Fear the Hop: Top Underclassmen/Newcomers
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On Wednesday, November 24th I attended the Fear the Hop Tournament at Mesa HS in Mesa, AZ. Here were the results of the eight games I viewed: Westwood 42 Agua Fria 39 Westview 65 Shadow Mountain 37 …
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Continue ReadingOn Wednesday, November 24th I attended the Fear the Hop Tournament at Mesa HS in Mesa, AZ.
Here were the results of the eight games I viewed:
Westwood 42
Agua Fria 39
Westview 65
Shadow Mountain 37
Dysart 78
Apache Junction 14
Hamilton 60
Mesquite 57
Kellis 82
Washington 61
McClintock 83
Boulder Creek 69
Mesa 63
Buena 52
Desert Mountain 65
Campo Verde 61
Here were some of the underclassmen/newcomers that stood out:
Underclassmen:
Jai Anthoni Bearden Jai Anthoni Bearden 6'6" | SF Sunnyslope | 2024 State AZ Kellis (Pictured left)
A long defensive forward is a plus athlete and plays hard. He rebounds in and out of his area and is developing as a nice passer. He did a rare windmill dunk on the break.
Cohen Ferguson Cohen Ferguson 6'1" | SG Campo Verde | 2024 State AZ Campo Verde
A thick and stronger build/framed guard is a catch 3pt shooter. He loves using runners and floaters. He uses his strength to absorb contact and score it. He makes good decisions and plays within the offense. He can pull-up off the dribble from mid-range.
TayVion Wilson TayVion Wilson 6'0" | PG Sandra Day O'Connor | 2025 State AZ Kellis (Pictured right)
A quick undersized scoring lead guard. He has deep range and gets his shot off in a blink of an eye. He dribbles it well with his right or left hand and throws quick passes to teammates. He plays the game with good pace and from the neck up.
Newcomers:
Jaxon Johnson Jaxon Johnson 6'0" | SG Westwood | 2022 State AZ Westwood
A highly skilled undersized scoring guard. He can shoot it from mid to the 3pt line and he utilizes the floater game. He is best off the catch but can create a little for himself with a decent handle. He scored 18 points including a game winning mid-range jumper.
Desean Strong Desean Strong 6'6" | C McClintock | 2022 State AZ McClintock
A big wide shoulder post player rebounds, runs the court and sets strong picks. The lefty can score it from elbow and in and has a polished dominant hand hook shot. His physicality in the middle allows the rest of the team to go to their natural positions.
Nigel Anderson Nigel Anderson 6'5" | SF Dysart | 2024 State AZ Dysart
A younger brother of Darius Anderson Darius Anderson 6'5" | SF Dysart | 2023 State AZ is good down low with strong hands. He scores it easily inside with his length. He is active on the glass and will take long strides to the basket plus is a fluid athlete. He moves his feet quickly to defend and is a good athlete to dunk it. He will challenge his opponents to block shots.
Kye Brown Kye Brown 6'4" | PF Dysart | 2024 AZ Dysart
A long and strong four-man can face-up a little and score it inside. He is a little raw but shows promise. He has a decent FT touch. He has stronger wider shoulders to bang inside and will block shots near the basket.
Josiah Hollmon Josiah Hollmon 6'3" | SF AZ Compass Prep | 2025 State AZ Shadow Mountain
A long and muscular freshman forward who moves well up the court. He is a little rough around the edges, but he can score it near the rim. He has a few moves he can use and handles it decently in the open court. He rebounds well in his area and shows upside for the Matadors.