MLK Dream Classic 2026-27 Standouts

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On Monday Jan 15th I attended the 4th annual<strong>&nbsp;MLK Dream Classic&nbsp;</strong>powered by <em>Monarch Sports</em> at Corona del Sol HS.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I took in three games and started it off with the&nbsp;<strong>Saguaro Sabercats&nbsp;</strong>versus&nbsp;<strong>Marcos de Niza&nbsp;</strong>Padres where the&nbsp;<strong>Sabercats won 67-39.&nbsp;&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The second game I viewed was&nbsp;<strong>Fairfax Stampede&nbsp;</strong>versus&nbsp;<strong>McClintock Chargers</strong>&nbsp;and the Chargers won&nbsp;<strong>90-40</strong>.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The third game I viewed was&nbsp;<strong>Willow Canyon Wildcats&nbsp;</strong>versus&nbsp;<strong>Mountain Pointe Pride&nbsp;</strong>and the Wildcats won&nbsp;<strong>55-46.</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Here were some Sophomores and Freshmen that stood out from the 3 games:</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1620346' first='Joshua' last='McManaway']<a href="https://prephoops.com/player/joshua-mcmanaway/"><strong></strong><strong></strong><strong></strong></a><a></a>&nbsp;McClintock (Pictured)&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of the stars of the day was Joshua. He is one of the better catch three point shooters in the class. His catch and shoot stuff is impressive to say the least, as he comes off of screens, curls and moves often without the ball. He is one of the players that even his misses look good. He will get inside the paint to rebound and is a sneaky good passer. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1570935' first='Kyler' last='Frye']<a href="https://prephoops.com/player/kyler-frye/"><strong></strong><strong></strong><strong></strong></a><a></a>&nbsp;McClintock</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A scoring PG who has a sneaky burst to get to the basket and knows how to change speeds and can take contact. He can let it fly from deep and is good in the pick and roll game. He has a good feel for the game and will make the extra pass.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2280453' first='Iyzaya' last='Soto']</strong><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/iyzaya-soto/"><strong></strong><strong></strong></a><a></a>&nbsp;<strong>McClintock</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A deep ranged shooter with a quick release on his triples. He is a smart player as the coach's son cuts when he should. He will cash in on his free throws and moves the ball.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2146240' first='Nickolas' last='Williams']<a href="https://prephoops.com/player/nickolas-williams-2/"><strong></strong><strong></strong><strong></strong></a><a></a>&nbsp;Fairfax</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The freshman is the future for the Stampede. He is a true combo guard as he is an above average passer with an unselfish attitude. He can catch and shoot from the three when his feet are set with time and he can get to the basket using the runner and can pull-up from mid-range.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1938808' first='Justice' last='Hinds']<a href="https://prephoops.com/player/justice-hinds/"></a>&nbsp;Saguaro</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The sophomore point guard recently became eligible and he is a difference maker. He can score, make plays and defend. He can hit the three off the catch and blow by to the basket with his strong football like body. He will drive and kick it and thread it into his post players. He has quick hands and feet on defense and is one of their leaders already.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2298904' first='Mikey' last='Shepston']<a href="https://prephoops.com/player/mikey-shepston/"></a>&nbsp;Saguaro</strong>&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A thicker framed scoring guard can get downhill and score thru contact with swooping layups and toughness. He will also catch and shoot with a compact stroke from the three point line and plays aggressively on defense.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1323292' first='Joseph' last='Lindsey']<a href="https://prephoops.com/player/joseph-lindsey/"><strong></strong><strong></strong><strong></strong></a><a></a>&nbsp;Mountain Pointe</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A true PG with speed. He has next level court vision and timing on his passes. He can rattle in threes off the catch, gets to the free throw line and makes tough shots with either hand look easy. He throws up the court passes and makes players around him better and it will eventually lead to wins for the team.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->