Way Too Early Rankings: 2A
The 2A world looks primarily like a two team race with Rancho Solano Prep and Scottsdale Christian leading the way. With that said, Pima will be a contender as well.
1. Rancho Solano Prep
Rancho Solano Prep is yet another smaller school team who can play with any team in the state. Kiimani Holt runs the show for the group. He is the best playmaker in 2A and is capable of taking over a game at any point in time. While Holt could justify putting Rancho in the 2A rankings by himself, he will have plenty of help.
Holt is joined by Hunter Ruck, Tyson Legner, and Brett Hardt Jr. Ruck is one of the top big men in the state, regardless of classification. He is skilled and fundamentally sound. Further, he is getting stronger and stronger which will aid him in playing through contact. Legner and Hardt provide shooters for the group and guys who are capable of creating for others.
2. Scottsdale Christian
While Rancho is at the head of this classification at this point, do not be surprised to see Scottsdale Christian take over the #1 spot once the season is underway. Ethan Spry is a more than capable shooter who makes good decisions as a big man. His high basketball IQ and ability to play multiple positions aids him in his college recruitment and makes him a nightmare for opposing teams.
Spry will have teammate Reed Myers back on the floor with him. As freshmen, these two were able to lead Scottsdale Christian to a state championship. Myers is an integral part of the team due to his ability to shoot it from 3 and his passing. He makes guys around him better. Further, he does all of the little things needed to make teams win.
3. Pima
Pima is bringing back one of 2A’s biggest stat stuffers in Dawson Pruszynski. Pruszynski averaged nearly 20 and 10 last season while contributing almost 4 assists per game. His ability to create for himself and others makes him a headache for teams trying to prepare for him.
He will be the top prospect for Pima and one of the top players in all of 2A. Last season, he earned to be mentioned among many other top prospects as a 2nd team all-conference player. Pima will go as far as Pruszynski is able to take them.
4. Globe
After going 20-8 at the 3A level, Globe falls into the 2A world with arguably the top scoring threat in the entire classification. Robert Burries has averaged over 25 points per game in everyone of his high school season. Further, last season, Burries averaged over 30 points per game.
He will have some role players who will aid him in scoring the basketball. However, he will primarily be responsible for the scoring bulk. That has not been a problem in the past as Burries can score the basketball as well as anyone in the state.
Look for Cory Chee to increase his scoring production as well. Chee had a strong freshman campaign and will be the second part of this scoring duo.
5. Alchesay
Alchesay lost more than any team on this list. However, they do bring back plenty of talent and players who understand what it takes to win big games. Despite being quite outmatched in the state championship game, Alchesay did not back down from Rancho Solano.
As far as key prospects are concerned, Alchesay will look for a lot of help from Tyrek Cosay, Kellen Parrish, and Shayne Strover. Cosay and Parrish bring back the most varsity experience. Further, they have demonstrated that they can have success at the varsity level.