Prep Hoops Sweet-16: 2020 standouts

Gregg Rosenberg October 5, 2019 @ 10:03 PM

I attended Jordan Augustine's Prep Hoops Sweet-16 Friday night at Apollo and Ironwood HS and watched 10 teams play for at least half the game to get my eyes on as many players as possible. The results I viewed were: Apollo beating SCA, Peoria beating Thunderbird and Williams Field beating Camelback in the round one at Apollo. Then I saw Chandler defeat Mesa and Ironwood defeat Planet Athlete in round two at Ironwood HS.   Here were 8 senior standouts when I viewed their teams: Logan Crock PF 6’8 Planet Athlete -Talented skilled forward with NBA shooting range. Can handle the ball well and create shots for himself and finish with either hand. He rather catch and shoot or fade away on the block. His sweet stroke makes him a legit offensive threat. He rebounds well in his area and is decent in space. Dominic Gonzalez SG 6’3 Ironwood -Skilled shooter who is one of the better senior scorers in the AIA. He may not have blazing speed but he is long, understands how to hesitate to create separation and spins smartly off of his defender. When he sets his feet, he is money from mid to the 3pt line. Zeke Thompkins SF 6’6 Apollo -Defensive minded driver takes long strides into the lane. He may be the top rebounding wing in 5A. He is super active near the basket and also defends well in space. He can play a little one and makes plays plus guard the 1-3. He needs to progress his shooting moving forward but makes many winning plays. Zion Johnson C 6’7 1/2 Camelback (pictured) -First time seeing the big man and came away impressed. He is near 6’8 and has the girth to bang inside the paint. He has good post footwork and scores it easily with his left or right hand. He has huge hands and can catch passes in traffic. He has a nice shooting touch from the FT line. He moves well up the court and keeps the ball high. He is a good two handed rebounder and blocks or alters shots due to his length/height. He doesn’t explode off the ground but makes up with it with his skill. Matthew Fan PG 5’10 Scottsdale Christian Academy -Old school pure PG and now the senior leader. He has great court vision and a high IQ. He is deceptively quick and changes speeds well and can make pinpoint passes. He made some unreal passes that his teammates couldn’t cash in. He is more of a catch and shoot type than creating off the dribble. Jaylen Glover SG 6’0 Apollo -A top notch defender who has expanded his offensive game. He can now pull-up off the dribble or from deep. He can also drive it to the hole and score it in the lane. A perfect compliment next to Thompkins that will do anything it takes to win games. Jaden Glass PF's 6'6 and David Teibo 6'4 Ironwood -Pure energy comes by the way of Agua Fria and Centennial. They will both have to sit 9 games but are very athletic undersized active forwards. They are just what the doctor has ordered. They are surrounded by 3 big time guards and are allowed to do the dirty work in the paint. Rebounds, blocks, running the court and coming up with the all important 50/50 balls. These two additions make the Eagles a legit threat to win 5A.