Favorites: 4A Desert Sky
The 4A Desert Sky Region is loaded with talent. While Marcos De Niza and Poston Butte did not make it on this list, De Niza has plenty of returning talent while Poston Butte posted a 20 win season last year.
In addition to those two teams, Arcadia is a contender to make a deep run in the state tournament while Seton Catholic and Mesquite are teams that opposing teams will not want to see in the 1 and done state tournament format.
1. Arcadia
Arcadia takes the step down to 4A after playing in the highly competitive 5A Northeast Valley Region. This team is battle tested and brings back plenty of talent. James Hodge-Green played well enough last year to earn 2nd team all-region honors. Hodge-Green brings back the most varsity experience and will be looked to as the foundation of the group.
With that said, the most skilled prospect on the team is Carter Murphy. Murphy is one of the top shooters in the state. He can shoot it off of the catch as well as off of the dribble. Moreover, he has good strength and is a strong athlete. His vertical enables him to elevate and make highlight plays.
Between these two, Arcadia should be ready to win this region and make a deep run in the state tournament.
2. Mesquite
After losing two of the top prospects to come out of Mesquite in recent memory in Jaden Lee and David Exline, most teams would take a huge step back. The group has moved down from 5A as well and brings with them one of the top players in this region, Kingdom Artis.
Artis can score the basketball at will and will keep this team in games. In addition to Artis, Jordan Wollangk played extremely well this off-season. He shot the basketball well and brought a nice change of pace to his ball handling which enabled him to get to the rim whenever he wanted to.
Artis and Wollangk will have decent length in Edin Smjecanin as well. Between these three, this team should compete at a high level.
3. Seton Catholic
Seton Catholic is well coached and they will execute at a high level. Further, they bring back multiple prospects who had success a the varsity level. This team could easily finish above this spot in the rankings due to their experience and willingness to play within their system.
Jackson Lee and Carson Mittun both earned All-Region honors this past year. Lee led the group in scoring as well as overall playmaking. He is the foundation for the team’s success due to his ability to make plays within the structure of how they play.
Moreover, Mittun provides the team with shooting and another capable scorer. Between these two prospects, Seton Catholic will be able to compete with anyone in this region as well as most teams in 4A.