Observations from Centennial at North Canyon

On Thursday, January 20th I attended the 5A Centennial Coyotes at the 5A North Canyon Rattlers.   

Here were some observations from the three games I viewed:

#1 Centennial has talent on every level in their program. 

#2 One freshman from Centennial stood out in the freshman game. 

Noah Oliver Noah Oliver 6'3" | SG Canyon View | 2025 State AZ Centennial  

A talented PG is very good on the ball defensively and is calm under pressure. He can hit the catch-3 plus he has a nice floater game. He played on JV as well and he may get some minutes next year on varsity or be a star on JV.   

#3 One junior and one freshman from Centennial stood out in the JV game. 

Quincy Kirk Quincy Kirk 6'2" | PG Canyon View | 2025 State AZ Centennial 

A very quick PG who can catch and shoot from the 3pt line. He can stop and pop from mid-range off the dribble. He sees the court well and can advance pass to a teammate. He has a very consistent stroke from deep and he even hit a full court shot at the buzzer of the 3rd qtr. He only played two quarters and scored 21 points and chipped in with 5 on varsity. 

Zach Engels Zach Engels 6'1" | SG Centennial | 2023 State AZ Centennial 

A pure shooter who has a clip. He has beautiful ball rotation and he is a good passer. He plays with a high IQ and his court awareness is very high. 

#4 Two freshman from North Canyon stood out in the JV game. (Both could be very helpful next season on varsity).  

Colin Faris Colin Faris 6'2" | CG North Canyon | 2025 State AZ North Canyon  

A 3pt shooter with long arms. He can drive the lane and create his own shot. He is a very good passer up the court and is extremely competitive. He shows some fight in him and he should be on varsity next year.   

Dario Vella Dario Vella 6'3" | SG North Canyon | 2025 State AZ North Canyon  

Another talented freshman who can shoot the 3 off the catch. He has deep range with a quicker release. He can put the ball on the floor a little and uses the floater or runner. He also should be on varsity next year. 

Varsity game:

#5 Centennial is definitely one of the favorites to head back to the finals and should have a bye in the play-in game. (A top-8 seed).  

#6 My first look at North Canyon and you can tell they will be a playoff team with some younger talent. 

#7 Jake Lifgren Jake Lifgren 6'1" | CG Centennial | 2022 State AZ is a steal for Point Loma. 

#8 Here were the Varsity standouts: 

Jake Lifgren Jake Lifgren 6'1" | CG Centennial | 2022 State AZ Centennial 

A certified bucket has a pure stroke from the arc. He scored 24 points effortlessly. He has a super quick release and gets high elevation. He is quicker then you realize to get to the rim and he will use either hand to finish. He has a nice runner/floater and his pull-up is pure. 

Abe Rangel Abe Rangel 6'0" | PG Centennial | 2022 State AZ Centennial 

A gifted ball handler has a blazing first step. It is very sudden and he bursts by his defenders. He usually gets into the paint and then dimes a teammate. If he is looking to score, he makes layups or gets to the line. 

Gage Galbreath Gage Galbreath 6'3" | PF Centennial | 2024 State AZ Centennial (Pictured) 

A sturdy framed forward is strong, tough and skilled. He grabs out of area rebounds and managed to get himself to the FT line nearly 10 times. He does the grunt work for the Coyotes.    

Emery Young Emery Young 6'4" | SG Centennial | 2023 State AZ Centennial 

A scoring guard is becoming more and more consistent with his shooting. He is best off the catch and he can rip through and score in traffic. He is an outstanding rebounder per position and is always playing with a big motor. 

Makhi Golston Makhi Golston 6'2" | SG North Canyon | 2024 AZ North Canyon

A strong shooting guard can score it from all levels. He has a polished floater game and can make a 3 off the catch. He can get to the FT line using his bulk and a decent first step.  

Kent Barnes Kent Barnes 6'0" | CG North Canyon | 2024 State AZ North Canyon

’Peanut’ was holding the Rattlers together in this contest. He gets downhill with an impressive first step and is a very good on-ball defender. He can burst by and euro into the lane. He can pull-up and hit the catch-3. He is a good passer and brings a lot of energy to the game.  

King Turner King Turner 6'5" | PG North Canyon | 2023 State AZ North Canyon

A long and lean guard who can defend. He can drive it with his left or right hand and uses his long wingspan to score it in the lane. He can score it in traffic despite his thinner frame and runs the court well. He likes getting downhill with dominant right hand. He is a very good shot blocker and rebounder with his length.   

Wyatt MacKay Wyatt MacKay 6'3" | SF North Canyon | 2024 State AZ North Canyon 

An active forward transferred over from Horizon and was inserted into the starting line-up. He is an out of area rebounder and runs the floor. He has a stronger upper body and scores most of his points in the paint.