Welcome to the Jungle: Top Underclassmen
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On Friday November 26th I attended the Welcome to the Jungle tournament at Gilbert HS in Gilbert, AZ. Here were the results of the four games I viewed: 7th place game: Desert Ridge 50 Chandler 37 5th place…
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Continue ReadingOn Friday November 26th I attended the Welcome to the Jungle tournament at Gilbert HS in Gilbert, AZ.
Here were the results of the four games I viewed:
7th place game:
Desert Ridge 50
Chandler 37
5th place game:
Pinnacle 55
Mesa Mountain View 50
3rd place game:
Valley Vista 60
Corona del Sol 52
1st place game:
Gilbert 51
Perry 45
Here were some of the underclassmen that stood out:
2024’s
Braylon Johnson Braylon Johnson 6'7" | PF Pinnacle | 2024 State AZ Pinnacle (Pictured)
A long forward has a nice handle and takes long strides to the basket. He moves well around the court and has that baby face still and looks to be still growing like his two older brothers (Cameron Johnson/Puff Johnson). He can defend a few positions from the 3-5 and has a pretty stroke to the 3pt line.
Ezias Steffen Ezias Steffen 6'4" | SF AZ Compass Prep | 2024 State AZ Chandler
A scoring wing forward can score it from all three levels. He can hit the 3-ball and score it inside. He can dribble drive and score with pro hops and euros. He uses his thicker frame to rebound the ball at a nice clip for his size.
Preston Lee Preston Lee 6'0" | PG Orange Lutheran | 2024 State CA-S Corona del Sol
A tough on-ball defender and facilitator. His physicality bothers many players and his distributing has really improved in the last year. He loves getting into the lane and he may end up being one of the leaders of the team.
Angelo Jones SG 5’11 2024 Desert Ridge
A young scoring guard for the Jaguars can shoot it from mid to the 3pt line plus use the floater. He is quick in the lane using a burst and good laterally on defense.
2025’s
Koa Peat Koa Peat 6'8" | PF Perry | 2025 State #6 Nation AZ Perry
A highly talented freshman showed off most of his skills. He has a stronger frame to score it inside plus he can hit the catch-3. He creates his own shot and will score it in traffic. He also showed off his athleticism with a poster dunk. What impressed me was how well he moves on the perimeter for his size. The top-rated freshman locally backed it up.
Jordan Lee Jordan Lee 5'9" | PG Santa Margarita | 2025 CA-S Corona del Sol
The freshman changed the game with his motor and effort. He can hit catch-3’s and score on difficult layups in traffic. He made an impressive pull-up off dribble from the 3pt line to close out the 1st quarter at the buzzer. His main skill is his on-ball defense. He moves his feet so quickly and he is tenacious with his effort.
Nolan Brown Nolan Brown 5'9" | PG Perry | 2025 State AZ Perry
A jet quick pure PG is undersized but he has a tight handle and a burst to get into the lane. He can hit the 3 and he can defend on the ball. He has quick feet and hands to be a pest.