Region Preview: 5A Desert West
While the Desert West Region might not have as many title contenders as some of the other 5A regions, this is a tough and deep region that could see four to five teams competing for a spot in the playoffs by season’s end. Further, the Desert West Region has one of the top teams in 5A with Millennium. This group will be competitive and intriguing to watch.
1. Millennium
Millennium made a nice run toward the end of the season last year. They had plenty of youth that will be expected to ride that wave into another successful season. In addition, they take a step down to 5A. While 5A might have more top to bottom talent and depth, the opportunity to not have to play Pinnacle or Perry for the state championship gives them a higher probability of winning it all.
DaRon Holmes is without a doubt one of the top prospects in the state, regardless of classification. He is versatile and can make plays that few in 5A or any other class can make. His length and guard skills will make him a mismatch nightmare on the offensive end. Defensively, his length will allow Millennium to play multiple types of defenses to ruin the opponents rhythm. Further, he will be able to guard multiple positions.
Justus Jackson Justus Jackson 6'0" | PG Eduprize | 2021 State AZ will run the show from the point guard position. He had a lot of success in creating for himself and others last season. Expect this production to take yet another leap.
2. Willow Canyon
Willow Canyon will have one of their top prospects returning. However, the guy whom many are interested to see after his strong showing during the live period with Factory is Sunday John Sunday John 6'3" | SG Phhoenix Prep Post Grad | 2021 AZ . John only averaged about 5 points per game last season. With that said, his confidence has grown tremendously. Equally as important, so has his athleticism and ability to score the basketball.
John will have the benefit of learning from KJ Patrick who led the team last year. He is capable of scoring the basketball at a high level and aided in Willow Canyon nearly making the state tournament last season. With these two guys back, this should be an extremely competitive team.
3. Independence
Independence took some huge steps forward last year and nearly made the state tournament as well. Emad Elniel will be the primary scoring threat for the team. The 6’5 SG/SF has good length and can shoot the basketball at an extremely high level.
His length will also make it really challenging for opposing teams to guard him. He is able to take smaller guards on the block. On the perimeter, he is too quick for the majority of wings or forwards. He will be the go to prospect for the team this upcoming.
The question will be: Who will step up to help Elniel? If they can find someone else who will step up and help him, this team has the potential to be dangerous as Elniel is one of the top prospects in the 5A world.