City Rankings in the AIA: Impactful Guards

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We have now released all four classes from 2023-2026. We are going to try something new. Look at the whole city in the AIA for position. NOT EASY TO DO, but why not.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We move over to the guards. Either combo or shooting guards. A lot of depth at these positions in the state and some will be very important to their teams success for next season. If you took off some of these players their teams may even struggle to make the playoffs. Those are the players I am looking for here, as they are both top-end prospects and difference makers for their teams. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>Here are the Top-10 most impactful guards in the AIA for this next season:</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1123040' first='Anthony' last='Batson Jr'] <strong>NDP</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of the most athletic players in the AIA has an unusual wingspan to defend nearly every position. He scores it from all three levels and is an obvious terror in transition. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='996166' first='Braeden' last='Speed'] <strong>Brophy Prep</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As the football season heads into full gear, we look at Speed and think, this is a rare shut down corner. He has the ability to slow down the best player on every opposing team, which usually leads to wins for the Broncos. He also can set the table and score. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1150822' first='Cameron' last='Holmes'] <strong>Millennium </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A fab freshman who does it all for the Tigers. He handles the ball most of the time, scores the most points on many nights, makes plays for his teammates and defends multiple positions. He is invaluable for his team. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1150824' first='Kaden' last='House'] <strong>Desert Mountain </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Another top-end freshman will be an instant videographer favorite with his highlight reel high-wire play. He defends many positions, shoots it with range and most importantly plays fast. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='814526' first='Ashton' last='Reese'] <strong>Pinnacle</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of the top shooters will be the go-to scorer for the Pioneers. He is catch and shoot gunner from the 3pt line but will also pull-up off the dribble and get to the rim. He should make a big leap this season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='831118' first='Emery' last='Young'] <strong>Centennial</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A Swiss-Army knife hooper. He fills every stat line needed to win. He will be a top three on his team in scoring, rebounding, steals, blocks and assists. His toughness shines through every game and is making more shots from deep then ever before. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='814508' first='Andrew' last='Camacho'] <strong>Peoria (Pictured) </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Camacho is Peoria. He may start breaking records of all-time at the school. He may average over 30 ppg with his volleyball line range and crafty play to get downhill to score. The high school star scorer is a fun watch. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1152187' first='Luke' last='Shaw'] <strong>Valley Christian</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The defending 3A Champs will make another title run that will be led by Shaw. His shooting from all levels is hard to stop. His ball rotation is as good as it gets. He is also starting to spray the ball around to his weapons and filling that leadership role. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1275052' first='Noah' last='Sowunmi'] <strong>Paradise Valley</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of the sleeper teams in 5A will be led by Sowunmi. He is not as well known as some of the others on the list but he is tough and does a little bit of everything. He will handle the ball a lot, get downhill, play above the rim, defend all positions and shoot it. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1150852' first='DeNali' last='McNeal'] <strong>Canyon View</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>An up and coming West Side team is definitely Canyon View. Their young core is led by McNeal. They will go as far as he can take them in a deep 5A. He is not your pure PG but will handle a lot of the duties plus score it from all levels and defend at a high level with his 2.3 steals per game (which was #1 in 5A for all freshman). </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>6 others who I seriously considered:</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='814516' first='Bryce' last='Ford'] <strong>Pinnacle </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Another lead guard with that scoring mentality. The lefty has a clip from the perimeter from mid to the three plus is more athletic then you realize. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1305181' first='Tommy' last='Randolph'] <strong>Phoenix Christian</strong> </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of the top small school standouts in the state. He is a physical guard who defends, facilitates and scores at a good clip. He is an early POY candidate for 2A. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='814521' first='Aadem' last='Isai'] <strong>Valley Vista</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A coaches son will once again lead his Monsoon to the playoffs. His passing, true leadership, deep shooting and defense are nearly impossible to replicate for the team. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='814531' first='Adonis' last='Thomas'] <strong>Ironwood</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Thomas has made steady improvements every year with his athleticism and game. He has good size for a guard, he defends, scores it from all levels and will be one of the main reasons the Eagles go far. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1306025' first='Mason' last='Hunt'] <strong>Bradhsaw Mountain</strong> </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A very little known stud from the Prescott area will do it all for the Bears. He just got named their starting point guard, he will score from every level and defend inside and out. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1275632' first='Lex' last='Clontz'] <strong>Cesar Chavez</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Another young team will be led by their do it all guard. He will play the point guard role but will lead them in scoring by a wide margin. The sharp shooter may avg close to 20 ppg this season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->