4A Desert League: First Look

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 4A Desert League is shaping up to be the top conference in 4A.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There have been a number of notable departures since last season between graduates and transfers. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>However there has also been some talent that has transferred to these schools recently, which should make things very interesting this season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Teams that are in the 4A Desert League this year include:</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Amplus Academy</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Clark</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Cimarron</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Desert Oasis</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Doral Red Rock Academy – Previously in 3A</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Durango – Previously in 5A</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Faith Lutheran</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Palo Verde</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Spring Valley – Previously in 5A</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Top Prospects In The 4A Desert League (In no particular order)</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2418885' first='Devan' last='Christion'] </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1962969' first='Ethan' last='Inocencio']</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Fred Jones Jr. "Deuce"</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2128634' first='Brady' last='Robinson']</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1974915' first='Zubayr' last='Toms'] </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1962913' first='Bentley' last='Swinn']</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2637173' first='CJ' last='Edwards'] </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2199605' first='Fabian' last='Gomez']</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1895435' first='Dashel' last='Wiley'] </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1494636' first='Nas' last='Green']</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Elijah Outlaw Mcdaniel</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>10 Potential Breakout Players </em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1253134' first='Mason' last='Schweitzer'] </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2286675' first='Sir' last='Montgomery'] </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1965270' first='Refugio' last='Caro'] "Junior"</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2325960' first='Tavien' last='Phoenix'] </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1922278' first='Crew' last='Peery']</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2474540' first='Cason' last='Tomsheck'] </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2477816' first='Brennen' last='Cuello'] </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2806816' first='Devin' last='Kai Odinas'] </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2806939' first='Amir' last='Wright'] </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Top 3 Teams In The 4A Desert League</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>1. Palo Verde -</em></strong> The Panthers may have the most depth in the 4A Desert League. They have brought in significant transfers (Fred Jones Jr. and [player_tooltip player_id='2128634' first='Brady' last='Robinson']) and they didn't graduate many players last year. Their backcourt, [player_tooltip player_id='1962969' first='Ethan' last='Inocencio'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1974915' first='Zubayr' last='Toms'] both had big summers and there's no doubt that they play well off each other. In addition to Inocencio and Toms, Palo Verde also has [player_tooltip player_id='2656032' first='Gavin' last='Gaspar'], [player_tooltip player_id='2806931' first='Isaiah' last='Nangah'], and [player_tooltip player_id='2325960' first='Tavien' last='Phoenix'] back. If they can fine tune things and get guys to buy into their roles, they'll be a tough team to beat this season. And I believe they'll be contention for the 4A State Title.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>2. Clark - </em></strong>The Chargers did quite well last season, going 19-10. They ended up making it all the way to the 4A Southern Region Semifinals before falling to Rancho by 2. They then went on to win the 3rd place game against Legacy. The Chargers will have multiple guards who can handle the rock this season in [player_tooltip player_id='2637173' first='CJ' last='Edwards'], [player_tooltip player_id='2806939' first='Amir' last='Wright'], and [player_tooltip player_id='2286675' first='Sir' last='Montgomery']. Which leads me to believe that they'll be getting up and down the court fairly quickly. They also have one of the best rim runners in the state in [player_tooltip player_id='2418885' first='Devan' last='Christion'] who is lob threat and he scores a decent amount of second chance points. Look for Clark to be hunting the state championship trophy come February.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>3. Faith Lutheran - </em></strong>The Crusaders should be a fun team to watch this year. The return [player_tooltip player_id='1962913' first='Bentley' last='Swinn'], [player_tooltip player_id='1253134' first='Mason' last='Schweitzer'], Brady Farnan, Cason Tomscheck, and [player_tooltip player_id='1895435' first='Dashel' last='Wiley']. They will also have bouncey guard [player_tooltip player_id='2877361' first='Charles' last='Hyde'] in the mix, and they may bring up guys like Reese Riccio from JV. From what I saw at Section 7, they are a team that doesn't mind sharing the ball and many of the players listed above can get a bucket. They also just lost one of their top scorers, Tyson Price, to Utah Prep. Without him it may be difficult to take down teams like Clark and Palo, but it's definitely possible if they continue to grow together as a group and play unselfishly</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->