully.

As far as physical attributes are concerned, Gabriel has everything needed to be a high level recruit. He has good size and strength. He is able to seamlessly get to wherever he wants to get to on the court. 

Michael Rogers 6'4 SG Post-Grad Hillcrest

Rogers was quite impressive this weekend. He has slimmed down and is physically imposing on opposing prospects. He is able to bully his way to anywhere on the court due to his strength. Further, he has a soft touch around the rim and is surprisingly quick.

At 6'4, he can be a headache for opposing teams. Smaller guards cannot guard him due to his strong physique and athleticism. Bigger guards have a hard time keeping him in front due to his speed. As Rogers improves the consistency of his shot, his game could take a huge leap and make him a very liable NCAA D1 prospect.

Jeron Artest 6'4 SG 2019 Hillcrest

Hillcrest made their way into the semifinals of the event prior to issues ensuing that resulted in the team pulling out of the tournament at the half of their semifinal game. Despite not getting as much of a sample size as everyone else, Artest was the top performing prospect for Hillcrest in the games that they did play.

He is a lockdown defender with good anticipation. He competes at a high level and does all of the little things. Further, he is a knockdown shooter who can get into the paint at a high rate. His athleticism is quite impressive as well, but he is more than just an athlete. He is fundamentally sound and competes at a high level.

Dominic Gonzalez 6'3 PG/SG 2020 Ironwood

Gonzalez demonstrated that he is capable of scoring the basketball at a high level throughout the event as he averaged nearly 20 points per game throughout the tournament. He did so while taking on the top defender from opposing teams.

In Ironwood's 6 point lose to Hillcrest North, he was able to seemingly get into the paint whenever he wanted to despite his skinny frame. He may have been the most efficient scorer throughout the tournament. Gonzalez still needs to prove that he can be an elite defender. However, there is no question that he can score the basketball as well as any prospect in the state.