Pangos Best of AZ League: Blazers standouts Week 1
Thursday night I went to Skyline Prep to view the Pangos Best of Arizona League ran by Dinos Trigonis of CA. He has 8 talented teams of 8-10 players on each team. (Some were out of town in CA and…
Access all of Prep Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingThursday night I went to Skyline Prep to view the Pangos Best of Arizona League ran by Dinos Trigonis of CA.
He has 8 talented teams of 8-10 players on each team. (Some were out of town in CA and didn’t attend this week).
And they will be competing for around 3 weeks on Tuesday and Thursday nights. Each team plays once a night and eventually every team will play each team once.
I will review all 8 teams’ standouts this week.
Let’s start with the Blazers:
DaRon Holmes II PF 6’8 2021 (Montverde Academy)
-Before he takes off to Florida, Holmes is playing in this league and he’s showing everyone he is definitely worthy of the big time prep school. His skill is higher then most forwards in his class and he is polished from mid to the 3pt line. He gets high elevation and keeps his hands high. His versatility on defense makes him even more attractive. He can defend in space plus down low in the paint vs bigger players. He can push the rock in transition and make a play for himself or others. He doesn’t normally drive it through contact, but he efficiently shoots it from the perimeter or pulls-up off the dribble. A smart player who will be able to pick almost any school in the country he wants.
Nate Pickens Nate Pickens 6'3" | CG Az Compass | 2022 State AZ (Paradise Honors) (Pictured)
-You wonder sometimes how players will come out of this quarantine-world/off season we have been living in and the older Pickens showed he’s been working on his game. He took over the game in the 1st half essentially on his own to give his team a big cushion. He shot the cover off the ball with 5 shots from deep plus he can create his own shot off the dribble to shoot it from mid-range. He is a smart passer/play-maker but it is so easy putting the ball in the hole that he scores more often then passes. He’s defensively sound and gives effort on both ends of the court.
Garrett Levesque SF 6’5 2021 (Coronado/El Paso/TX)
-The Texas product was the pleasant surprise of the league on Day 1. He is extremely skilled and plays hard. He rebounds the ball at a good rate and play physically during the course of a game and shows a motor. He plays every possession like its his last. He plays smart, fearless and you combine that with his skill level, he will make some noise in HS next season.
Levesque will be moving to CA for his senior season.Gabe Pickens Gabe Pickens 6'0" | PG Dream City Christian | 2024 State AZ (Paradise Honors)
-The incoming freshman has a lot to like for the future. Fist thing that jumps out at you is how hard he plays. He also is a little different from his brother, as he is more of that old school pure PG early on in his playing career. He can hit the open jumper but loves attacking the basket and kicking it to an open shooter. He was their lone freshman but played like a savvy vet. It is hard to take the ball from him and he’ll most likely lead his HS team his sophomore season when Jalen Scott Jalen Scott 6'3" | PG Paradise Honors | 2021 State AZ graduates.
The younger Pickens is another talent from the family.Cade Bennett SG 6’0 2022 (Campolindo)
-A lefty shooter from the perimeter. He is a smart player and plays conservatively around the court. He solely takes high percentage shots and moves smartly without the ball. Once he has space, he lets it fly and gets a good look at the basket.