Section 7 Qualifiers Standouts

The Section 7 Qualifiers took place June 9-10 at the Arizona Athletic Grounds in Mesa, Arizona. Teams from all over the state trying to battle for their chance to play in the Section 7 Main Weekend. Below are the players who impressed me with their play during the event.    McKinney played with full effort every possession. Crashed and rebounded with purpose. Came up with a steal he ripped away and took it the other way for the two handed jam. With 3:33 left he scored the basket through tough contact finishing the three point play at the line to give the Lions a five point lead which they ended up holding on to. Terrific scorer on the second chance buckets. Came up with some key rebounds in the final stretch to help give Pusch Ridge the win over ALA Ironwood. Had the opportunity to speak and watch McKinney play with some coaches in attendance and he definitely sparked some interest in day one.     Another player at the event who caught the attention of some coaches in attendance. Beck is an extremely athletic and has some great awareness. Gifted shot blocker and rebounds with purpose. Spaces the floor very well with his ability to shoot a high percentage from beyond the arc. Strong frame and skill. Can guard 1-4 effectively. Showed leadership and played with confidence. Was a force in the post. Showed great footwork and a very high motor.     Wambach was one of the more impressive players I had the chance to watch. Plays with an impressive motor. Has great shot blocking ability. Saw him twice and had 3-4 blocks easily in the two halves from different games I watched. Can knock down the deep three on the move. A shooting guard who also showed to be a very impactful paint defender. Out rebounded opposing forwards and continued to make hustle play after hustle play. Wambach had a solid season for the Colts last year but from what I previewed this upcoming season will be a breakout one for him.     Avechuco looked really good in both games. Has an explosive first step. Gets downhill and scores the ball effectively. Attacks with great confidence. Great defensive awareness, first many turnovers and accounted for 4 steals in the first half of the game I watched. Was one of the better transition defenders of the day. Has good vision, and made some great assists. A well rounded player with a strong frame. This a a good looking Buena team who could make a playoff run this upcoming season.     Had a great showing against Peoria. Attacked the paint with confidence. Got to the rim with ease. Plays off two feet and can split the defenders with some great footwork. I've seen Lind a few times in the past and he has improved with each showing. Has a nice quick release from the perimeter that he can consistently knock down. Plays hard and hustles. Came up big on defense with some steals and blocked a couple shots.     There may not have been a better shooter in the building than [player_tooltip player_id='2506438' first='Isaac' last='Teasley'] over the two days of the qualifier. He didn't shy away from clutch moments. With the game on the line, winner advancing to the championship game Teasley sinks the three that would end up sending Sahuaro. A very tough two-way guard who can handle the physicality of the game and thrives in high pressure situations. A menace on the defensive end. Teasley boosted his stock and in my opinion made a strong case as arguably the top prospect at his position in the 2028 Southern Arizona Class.     Another player who boosted their stock over the two day event was Martin. An athletic wing who can score at all three levels. Has a lengthy wingspan and showed it off with his shot blocking ability. Good speed and skill, can defend mulitple positions at a high level. Crashes the boards with purpose and just hustles. Shot incredibly well off the pass. An eye catcher for coaches and scouts in attendance.     Matus was very impressive as he averaged roughly 20 points a game over the two-day event. In the semi-final game Matus faced a very physical opponent in Cactus Canyon. Matus thrived in that environment. He led the nighthawks with 24 points. Attacking the paint and finishing very well through contact. Matus showed the ability to matchup up well with other top prospects at the event. A no brainer for a coach looking for a player who can be impactful on both sides of the ball. High academic and high character,

The Section 7 Qualifiers took place June 9-10 at the Arizona Athletic Grounds in Mesa, Arizona. Teams from all over the state trying to battle for their chance to play in the Section 7 Main Weekend. Below are the players who impressed me with their play during the event.