Observations from Queen Creek at Corona del Sol

On Tuesday January 19th I attended the 6A Queen Creek Bulldogs at the 6A Corona del Sol Aztecs.   Here were some observations from the three games I viewed: #1 Corona del Sol has an impressive young program from Fr-V with over 20 freshman. #2 Four freshman stood out from Corona del Sol in the freshman game. [player_tooltip player_id="1127094" first="Anderson" last="Lim"] Corona del Sol -An all-around guard has many talents to like. He is a good passer with a high IQ and he can shoot. He also is very tough on defense collecting steals and blocking shots with great awareness. He likes the mid-range jumper and is very quick to get into the lane and score. [player_tooltip player_id="1127083" first="Shokoi" last="Yarde"] Corona del Sol -A natural downhill scorer is tough to cover. He runs the court well and has good hands to catch passes. He shows good body control to finish in the paint through traffic. He led the team in points with 15. [player_tooltip player_id="1127082" first="Zakaria" last="Ali"] Corona del Sol -A fast ball handler and real open court speed for his class. He is a blur with the ball and he can out race his opponents to the cup. He has quick hands and feet to defend his position and makes good reads to teammates. He can euro his way to the basket and plays a good team game. Don Tinsley CG 5’10 2024 Corona del Sol -A thick guard has that football type of body. He handles it well and can cross his man over to get into the lane and score it through contact. He is a good passer and is a tough player to handle stopping from getting downhill. #4 One soph and one freshman stood out from Queen Creek in the JV game. [player_tooltip player_id="1127090" first="Andrew" last="Peterson"] Queen Creek -A deadly shooter off the catch. He gets hot quickly and can rattle them off. He can euro his way to the basket and plays with a high IQ. He plays a little on varsity and contributes as well. [player_tooltip player_id="1127081" first="Liam" last="Bunker"] Queen Creek -A cerebral lead guard knows how to play. He makes smart decisions with the ball and he can score it. He has deep range and is constantly changing speeds already. He is smart off the pick and roll and can use the floater and will make right or left hand passes. He plays on varsity and he is a big future piece to their program. #4 Three freshman stood out from Corona del Sol in the JV game. [player_tooltip player_id="1127080" first="Nazir" last="Davis"] Corona del Sol -A thick scoring guard can shoot it off the dribble and take it the hole. He can bounce off of defenders and score through contact. He can pull-up off a crossover from mid-range with good elevation impressively. He uses his build to rebound and is a tough on the ball defensively. [player_tooltip player_id="996174" first="Bo" last="Dolinsek"] Corona del Sol -A skilled forward can score from inside and out. He has good length to rebound the ball and is strong. He smartly knows how to gain position when the ball is in the air. He has soft hands to catch passes and the bulk to battle with other bigs. He has a nice touch on his shot from mid and in. Crew Swearingen CG 5’9 2024 Corona del Sol -A highly skilled guard can shoot it plus he handles it well. He is very crafty into the lane and his skill shines through. He can pull-up off the dribble plus use his handle to score it.   Varsity game: #5 Both team have younger a core of players and are trying to find their footing with brutal schedules in 6A. #6 The future is definitely bright for both teams. #7 Queen Creek duo of [player_tooltip player_id="1035597" first="Jaxton" last="Bobik"] and [player_tooltip player_id="701269" first="Raydon" last="Thorson"] are fun to watch.   #8 Here were the Varsity standouts: Corona del Sol 47 Queen Creek 35 (unofficial stats)   Corona del Sol Elijah McDaniel SF 6’1 2021 Corona del Sol (10 pts 6 rebs 1 stl) -A strong lefty wing loves to get in the paint and score it. He seems to bounce off of defenders and score it through contact. He can hit the 3 plus is very tough defensively. He is strong enough to defend the post players and rebounds at a good clip for his size. [player_tooltip player_id="827050" first="Brandon" last="Lee"] Corona del Sol (7 pts 3 asts) -A strong lefty guard is the engine for the Aztecs. He can play either guard spot but is very comfortable making plays for his teammates or getting his own. He has a deceptively quick first step and uses his strength to power through in the paint. [player_tooltip player_id="1127089" first="Michael" last="Doherney"] Corona del Sol (6 pts 4 rebs 1 stl 1 blk) -A long all legs and arms forward. He moves fluidly around the court and plays with a good motor to rebound the ball. He moves impressively in space and can defend the post plus guard out on the perimeter like a wing. He has a couple post moves inside but is more of a defender currently. [player_tooltip player_id="945148" first="Oliver" last="Hinder"] Corona del Sol (2 pts 3 rebs 2 ast 2 blk) -A long and lean post player is an outstanding shot blocker. He covers a lot of ground inside and uses his long limbs. He can score with his back to the basket and is another big man who moves well from end to end. He can keep adding weight to his frame but shows a good awareness to pass the ball out of post or out of a double team. [player_tooltip player_id="996810" first="Preston" last="Lee"] Corona del Sol (2 pts 2 rebs 1 ast) (Pictured) -A freshman getting decent minutes already on a 6A team is rare and Lee can handle it. He is extremely strong for his grade and can handle pressure from opposing defenses. His best skill is currently his on-ball D and attacking the basket using his thicker build and tighter handle. He scores it or gets to the line. Look for him to have a huge role in their youth movement the next 3 years.   Queen Creek [player_tooltip player_id="1035597" first="Jaxton" last="Bobik"] Queen Creek (14 pts 6 rebs 2 stls 2 blks) -A fluid athlete is a face-up 4-man who can shoot it. He has a quick trigger and, although he settled for a few, he is a tough match-up. He can rip through and can score it inside. He has a hook shot plus can score with his long strides driving quickly. He has become a good shot blocker and defends well in space. He keeps growing and adding weight each season. [player_tooltip player_id="701269" first="Raydon" last="Thorson"] Queen Creek (6 pts 4 rebs 5 asts 2 stls) -One of the top natural passers in the state. He has a good burst to get into the lane and will sling it into a teammates shooting pocket. He can handle it and score it with either hand. He could of had near 15 assists but still had 5. He can shoot it off the catch or pull. He uses his speed to get into the lane to score. He also is quick on the ball defensively.