Kings of the City: Freshman Newcomers

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The weekend of March 24th I attended the<em>&nbsp;Hoopers On1y&nbsp;</em><strong>Kings of the City</strong>&nbsp;at the Phhacility and the Kroc Center plus five different other locations around the city in AZ.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I watched a lot of 15 and 16U with some 17U games as well. This was one of the biggest events AZ has had in a while with 400+ teams from the Southwest.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Here are some of the Top Freshman Newcomers I viewed</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1875723' first='Edgar' last='Hardwick'] West Point (Zona Nation Black)&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A good sized wing who is extremely athletic. The West Point wing blocks shots and defends many positions moving in space well. He scores it easily in transition and will go downhill. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1876346' first='Sebastian' last='Vargas'] ALA Queen Creek&nbsp;t (Zona Nation Black)&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A sharp shooting scoring guard with deep range. He likes letting it go from beyond the three point line and he has pretty form and good mechanics. He moves without the ball and he should get some playing time on varsity next year. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1875718' first='Melvin' last='Stubbs'] Catalina Foothills (Apex Athletix 2026 Black)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A high level athlete with a good motor to rebound. He is very active in playing many positions and is excellent in transition with real speed. He is a sneaky good passer who uses his left hand well.&nbsp;He dunked it on the break but unfortunately fell and broke both his wrists. He will be out for the next 6-8 weeks, but look for him to be one of the best freshmen in Tucson next year. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1303324' first='Jack' last='Van Amburg'] Catalina Foothills (Apex Athletix 2026 Black)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A pure point guard is that old school type. He is one of the better passers in the class that I have viewed so far. He will pass up the court and will dime his teammates or get downhill using his stronger upper body.&nbsp;Former head coach Doug D'Amore is high on him. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1875584' first='Mykael' last='Nunez'] Canyon Del Oro (Apex Athletix 2026 Black)&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>An athletic power forward who has only played a year of organized ball and you see his upside. He can dunk it and shoot it with a nice free throw stroke.&nbsp;He runs the floor well and brings a competitive edge to the floor. &nbsp;He is already on varsity but he should have even more production from him next year.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1875434' first='George' last='Mihilli'] ALA Queen Creek (Zona Nation 15)&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A strong upper body combo guard is tough. The lefty is crafty and cerebral. He hesitates and gets past his defenders to get downhill and has a polished runner and is a very good passer. He can make the catch three but loves attacking first. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1875481' first='Isaiah' last='Smith'] Pinnacle (Peak Basketball)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>An all upside wing forward Dad played at Minnesota. He has all arms and legs at this point. His strength will have to kick in but knows how to play and he can hit the three. He will get on the glass using his length and disrupt the passing lanes. He closes out to shooters quickly and plays the right way. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1875260' first='Noah' last='Tabak'] North Valley Christian Academy (Hoop Code)&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A strong power forward runs the floor, blocks shots and can score it around the rim. His frame allows him to get on the glass and carve out space and score on put backs. Most of his work is inside the paint but he can face-up from elbow and in. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1875722' first='Ethan' last='Ulrich'] Cactus Shadows (Hoop Code 15)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A combo guard with a good build and a strong frame. He can defend and shoot the three point shot. After he bursts into the lane, he has the euro game he can utilize and scores it easily on the break. He was one of their freshmen stars on JV and looks to try and crack the varsity core next year. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1875721' first='Carter' last='Guggenberger'] Deer Valley</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A thicker wing forward shoots the three, he can get downhill and defend the 3-5 for his team. He works well at the high post and can rip thru. He uses his frame/build and strength to rebound and he is also a sneaky good passer.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1875720' first='Sergio' last='Gonzales'] Deer Valley&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The twins are a fun watch. Sergio is a very good passer and the lefty whips it to his teammates. He is a very quick on-ball defender and will defend you the length of the court. He can create his own offense and consistently drives and kicks it.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1875719' first='Simon' last='Gonzales'] Deer Valley</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Simon can shoot the three and is quick on the ball defensively. He has a huge IQ. he is very fast to get past his defenders and will then throw a strike to a teammate into their shooting pocket.&nbsp;He is right handed&nbsp;unlike his brother. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1871266' first='Mikey' last='Duncan'] Heritage Maricopa (AZ Select)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A quick undersized scoring lead guard. He moves the ball like you should but he is a bucket. He can hit three point shots with deep range and has a polished floater game. He was dropping dimes on the break and plays with confidence despite his size. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->