Favorites: 4A Black Canyon
The 4A Black Canyon region is largely unknown. Dysart has dominated the region as of recent, but they have a lot of turnover. With that said, they have a flux of young talent that should keep them atop the region. With that said, it should largely be a two man race between them and Washington for the region title.
1. Washington
Washington had a solid season this past season despite Momo Franklin’s abrupt departure during the season. Jared Smiley played a huge role in the group’s success. He is back for yet another year. The skilled guard thrives in the moment and plays even better against top tier teams.
Smiley is a score first guard who can be deadly when he gets a rhythm. With that said, the group will need more than Smiley in order to have a huge season. Derrion Littles has transferred into the program and will provide the group with another skilled guard that could give Washington the top backcourt in this region.
In addition to these two, Joseph Crawford, Bullen John, and LaVonte Culter will all play meaningful roles for the team. This group has the potential to win a region title due to the amount of young talent within the program.
2. Dysart
Dysart will have a lot of new faces on the court this season after graduating a group of very skilled seniors. With that said, this region is not as tough as some of the other 4A regions, which helps them, and they have plenty of young talent.
In fact, Dysart has one of the top 2022 point guards in the state in Nate Pickens. Pickens has the potential to have a huge high school career. Moreover, he is ready to play from day one which will help this group greatly.
In addition to Pickens, there are a lot of question marks. However, Kobe Ganados, Daryian Mathews, and Michael Camacho all played limited varsity roles last year. They have a lot to prove as they will be looked to for bigger roles. However, these guys will need to be factors in whatever success this team has this upcoming season.
3. Apache Junction
Apache Junction had a solid season last year and bring back plenty of talent from that group. While they still have rebuilding to do, they will bring back without a doubt the second most amount of talent out of any of the teams in this region. While Dysart has the potential to be the top team, Washington and Apache do have more proven prospects.
Brigham Milkey is the top returning prospect for the team. While being the third leading scorer on the team, he led the group in assists and rebounds. His balanced play will be crucial for this team. He is able to fill up the stat sheet, which will be much needed for this team.
Jimari Grayson Is another prospect who will be looked to for the team. He will facilitate and create for those around him. However, his scoring will need to be more efficient in order for the group to take another step forward.
Khadar Sheikh, Nicolas Moorhead, and Dayton Baldwin are other key prospects who will aid this team in challenging for a region title this upcoming season.