3 Players to Watch this Season (3A)
The 2018-2019 season is just around the corner! Arizona is absolutely loaded with talent. Here are the 3A players to watch this season:
Darrien Burnette (Blue Ridge) – Blue Ridge was the number one seed last year and last in the finals to Winslow. This year, they will be on a mission to avenge their finals loss. They will be led by Burnette. Last season, he averaged 15.1 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game. The team lost their number one scorer and this will open up the court greatly for Burnette. I think he could have a drastic rise in his stats. He is the 3A player to watch this season.
Cesar Saenz (Sabino) – Cesar is a very versatile player. He plays the 3 or 4 but has the ball in his hands a lot of the time. This summer, he played great! Cesar was the centerpiece of his aau team and the offense always ran through him. He has great ball handling, great finishing ability, and has a very big frame. He is a freight train when he comes down the lane. As a sophomore, he averaged 9.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game (averaged 11 minutes per game). I think you will see a huge increase in his numbers this year.
Darius James (Winslow) – Winslow is the returning 3A state champions. I think they can make it all the way back to the Finals due to Darius James. Last season, James averaged 10.8 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 2.6 steals a game. He was the second highest scorer on his team. Now that the highest scorer from last season has now graduated, there are a lot more opportunities for James to score the ball. I think he could elevate his scoring averages to around 15-17 points per game. James is definitely a player to watch this season.