10 observations from Centennial at Sunrise Mountain
On Tuesday night I attended the 5A Centennial Coyotes at 5A Sunrise Mountain Mustangs. Here were 10 observations from the three games I viewed: #1 Sunrise Mountain freshman group will help their varsity next year and have a few…
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Continue ReadingOn Tuesday night I attended the 5A Centennial Coyotes at 5A Sunrise Mountain Mustangs.
Here were 10 observations from the three games I viewed:
#1 Sunrise Mountain freshman group will help their varsity next year and have a few possible future studs.
#2 One freshman from Sunrise Mountain stood out in the freshman game.
Dalton Graham Dalton Graham 6'7" | SF Sunrise Mountain | 2023 State AZ SF 6’2 2023 Sunrise Mountain
-A cerebral shooting forward with a nice looking stroke. He has a quick trigger and is a confident player. He hit two clutch deep 3pt shots in the 4th.
#3 One freshman stood out from Centennial in the freshman game.
Zach Engels CG 5’9 2023 Centennial
-A consistent shooter and high IQ player. He has a nice spin on the ball and has a good approach to the game. He has a decent handle and can get into the lane.
#4 One freshman stood out from Centennial in the JV game.
Cristian Depue Cristian Depue 6'7" | PF Centennial | 2023 AZ PF 6’7 2023 Centennial
-Long and skinny face-up 4-man that can shoot the 3 plus post up. He has a drop step move and rebounds plus block shots. He runs decently and has big feet. The more fluid and stronger he gets, he will advance his game quickly.
#5 One soph stood out from Sunrise Mountain in the JV game.
Marcus Jones Marcus Jones 6'1" | CG Sunrise Mountain | 2022 State AZ CG 6’1 2022 Sunrise Mountain
-A top-tier defender with great length. A quick-twitch type of athlete that plays as their PG. He is a good facilitator but can keep improving his feel for the game. He is active with blocks, steals and moves his feet better than most I have scouted this year from his class. He can hit the catch-3 and drive it with a nice burst of speed.
Varsity game:
#6 Centennial has a nice young core of players that will hang with anyone in the state. Five of their top seven players are sophs or younger.
#7 Trent Lavender is unfortunately out for the year. A big loss for the Coyotes.
#8 Sunrise Mountain has great size but needs more consistent guard play to advance deep in the playoffs.
#9 Both teams will make the playoffs and pose a threat to make some noise in the playoffs.
#10 Here were the Varsity standouts:
Centennial 57 Sunrise Mountain 55
Colin Carey Colin Carey 6'6" | SF Sunrise Mountain | 2021 State AZ SF 6’6 2021 Sunrise Mountain
-Highly skilled bigger wing forward. He shoots the ball with range and springs up quickly to dunk the ball impressively. He likes the pull-up off the dribble from mid-range and his ball handling is improving. He also is moving his feet better and is defending the 1-4.
Tanner Mayer Tanner Mayer 6'5" | PF Sunrise Mountain | 2020 State AZ PF 6’5 2020 Sunrise Mountain
-A strong face-up 4-man is very skilled. He can create a little offense for himself with a decent handle and shoot it from mid to the 3pt line. He rebounds well in his area and is a naturally tough player.
Carter Gittens Carter Gittens 6'5" | SF Sunrise Mountain | 2023 State AZ SF 6’3 2023 Sunrise Mountain
-A long and athletic wing who moves well with a great body. He only plays a small amount of minutes on varsity but just enough to catch a glimpse of his high upside.
Jaisheldon Yates PF 6’6 2021 Sunrise Mountain
-Huge post who is very nimble for his size. He has big hands and can catch balls out of his area for rebounds. He can shoot it a little from the 3pt line and likes working inside. He has a hook shot and defended in space well for his size/girth. He can keep improving but the transfer from Mississippi is a nice addition to the Mustangs.
Rafe Canale PG 5’10 2022 Sunrise Mountain
-A scoring lead guard is mostly looking to score it. He can shoot it from the 3pt line plus drive the lane with some quickness. He has a nice handle and will most likely be the starting Mustangs PG next year.
Brandon Taylor Brandon Taylor 6'3" | SG Sunrsie Mountain | 2020 State AZ SG 6’3 2020 Sunrise Mountain
-A thick scoring guard who plays the PG spot. He is more of a scorer but he does pass the ball well. He has an easy stroke from mid to the 3pt line. He shoots it quickly and can get it off on any opposing guard. He uses his body and height to his advantage.
Jayson Petty F 6’2 2022 Centennial
-An athletic forward who does most of the dirty work for the Coyotes. He is quick around the cup and defends in space. He gobbles up rebounds and is a step faster than most of the forwards he goes against.
Abe Rangel CG 5’10 2022 Centennial
-A natural scorer who gets downhill. He uses the floater game often and lives in the paint. He is a good passer and team player.
Jake Lifgren PG 5’11 2022 Centennial
-A great feel for the game and a good passer. He shoots the ball effortlessly and plays a cerebral game. He has become stronger in the last year and can absorb contact and score better. He has a nice floater game and is deadly off the catch from the perimeter. He changes speeds smartly to get the defense off balance. Can drive and kick it out to open shooters and he was very pivotal in the win.
Emery Young Emery Young 6'4" | SG Centennial | 2023 State AZ SG 6’2 2023 Centennial
-Young moves well without the ball. He can make a catch-3 and drive the lane. He is a good rebounder and active defender. He usually defends the best wing on the team most nights. He showed he can make a floater and has a nice first step. He carried the team to close out the game and get the win. He would be in that category of a “basketball player”. I am not 100% sure what his position will end up but he made plays all over the court!