10 observations from Desert Vista at Hamilton
On Thursday night I attended the 6A Desert Vista Thunder at 6A Hamilton Huskies. Here were 10 observations from the three games I viewed: #1 Hamilton soph group will help their varsity next year. #2 Two sophs from Hamilton…
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Continue ReadingOn Thursday night I attended the 6A Desert Vista Thunder at 6A Hamilton Huskies.
Here were 10 observations from the three games I viewed:
#1 Hamilton soph group will help their varsity next year.
#2 Two sophs from Hamilton stood out in the JV game.
Aaron Foote Aaron Foote 6'6" | PF Hamilton | 2022 State AZ SF 6’5 2022 Hamilton
-A long and skilled shooter. He moves fluidly around the court with the ball and is an excellent passer. He has deep range and a nice floater. His IQ is really high and has one of the higher upsides in the program.
Slayde Kokea Makaila PF 6’4 2022 Hamilton
-A physical player is well built and aggressive. He is a very good rebounder and passer. He is very unique as he can score it inside and make plays for others like a point forward.
#3 Two freshman stood out from Desert Vista in the freshman game.
Brayden Gant Brayden Gant 6'5" | SF Phhoenix Prep | 2024 State AZ SG 6’1 2023 Desert Vista
-The longest kid in the gym seems to get better each time I see him. He is great in the passing lanes and has a nice looking jumper from mid range. He shows good upside.
Brandon Trilli Brandon Trilli 6'5" | SF Munster | 2023 State IN SG 6’3 2023 Desert Vista
-Highly skilled wing can shoot it from mid to the 3pt line. He uses his length to collect steals. Moves smartly without the ball and gets inside to rebound despite being thinner.
#4 One soph stood out from Desert Vista in the JV game.
Justin Phillips W 6’2 2021 Desert Vista
-A long and athletic quick-twitch defender. He is very fast and moves his feet quick laterally. He is mostly a downhill scorer but look for him to get some minutes on varsity next year.
Varsity game:
#5 Huskies are a smaller, smart and a skilled team. If they go vs some serious size, they may struggle in the playoffs.
#6 In the same breath, The Huskies can upset a team they are not supposed to with all their shooters.
#7 The Thunder can win it all with their size, shooting and PG play.
#8 If the Thunder want to win it all, they need to focus more on the defensive end.
#9 Osa is the best shot blocker currently in the AIA.
#10 Here were the Varsity standouts:
Desert Vista 58 Hamilton 47
Dasean Lecque Dasean Lecque 6'0" | CG Bella Vista Prep | 2022 State #207 Nation AZ PG 6’0 2022 Desert Vista
-A dynamic scoring lead guard can fill it up. He has a polished pull-up from the 3pt line and mid-range. He can attack the basket and bounce off of defenders and score difficult contested shots. He is a good passer and is quick on the ball defensively.
Osasere Ighodaro Osasere Ighodaro 6'10" | PF Desert Vista | 2020 State #87 Nation AZ PF 6’9 2020 Desert Vista
-The top shot blocker and odds on favorite to be the defensive player of the year. His timing is great and he can explode off the ground and block shots high above the rim. He also can shoot it from the perimeter and gobbles up all rebounds near him. He had one nasty dunk, which did not count, but it was impressive to say the least. He alters so many games that he changes the opposing players thought process of wanting to take the ball to the basket.
Andrew King Andrew King 6'3" | CG Bella Vista Prep | 2022 State AZ SG 6’2 2022 Desert Vista
-One of the most consistent soph catch shooters in his class. He was 3-3 from the 3pt line and he doesn’t need much space and time to get it off. He has nice upper body strength to get inside and rebound plus gets many deflections/steals with his length. He is a smart passer, efficient scorer and competitive.
Christian Valle Christian Valle 6'2" | SG Hamilton | 2020 State AZ SG 6’2 2020 Hamilton
-One of the better catch shooters is having himself a breakout season. He transferred in from Chandler and has carried the #3 seed in 6A multiple games. He gives a hard shot fake and can slither in and score on layups. Valle’s IQ and skill has really kept the Huskies together this year.
Jamar Brown Jamar Brown 6'3" | SG Hamilton | 2020 State AZ SG 6’3 2020 Hamilton
-Another top tier shooter and athletic slasher. He is active on defense to rebound, block shots and steal the ball. He plays football and brings that confidence and swagger onto the hardwood.