10 observations from South at PV
On Tuesday night I attended the 5A South Mountain Jaguars at 5A Paradise Valley Trojans. Here were 10 observations from the three games I viewed: #1 South Mountain freshman class is one of the better groups I have seen…
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Continue ReadingOn Tuesday night I attended the 5A South Mountain Jaguars at 5A Paradise Valley Trojans.
Here were 10 observations from the three games I viewed:
#1 South Mountain freshman class is one of the better groups I have seen this year.
#2 One freshman from PV stood out in the freshman game.
Kolin J. Vance Kolin J. Vance 6'5" | SF Paradise Valley | 2023 State AZ CG 5’11 2023 Paradise Valley
-Lefty guard who is fast and athletic. He gets up the court quickly with the ball and is a good defender in the passing lanes and on the ball.
#3 Three sophs stood out from PV in the JV game.
Ryan Vischer Ryan Vischer 6'11" | C Phhoenix Prep | 2023 State AZ C 6’9 2022 Paradise Valley
-Rebounds well in his area and keeps the ball high. Outlets the ball decently and moves well up the court. Has a nice touch on his shot for a big man and can extend it out to the 3pt line. His upside is obvious.
Max Ryan PF 6’5 2022 Paradise Valley
-A face-up 4-man who is a consistent perimeter shooter. He shoots the 3pt shot plus he can be a rugged rebounder inside the paint. He is a smart passer and always seems to make the correct basketball play and not take a bad shot. Ryan is another JV soph that may get some minutes on varsity next year.
Joseph Pompeo PG 5’11 2022 Paradise Valley
-Knock down shooter with range. A true floor spacer will help the Trojans next year on varsity with all their size to keep the defense honest. He has a quicker release and comes with a high IQ.
#4 Five freshman stood out from South in the freshman game.
Masaiah Binford Masaiah Binford 6'4" | SF Ascending Life Prep | 2023 State AZ SF 6’3 2023 South Mountain
-A tad raw but long and athletic. He is already dunking easily and plays the passing lanes with the best of them due to his length and quickness. He blocks shots and handles it decently plus rebounds well in area. Good shooting form on his jumper with a nice high release.
Shane Williams Shane Williams 6'6" | PF South Mountain | 2023 State AZ PF 6’5 2023 South Mountain
-A long rebounder who flies in the open court and is also already dunking like Binford. He tries blocking or altering everything near him. He can improve his handle in traffic but has impeccable timing blocking shots and moves fluidly around the court.
Quaryon Scott Quaryon Scott 6'3" | SF South Mountain | 2023 AZ SF 6’4 2023 South Mountain
-Athletic downhill prospect with good size for a freshman wing. He can post up a little and shoot it. He has good versatility and is another freshman that will impact the Jaguars varsity in the near future.
Christopher Arviso PG 6’1 2023 South Mountain
-Scoring lead guard has a good sense of awareness. He can score it from every level and he’s currently their teams leading scorer. He has good length and plays as their PG.
Dominic Najar SF 6’2 2023 South Mountain
-Big thick forward who can score it through contact. Handles it well for a forward and is a good passer. Knows how to use his body to his advantage.
#5 One junior stood out from South in the JV game.
Mason Thomas SG/CG 6’2 2021 South Mountain
-Super athletic and fast guard who flies in the open court. He loves getting downhill and can make plays for others. He will need to make strides with his perimeter shooting moving forward.
Varsity game:
#6 The South Mountain program has come a long way. Coaches Soria, Stinson and Hood are changing the entire culture of the program and it is paying off in wins and their future is just as bright as anyone in the state!
#7 The South Mountain soph and freshman class collectively is a top-5 group in state.
#8 The PV bigs are really good. Senior Giliberto is undervalued and Junior Demalek has nice upside.
#9 Both teams can make a Final-4 or at least Elite-8 runs. They both have enough size, shooting and players who can take over games.
#10 Here were the Varsity standouts:
South Mountain 48 Paradise Valley 39
Anthony Gilberto PF 6’8 2020 Paradise Valley
-The big man has an ultra quick shooting stroke and is a very good rebounder. He will block shots and is a smart passer. He is slowly putting the ball on the floor better and his catch shot is pure. He likes the elbow but he’s just as effective from the 3pt line. He boxes out well to rebound and just plays a cerebral type of game.
Moses Demalek Moses Demalek 6'7" | PF Paradise Valley | 2021 State AZ F 6’6 2021 Paradise Valley
-A versatile forward who can handle the ball well. He is very good at getting downhill using his thickness and long strides. He is a decent catch 3pt shooter and can rebound in and out of his area and take the ball the length of the court. He plays a little like a 3 or a stretch-4. He defends well in space/closes out quickly using his physical gifts and is good inside as well.
Isaiah Freeney Isaiah Freeney 6'0" | PG South Mountain | 2021 State AZ CG 6’0 2021 South Mountain
-A true combo guard who can really shoot it with deeper range. He seems almost automatic from the FT line. He loves the floater game and he is deceptively quick to defend his position. He is smart off the pick and roll plus hesitates smartly and although he may not be a super high assist player, you don’t see him turn the ball over very often.
Lareon “LJ” Ginnis PG 5’9 2022 South Mountain
-A blur in the open court and fearless. He attacks the basket and gets into the teeth of the defense despite his size and stature. He can make any contested layup with his left or right hand. His FT shooting is very good but interesting enough, he doesn’t attempt many perimeter jumpers.
Damarion Pouncil Damarion Pouncil 6'7" | PF South Mountain | 2022 CA-S C/PF 6’7 2022 South Mountain
-One of the top shot blockers in the state regardless of class. Unreal timing and seems to spring off the floor like a man possessed. Super long and quick twitched athlete. Not much of an offensive game yet besides a small hook shot and dunking the ball/layups but his FT shooting is decent and has huge upside.
DeOtis Nunn Jr CG 5’11 2022 South Mountain
-A smart scorer who is skilled. He changes speeds and has a nice pull-up from mid-range. He is a very good catch 3pt shooter and knows when to make plays for others or when to score it.