AIA 5A Boy’s Basketball Rankings
The first rankings have been put online and there are some shocking and not so shocking developments happening in the AZ high school basketball season. We will take a look at the top 10 5A rankings and discuss those top…
Access all of Prep Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingThe first rankings have been put online and there are some shocking and not so shocking developments happening in the AZ high school basketball season. We will take a look at the top 10 5A rankings and discuss those top teams, while also predicting how the season will play out.
1. Ironwood 7-0
2. Gilbert 6-0
3. Apollo 9-0
4. McClintock 7-1
5. Millennium 6-2
6. Buena 6-1
7. Cactus Shadows 7-1
8. Sunnyslope 4-2
9. Casteel 5-3
10. Williams Field 5-2
The Battle for #1:
Before the rankings came out, I thought the number one spot could realistically go to Ironwood, Gilbert, or Apollo. All are undefeated and all have played at an incredibly high level this season. Ironwood came out on top, due to some impressive blowout wins to some very notable teams (McClintock & Casteel). Both of those teams are currently ranked within the top 10 and I think that gave Ironwood the edge and landed them the number one spot. This battle for first place should continue to get more and more interesting, especially when Apollo and Ironwood start region play and have to play each other twice. Get your popcorn ready because those are going to be some highly competitive games.
Gilbert:
Gilbert is a very well coached team. I recently saw them in their blowout win against Ironwood Ridge and they looked very impressive. They execute their sets perfectly and have a ton of shooters who are super bought into their coach and their team. Overall very impressed by the great team basketball they have been playing.
Apollo:
Apollo is also a very well coached team and they have one of the best players in the 2019 Class (Emmanuel Taban). He is a very good scorer and a tough match up every night. This team is super athletic and has a lot of talent top to bottom.
Sunnyslope:
I mean this with the most respect possible….I am shocked by Sunnyslope’s performance so far. They have a great coach and some great talent on that team. There is no reason they should be 4-2. I fully expect Sunnyslope to turn it around and go on a big win streak, they are too good to be ranked that low. I really admire their program as a whole and want better for them.