Rankings Update: 4A

<h2>1. Shadow Mountain</h2> <p>While 4A is extremely competitive, Shadow Mountain looks to be in a class of their own. Their strength of schedule is through the roof and yet they only have 3 loses, with one of those being to in-state Pinnacle. </p> <p>Everyone knows all about the talented prospects at Shadow Mountain with <strong>Jaelen House </strong>and <strong>Jovan Blacksher </strong>leading the way. Further, they are aided with some of the most talented role players in the entire nation with<strong> [player_tooltip player_id="705662" first="Shemar" last="Morrow"]</strong>, <strong>Jalen Williams</strong>, and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="933469" first="Devontes" last="Cobbs"]</strong>.</p> <p>In the past, I have referred to Shadow Mountain teams as special. It is getting harder to use that word because special implies one of a kind, yet they find a way to do this year in and year out.</p> <p>If Shadow Mountain continues to on their roll, they will most likely end up at the Geico National Championship for the third year in a row. With that said, this is far from a guarantee. There is a team on this list who held a huge lead over Shadow Mountain in the state championship last year prior to one of the craziest finishes in Arizona basketball history.</p> <p>This group has all of the pieces, but that does not mean that the rest of the state is going to go down lightly.</p> <h2>2. Salpointe</h2> <p>Salpointe is the team that was previously mentioned who had Shadow Mountain on the ropes in the state championship game. This team brings back all of the key pieces from that group. Further, they only have one lose themselves.</p> <p>Salpointe has no reason to be afraid of Shadow. They demonstrated for three quarters that they can compete with one of the nations best. With that said, Salpointe will have to play like one of the nation’s best in order to keep up with this loaded Shadow Mountain team.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="526357" first="Evan" last="Nelson"] </strong>was the game changer for this group last year. Salpointe struggled early in the season. He began the season ineligible due to transferring. Upon being eligible, things changed greatly. Nelson is one of the top guards in on-ball screens. Further, he makes a number of plays that set him apart as one of the top guards in the state. Moreover, he has become a knockdown shooter from deep.</p> <p>In addition to Nelson, <strong>Majok Deng </strong>is another household name who will look to make a huge impact to aid Salpointe in winning a state championship. Deng has earned his mark as being a stat sheet stuffer. This season, he is scoring the basketball more effectively from an array of spots on the floor.</p> <h2>3. Deer Valley</h2> <p>This Deer Valley team is extremely dangerous. With that said, Shadow Mountain asserted their dominance in 4A by beating them handily earlier in the year. In order for Deer Valley to have a legitimate chance at dethroning Shadow Mountain, they will need to play nearly perfect in the state tournament. However, this is clearly a final four type of team.</p> <p><strong>Johnny Diaz </strong>is the heart and soul of this team. He is an absolute warrior who will do whatever it takes to win basketball games. As long as he is on the floor, Deer Valley has the ability to beat anyone.</p> <p>Further, this team has <strong>Brandon Savage</strong>, <strong>Jaret Allen</strong>, <strong>Jalen Allen</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="941627" first="Jackson" last="Leyba"]</strong>, and <strong>Malcolm Jackson</strong>. These guys provide the team with high basketball IQ prospects who have good length and athleticism.</p> <p>Further, Leyba is as competitive as they come. He competes for every 50/50 ball and does whatever it takes to win basketball games. This team is well balanced and has a lot of potential to make noise in the tournament.</p> <h2>4. Buckeye</h2> <p>Much like the other top tier teams on this list, Buckeye has a couple of prospects whom everyone in the state should be aware of. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="804754" first="Tay" last="Boothman"] </strong>and <strong>Otis Frazier </strong>get plenty of attention due to their athleticism and ability to impact the game in an array of ways. </p> <p>Both are capable shooters. However, Boothman is capable of lighting it up from anywhere when he gets going. Frazier, on the other hand, uses his length on the defensive end of the floor to impact the game in a huge way.</p> <p>As if having to high level players was not enough, this team has one of the most underrated big men in the state. <strong>Adam Hamilton </strong>is extremely skilled on the block and has improved his ability to let it fly from deep. He has good footwork and can turn to either shoulder.</p> <p>Moreover, the team also has one of the top available 2019 point guards in <strong>Isaiah Marin </strong>and another competitor in <strong>Xavier Hall</strong>. Buckeye does not play afraid of anyone and will look to make some noise down the stretch.</p> <h2>5. Catalina Foothills</h2> <p>Catalina Foothills is extremely well coached and provides a balanced attack. This group competed with Salpointe earlier in the year in an 11 loss at Salpointe.</p> <p>Foothills has a chance for redemption tomorrow night on senior night. The group has received no more blemishes to their record since that lose and will look for the opportunity to knock off one of the top teams in the state.</p> <p><strong>Carson James </strong>is the undeniable leader of this group. The 6’2 guard does a little bit of everything for the team. His ability to create for himself and for others will be vital to whatever success this team has down the stretch.</p>