Best Freshmen (2029) Programs in the AIA

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As the regular season is officially over I wanted to take a fun look at some of the best freshman programs in the AIA.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I am a rare person who actually goes to those games but I will also consider the freshmen who are playing up on JV and Varsity already. A great example is Sandra Day O'Connor who went 18-0 but none of their freshmen played up yet on varsity. Where a team like Higley has 5 varsity freshmen and 3 of them play a lot but have a losing record with their actual freshmen team.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It is possible those players eventually catch up to the varsity players in 4 years but for now if you have 3 impact freshmen players on varsity, that is not normal:).</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It is a fun debate since some of the teams obviously will never play versus each other.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>(This class definitely seems like a very good class after my tour of the city and many more will be discovered in the coming years.)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Remember this, all players blossom at different stages of their careers!!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I will say this. Last year Basha, Mountain Pointe, Pinnacle and Willow Canyon led the charge with having the top freshmen programs and all 4 teams have been great all year. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Here are my top-25 freshmen programs in the AIA (that I actually viewed)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>1. <strong>6A Mesa</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Their freshmen team is definitely solid but most of their top freshmen play up on JV or varsity. They get the slight nod over Higley and some others with the balance of the group. A true post player, which is the hardest to attain in [player_tooltip player_id='2889279' first='Jace' last='Parris'], a real PG in [player_tooltip player_id='3174393' first='Steele' last='Cummard'] <strong>(Pictured) </strong>and a top-10 type of talent in [player_tooltip player_id='2251690' first='Innocent' last='Onwo']. But also [player_tooltip player_id='3174399' first='Caden' last='Johnson'], [player_tooltip player_id='3174421' first='Lincoln' last='Morris'] and [player_tooltip player_id='3174454' first='Kaiyon' last='Peoples'] to round out a strong group. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2. <strong>6A Higley</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The aforementioned team has 4 varsity players and all three are currently in the top-25 rankings, which is obviously impressive. They are led by [player_tooltip player_id='2194805' first='Marquice' last='Pless'], [player_tooltip player_id='2194474' first='Isaiah' last='Rider IV'], [player_tooltip player_id='2639654' first='Kaden' last='Adams'] on varsity and [player_tooltip player_id='3176776' first='Mike' last='Mensah'] dominates on junior varsity but plays both.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>3. <strong>6A Liberty</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The West Valley team was also in consideration as the top overall program with freshmen led by a top-5 ranked player with [player_tooltip player_id='2759176' first='Trevin' last='Davis']. But they have 5 other very good players who play on freshmen and JV. [player_tooltip player_id='3142053' first='Jesse' last='Onuh'] plays up on JV and the four others with [player_tooltip player_id='3314926' first='Liam' last='Herkal'], [player_tooltip player_id='3314876' first='Alex' last='Hunter'], [player_tooltip player_id='3314781' first='Kalil' last='Deloatch'] and [player_tooltip player_id='3314813' first='Kade' last='Schneberger'] play on one of the states best freshmen team. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>4. <strong>4A Arcadia</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Their actual freshmen team was solid but their top players all played up on junior varsity and varsity. They are obviously led by the top-5 talent with [player_tooltip player_id='2767903' first='Jacobi' last='Thompson II'] on varsity with good junior varsity players [player_tooltip player_id='3354402' first='Jalen' last='Knighton'] and [player_tooltip player_id='3354622' first='Deshaun' last='Owens'] plus good freshmen team players who moved up at the end of the season with [player_tooltip player_id='3354660' first='Tyson' last='Delano'] and [player_tooltip player_id='3068059' first='Caden' last='Lewis'].</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>5. <strong>6A Millennium </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>They don't have any freshmen on varsity since the varsity team is a top-10 team in the country. But they have some very good junior varsity players who shine with [player_tooltip player_id='3457393' first='Benji' last='Tanner'], [player_tooltip player_id='3457363' first='Jacob' last='Jensen'], [player_tooltip player_id='3457346' first='Jamari' last='Stephenson'] and [player_tooltip player_id='3143085' first='Amare' last='Wilford'] plus stud freshmen player [player_tooltip player_id='3457380' first='Jaylon' last='Braswell'].</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>6. <strong>6A Maryvale</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of my favorite stories of the year has a mostly 'under the radar program' landing some stud freshmen. They are led by two varsity starters with [player_tooltip player_id='2956985' first='Elijah' last='Antoine'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2812700' first='Thiago' last='Esquivel'] and they bring [player_tooltip player_id='2953319' first='Keith' last='Harrison'] into the game. They have junior varsity players [player_tooltip player_id='2957459' first='Meqhi' last='Teutsch'] and two very good freshmen players with [player_tooltip player_id='3373071' first='Jalen' last='Smith'] and [player_tooltip player_id='3373093' first='Juelian' last='Ramon'].</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>7. <strong>6A Gilbert</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>They are led by varsity starter [player_tooltip player_id='2734358' first='Cruz' last='Kazmierski'] and junior varsity and freshmen studs [player_tooltip player_id='3361124' first='Keniston' last='Grady'] and [player_tooltip player_id='3361138' first='Gabe' last='Tucker'] plus freshmen player [player_tooltip player_id='3361716' first='Owen' last='Wood']. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>8. <strong>4A Deer Valley</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>They have a good freshmen team by record which I did not see but they have four players already playing up including three on varsity with two in the top-25 with [player_tooltip player_id='2947346' first='Giovanni' last='Nielsen'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2949118' first='Jayden' last='Hollie'] plus [player_tooltip player_id='2854671' first='Jonathan' last='Ortiz']. Also [player_tooltip player_id='2785907' first='Jackson' last='Hefferon'] plays JV and played a little varsity in the holiday tournament. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>9. <strong>5A Carl Hayden</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I did not see their actual freshmen team this year but when you have two varsity players with [player_tooltip player_id='2886380' first='Remy' last='Rose'] and [player_tooltip player_id='3005528' first='Terrance' last='Porter Jr'] you will be placed high on the list. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>10. <strong>5A Desert Mountain</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>They have two varsity players with already one of their best players with [player_tooltip player_id='2825980' first='Brexton' last='Quinet']. He also has a running mate on varsity with [player_tooltip player_id='2894935' first='Kendell' last='Stapleton']. Lastly a good freshmen team forward with [player_tooltip player_id='3487311' first='Andrew' last='Stratton']. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>11. <strong>6A Pinnacle</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Their freshmen was definitely solid but their two best freshmen played up on junior varsity and varsity. They are led by varsity backup PG [player_tooltip player_id='2886382' first='Brandon' last='Morris'] and junior varsity player [player_tooltip player_id='3077200' first='Drake' last='Good'] plus two good freshmen players [player_tooltip player_id='3077190' first='Blake' last='Carapetian'] and [player_tooltip player_id='3077192' first='Nikon' last='Savic']. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>12. <strong>5A Desert Edge</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Their freshmen team is just ok but their top players all play up. Led by one of their best players already on varsity with [player_tooltip player_id='2533594' first='CJ' last='Johnson'] plus good junior varsity players with [player_tooltip player_id='3421550' first='Kam'ron' last='Ford'], [player_tooltip player_id='3421553' first='SJ' last='White'] and [player_tooltip player_id='3438035' first='Darien' last='Valenzuela']. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>13. <strong>4A Dysart</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>They have a very good varsity guard already starting with [player_tooltip player_id='2759173' first='Jordan' last='Cruz'] and junior varsity good players with [player_tooltip player_id='2433288' first='Carmelo' last='Tillman'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2957502' first='Justice' last='Wilson'].</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>14. <strong>3A Bourgade Catholic </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>They have most of their top freshmen playing up on varsity and junior varsity led by their top player in [player_tooltip player_id='2842403' first='Malik' last='Frazier']. They also have [player_tooltip player_id='3432159' first='Jai' last='Rushing'] and [player_tooltip player_id='3432196' first='Ray' last='Shun Gasaway']. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>15. <strong>6A Sandra Day O'Connor</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A rare team that went 18-0 in 6A with sheer depth. They have a nice core with [player_tooltip player_id='3075517' first='Ethan' last='Kozma'], [player_tooltip player_id='3354317' first='Tyshawn' last='Tyler'], [player_tooltip player_id='3075519' first='Hudson' last='Duval'] and [player_tooltip player_id='3075512' first='Onomena' last='Anighoro'].</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>16. <strong>4A ALA-Queen Creek</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Another rare team that went 18-0. They were led by a salty starting-5 with some size up front with [player_tooltip player_id='3491598' first='Brooks' last='Wright'], [player_tooltip player_id='3491500' first='Andrew' last='Mihilli'] and [player_tooltip player_id='3491509' first='Eli' last='McClenaghan']. They also have two very good guards with [player_tooltip player_id='3491606' first='Dru' last='Fullmer'] and [player_tooltip player_id='3491617' first='Masen' last='Jensen'].</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>17. <strong>4A Mesquite </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Their freshmen team is solid and they have some foundation pieces to work with for the future centered around [player_tooltip player_id='3454691' first='Albert' last='Valier'], [player_tooltip player_id='2926073' first='Ty' last='Sallee'] and [player_tooltip player_id='3454718' first='Denny' last='Mujagic']. Look for Albert to potentially start next season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>18. <strong>6A Highland</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>They have a good freshmen team and some of their best players play up on junior varsity with [player_tooltip player_id='3474353' first='Brody' last='Knollmiller'] and [player_tooltip player_id='3474354' first='Beckett' last='Gaylord'] with freshmen standouts [player_tooltip player_id='3474363' first='Liam' last='Freeman'], [player_tooltip player_id='3474366' first='Cash' last='Horne'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2751226' first='Kasen' last='Renneman']. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>19. <strong>4A St. Mary's</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>They have two very good junior varsity players with [player_tooltip player_id='2869827' first='Nick' last='O'Neal'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2506549' first='Sebastian' last='Ondoua'] plus good freshmen players [player_tooltip player_id='3225835' first='Zeke' last='Chavez'] and [player_tooltip player_id='3225711' first='Daniel' last='Molina']. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>20. <strong>4A Saguaro </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>They have a stud junior varsity player with [player_tooltip player_id='2912687' first='Ikenna' last='Epum'] and [player_tooltip player_id='3355603' first='Cash' last='Claflin'] with good size. Also a top shelf freshmen player in [player_tooltip player_id='3355531' first='Kam' last='Schaeffer'] who will be playing on varsity next season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>21. <strong>6A Williams Filed</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>They have two very good junior varsity players with [player_tooltip player_id='2808486' first='Cannon' last='Henderson'] and [player_tooltip player_id='3361135' first='Anthony' last='Ramirez'] with [player_tooltip player_id='3361865' first='Elijah' last='Mikes-Britt'] on the freshmen team. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>22. <strong>6A Basha</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A very good freshmen group with some junior varsity players. They simply have quality depth with [player_tooltip player_id='3350560' first='Caius' last='Cook'], [player_tooltip player_id='3077238' first='Mason' last='Ireland'], [player_tooltip player_id='3350344' first='Hunter' last='Gloss'], [player_tooltip player_id='3077229' first='Sal' last='Alosi'], [player_tooltip player_id='3077651' first='Ashton' last='Smith'], [player_tooltip player_id='3077234' first='Jacob' last='Kasel'] and [player_tooltip player_id='3102489' first='Micah' last='Bejarano'].</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>23. <strong>6A Desert Vista</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A team in 6A with sheer depth but also two potential varsity players with [player_tooltip player_id='3457310' first='Zeke' last='Bonner'] and potentially [player_tooltip player_id='2506519' first='JaKoby' last='Juarez'] (who sat out all season with an injury). They have good junior varsity players with [player_tooltip player_id='3459962' first='Tommy' last='Nelson'] and [player_tooltip player_id='3459961' first='Reece' last='Jacewicz']. Then on freshmen ball they have [player_tooltip player_id='3457429' first='Chase' last='McDonald'] and [player_tooltip player_id='3457433' first='Dallin' last='Harbertson'].</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>24. <strong>5A Mountain Pointe</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A team that does not have anyone on varsity but have two budding freshmen with real upside on their JV and freshmen team with [player_tooltip player_id='2692323' first='Zion' last='Brown'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2965443' first='Kejhan' last='Johnson']. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>25. <strong>6A Perry</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>They have one playing some varsity minutes already and dominates freshmen ball with [player_tooltip player_id='2955337' first='Titus' last='McNair'] and freshmen players [player_tooltip player_id='2807514' first='Zeric' last='Merkson'], [player_tooltip player_id='2957456' first='Jack' last='Courtright']</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->