Scouting Report: Deer Valley vs. Agua Fria
Last year, Agua Fria was able to sweep Deer Valley en route to winning the region title. However, this year appears to be different. With Agua Fria losing Bryce Fowler to graduation, there is now a different Bryce who will look to dominate this game: Bryce Davis. This scouting report will be your hands on guide for tonight’s contest.
Agua Fria still has plenty of talent, but they have struggled as of late. On the other hand, Deer Valley started the season on an explosive 10-0 run that included them beating some of the best teams that this state has to offer. They have continued that strong run by going 4-2 in their last six games.
Scouting Report: Deer Valley
Style of Play: Deer Valley is long, athletic, and deep. They will use different types of presses to try to wear Agua Fria down and to utilize their depth effectively. Further, on the offensive end, they space the floor well and utilize on ball screens. Moreover, they do an excellent job of creating space for Bryce Davis to attack on the wing as well as on the block.
Primary Options:
Deven Breckner 6’0 PG 2018 – Breckner is the facilitator who gets everyone involved. He is a capable shooter who attacks the rim well and makes great decisions with the basketball. His ability to lead the team and create for others is a large part of the success that the team has had to this point.
Bryce Davis 6’8 PF/C 2018 – Davis has the most next level ability out of anyone in this group as well as in this game. He has improved his ability to shoot the basketball from deep as well as from mid-range. Further, he is more agile than he has been in the past. Moreover, his series of post moves and footwork is quite impressive. He will be the game changer for Deer Valley.
X-Factors:
Jaret Allen 6’4 SG/SF 2019 – Allen brings a consistent shooter who gets into the paint well and anticipates well on defense to the game. His length and skill set makes him a versatile prospect who impacts the game in an array of ways for Deer Valley. He will play a key role in the success of Deer Valley tonight and going forward.
Johnny Diaz 5’11 PG 2019 – Diaz plays a lot of PG and SG for Deer Valley. He is a tough on ball defender who brings a toughness to him that is contagious to the rest of his teammates. Further, he extends the court nicely due to his ability to shoot the basketball from deep.
Brandon Savage 6’8 C 2019 – Savage is still raw in many aspects. However, he is one of the most improved players in the state. One of his biggest improvements is his motor. He competes for rebounds and loose balls at a high level while running the floor well.
Scouting Report: Agua Fria
Style of Play: Offensively, the basketball will funnel through DJ McNeal and Daniel Foster. Both are capable creators who will be relied on to create for themselves as well as their teammates. This will involved dribble drive offense as well as a lot of isolations. Defensively, Agua Fria has played a mixture of zone and man to man this season. Due to the length that they give up in this game, I would not be surprised to see them zone as a means of mitigating the length and slowing the tempo of the game.
Primary Options:
DJ McNeal 5’11 PG 2018 – McNeal and Foster create one of the best backcourts in the state as well as in 5A. McNeal is a knockdown shooter from deep who has an extremely high basketball IQ. His ability to connect from deep spaces the defense and creates driving lanes. When attacking, he does a great job of making reads on the help side defense. To maximize his effectiveness, Agua Fria will need their role players to step up and hit shots.
Daniel Foster 6’1 SG 2018 – Foster is more of a rhythm scorer than McNeal. Once he gets going, he is extremely hard to stop. He plays with a lot of confidence and can shoot it from anywhere on the court. Further, he is tough and does not mind contact when attacking the rim. Moreover, Foster has improved his ability to find teammates when attacking. Deer Valley will have to find a solution for this backcourt.
X-Factors:
Davion Washington 6’4 PF/C 2018 – Washington is one of the only true post presence that Agua Fria has. He is strong and possesses a good vertical. His ability to get underneath Davis and bother him could play a factor in this game.
Jaden Glass Jaden Glass 6'6" | PF Ironwood | 2020 State AZ 6’5 PF 2020 – Glass is not as skilled or quite as athletic as Washington. However, he is not afraid to compete on the block and compete on the glass. The sophomore will be looked to greatly in this contest.
Rico Conner 6’0 SG/SF 2018 – Conner is an undersized wing. However, he plays extremely hard. With the depth of Deer Valley, Conner will need to step up on the glass and play mistake free basketball.
Prediction
Although the game is at Agua Fria, Deer Valley has too much talent. They will win this one en route to winning their own region title. With that said, it will be a fun contest with Agua Fria having a really talented back court and Deer Valley having talent everywhere with depth. If Deer Valley is able to slow down McNeal and Foster, this one is theirs for the taking.