Freshmen Showcase 2026: 5th Team

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Saturday, September 5th&nbsp;<strong>Prep Hoops Arizona</strong>&nbsp;had the 4th annual&nbsp;<strong>Freshman Showcase</strong>&nbsp;which was hosted at Inspire Courts in Gilbert, AZ. We had around 55 freshmen who were competing in a few games of 5 on 5.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This article is&nbsp;<strong>not a prospect ranking</strong>&nbsp;but how productive they were at the camp when I viewed them.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Here is the 5th Team</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='3735177' first='Mariano' last='Arenarez'] Marana</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A bigger power forward is a defensive type. He is a plus rebounder in and out of his area with great activity. He will score with hook shots, offensive rebound put backs and he is a good passer out of the post.&nbsp;He runs the floor fairly well and shows upside. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='3757052' first='Charlie' last='Bartinelli'] Deer Valley (Pictured)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A scoring guard can be one of those future 3 and D types. He can burst downhill to score it near the basket and hit the three off the catch in the corner. He is highly competitive on defensive to pester his opponents and will rebound fairly well for position.&nbsp;Arguably the deepest pool of talent in all of 4A and Charlie adds even more depth to the group.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='3662604' first='Justin' last='Byfield'] Liberty</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A scoring guard can slide over to the lead position in a pinch as well. He can score and defend. He will score with threes off the catch and dribble drives with a nice handle. He has quick hands to bother his opponents on defense and brings energy to the floor.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2537960' first='Irving' last='Giovanni Castaneda'] Centennial</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>An undersized point guard is fast and quick with real toughness. Per his coach he will already play some minutes on varsity and you can see why. He is a very good on-ball defender with his soccer-like quicker feet and speed. He will hit the three off the catch and burst to the basket.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2893271' first='Tavion' last='Crawford'] Gila River</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>An undersized point guard is quick on quick. He can handle the ball well in the open court and get downhill with his speed. He will also fall away from mid-range and he is a capable three point shooter. He is very competitive on defense with his speed and lateral quickness. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='3755648' first='Mason' last='Laats'] Liberty</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A high motored power forward who played with one of the best desires to grab the ball off the glass to rebound in and out of his area. He will score with offensive rebound put backs and fall aways from mid-range and in.&nbsp;He defends bigger post players with his grit and toughness. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='3737738' first='Jonathan' last='McGill'] Flowing Wells</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A scoring guard who can play the one or two positions in a pinch. He will make players around him better but is more wired to score. He will shoot it from deep plus has a nice fall away mid-range he likes to utilize. He could earn some minutes potentially this year or next on varsity.  </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='3737739' first='Jared' last='Perez'] Catalina Foothills</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A scoring point guard who can make plays for his teammates. He has plus speed with the ball and can get a step on his defender to the basket and uses the floater game or will lay it in. He will also score with perimeter jumpers. He will collect steals and brings some competitiveness to the court.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='3737799' first='Anthony' last='Turner'] Centennial&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A bigger wing forward with great length and fluidity. He runs the floor well from end to end and can defend a few positions with his size and length from inside and out. He has a decent first step to get downhill with long strides and he rebounds well in his area. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->