10 observations from Estrella Foothills at Deer Valley
On Thursday night I attended the 4A Estrella Foothills Wolves at 4A Deer Valley Skyhawks. Here were 10 observations from the three games I viewed: #1 The Deer Valley freshman/Soph team has a lot of talent! They remain undefeated…
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Continue ReadingOn Thursday night I attended the 4A Estrella Foothills Wolves at 4A Deer Valley Skyhawks.
Here were 10 observations from the three games I viewed:
#1 The Deer Valley freshman/Soph team has a lot of talent! They remain undefeated after last nights win.
Here were 3 of the standouts:
Rudy Gonzales PG 5’8 2023 Deer Valley
-Heady lead guard is fearless and makes plays for others. He can hit perimeter jumpers plus gets in the lane with a nice handle. He plays football, as well, so he brings that mentality onto the court and he gets after it on defense.
Justus Clark SG 5’8 2023 Deer Valley
-Highly skilled scoring guard has an easy stroke to shoot it. He makes good reads and just plays the game with a high IQ.
Emmitt Louis C 6’3 2023 Deer Valley
-A massive post player has incredible hands and makes many Kevin Love outlet type of passes down the court. He grabs any rebound in his area and can surprisingly handle the ball well. He scores it primarily near the basket.
#2 Estrella Foothills had a nice freshman that plays 3 qtrs on both JV and freshman.
Cooper Vanderhei PF 6’4 2023 Estrella Foothills
-Vabderhei blocks or alters anything near him. He has impeccable timing for his age and awareness to block shots. He rebounds well and is a fluid athlete. The lefty has a soft touch from mid-range and in. He is a good passer and can handle the ball a little too.
#3 Both Estrella Foothills and Deer Valley play most of their stud sophs on varsity already to get them ready for the future.
#4 One soph on Estrella Foothills JV stood out.
Jacob Harding PF 6’6 2022 Estrella Foothills
-A long and thicker post player who moves well. He gobbles up every rebound in and out of his area and is active offensively in the paint. He can improve his overall feel and skill level but has a good base and motor to compete. He corralled 10+ rebounds.
Varsity game:
#5 Estrella Foothills 2 bigs have nice long term potential.
#6 Estrella Foothills guards struggle getting the ball to their bigs on entry passes/post feeds which lies the issue of production from game to game for their twin towers. Most of their guards are combo or scoring guards not that true PG.
#7 Coach Rich Gutwein has inserted in 5’5 soph real PG Seve Moreno into the starting line up and it is helping them get into their offense better recently.
#8 Deer Valley has a nice group of guards overall in the program from freshman on up to the senior class. If their forwards can compliment their guards, they may surprise some teams in the playoffs.
#9 Deer Valley’s recent transfer from Michigan, John Gaines, will help them down the stretch in the regular season.
#10 Here were the Varsity standouts:
Deer Valley 63 Estrella Foothills 49
Jalen James PG 6’0 2020 Deer Valley
-A high IQ pure PG with real range on his 3pt shot. He has a pretty stroke and he elevates high on it. He has some sneaky bounce and makes good reads to teammates. He can defend his man and is a team first player.
James is the lone top senior guard on DV and leads by example.Jackson Leyba SG 6’0 2021 Deer Valley
-A strong scoring guard has really polished up his skills. He has always been strong getting downhill but is now adding moves and keeps developing. He has more range on his jumper and can rise up and shoot it from mid-range. He still uses his strength to rebound the ball but his added skill is making him a better prospect.
Leyba will be a key piece to the Skyhawks success in the playoffs.John Gaines CG 6’2 2021 Deer Valley (Pictured)
-An uber athletic combo guard who moved in from Michigan was impressive. He is a good passer and is arguably the fastest and most athletic junior in the AIA. He has a quick handle with a real burst to get into the lane. He turns the corner in the blink of an eye and finishes off plays before the shot blockers have a chance to get to him. He has very good lateral quickness and can hit the 3pt shot. He will need to quicken his shot release but he’s a pleasant surprise from out of state. This was only his third game this season.
Josh Fletcher SF 6’2 2021 Estrella Foothills
-A nice inside out offensive threat brings good physicality to his game. His jumper is improving as he is getting older and has good strength to score it through contact. He has a knack for getting to the FT line and he compliments the two bigs well.
Noah Amenhauser C 6’9 2023 Estrella Foothills
-An old school big keeps getting taller by the month it seems. He has impeccable post footwork for his age and can face-up comfortably from mid-range. He has huge hands and big size 19 shoes. He is a good two handed rebounder and runs the floor well. He isn’t explosive yet but understands the game and shows good upside.
Jeffrey Goodere C 6’10 2021 Estrella Foothills
-A slender true big who is very fluid. He moves well up the court and he is very light on his toes to block shots and hedge. He rebounds decently in his area but he will have to get stronger moving forward. He has a nice touch on his jumper and he can use hook shots plus fall-away from his defender and score it. He seems to like the mid-range game.