Pre-Season State Championship Contenders (5A)
The high school season is right around the corner! School is about to start and programs will begin open gym soon. Everything that happened last season is over and teams are now hungry to make a run at the state championship. It’s every team’s ultimate goal. Here is the preseason state championship contenders:
Favorite: Apollo
Apollo made it to the Quarterfinals last year where they lost to Deer Valley, who lost to Sunnyslope in the Finals. However, this year they are returning 10 varsity players from last year and I think that pushes them over the edge. Apollo also has a very talented player, Emmanuel Taban. Taban averages 17.4 points per game in his junior campaign and I fully expect him to continue getting better. Look for Taban to lead his team to the 5A state championship. They are the favorite state championship contenders.
Runner-up: Millennium
Millennium has a very talented bunch. They are returning 8 of their 12 varsity players from last year, so that adds some nice depth and experience. The two biggest reasons why this team will be so successful is in their young players Justus Jackson and DaRon Holmes. They both averaged 12 points per game as freshman last season and have only gotten better this summer. Holmes has had a great summer racking in offers from ASU, GCU, Cal, and New Mexico. He has looked very impressive all summer and I would not be surprised if he averaged near a triple double this season.
Sleeper: Ironwood
This one may surprise some people but do not sleep on Ironwood. Yes, Ironwood made the state tournament last year as the 16th seed and eventually lost to Deer Valley (who made it to the finals). However, Ironwood has 9 varsity players returning for this season. One of those players is named Dominic Gonzalez. Dominic may be one of the best 2020 guards in Arizona and is still somewhat unknown. Last season he averaged 15.9 points per game and 5.5 rebounds per game. After having a very impressive summer, I believe Gonzalez may be able to lead this young but somewhat experienced group. Ironwood is the sleeper state championship contenders.