Region Preview: 5A Desert West
The Desert West region was primarily a three team race last year with Agua Fria and Deer Valley leading the way. This year, there appears to be quite a bit of separation between the 1-2 and 3-6. With that said, there are always teams who put in a lot of work in the off-season and surprise people. With that said, the guard play of Agua Fria and Deer Valley will set them apart in this region.
Region Preview: 5A Desert West
1. Deer Valley
Although losing hurts, sometimes it takes losing to appreciate winning. Deer Valley got bounced early from the state tournament last year. However, they bring back the vast majority of their core. Further, they have plenty of young talent that has matured and will be ready to compete. Deven Breckner is one of the most fundamentally sound guards in the state, and he will primarily be running the show in the backcourt. In addition to Breckner, Bryce Davis will man the middle. When the big man gets going, he is tough to handle. He has improved his shot as well as his ball handling skills. Also, look for huge improvements from Jaret Allen and Brandon Savage. This group is long and athletic.
DJ McNeal Agua Fria2. Agua Fria
Agua Fria is going to have to adjust to life without Bryce Fowler. Fowler was easily one of the most underrated players in the state despite making it to an NCAA Division-I school. Although this will be a tough transition, Agua Fria still has enough firepower to make a run at winning this region title. DJ McNeal will run the show and have more of an opportunity to show what he is able to do scorin the basketball. McNeal is one of the most underrated shooters in the state and has savvy instincts. Further, he is tough defensively and gets on the glass well. In addition to McNeal, Agua Fria will be relying on another backcourt player, Daniel Foster. Foster is a knockdown shooter who has improved his ability to get to the rim. When he gets into a rhythm, he can be extremely dangerous. With that said, role players will need to step up in a big way in order for this team to have the same kind of success they had last year.
3. Verrado
Three through six in this region are fairly interchangable. Verrado looked poised to have a really strong group coming back, but transfers changed that greatly. With that said, they should still be competitive with leadership and scoring coming from Jacob Cunningham and Jacob DeLaTorre. Two areas that this group will have to improve in is their ability to rebound and protect the paint.
5A Desert West: Other Key Contibutors
4. Goldwater
Key Contributors: Jarrell McConney, Tim Yoder, Myles Malachesen
5. Lake Havasu
Key Contributors: Abraham Rodriguez and Steven Kornowski
6. Desert Edge
Key Contributors: Emari Jones and Peter Ndoma-Ogar