6A Preseason Team Rankings

The 6A Conference is probably the most wide open and deepest group of talented teams from top to bottom. Multiple teams have a legitimate chance to take the trophy.

The East Valley has been ruling recently with CDS and Mesa but the West Side crew of Millennium, La Joya, Westview and Valley Vista plus Chavez and Central may play the spoiler this year for some top tier teams.

There are 41 schools in 6A and here are my preseason rankings for the 2016-2017 season.

#1 Corona del Sol-Coach Neil McDonald lost in his 1st year in the Elite-8 to runner-up Sunnyslope last year without Saben Lee (highlights) in the line up. Barcello and Tyrell Henderson almost pulled it off but fell short. This year, seniors Lee (Vandy commit) and Alex Barcello (highlights) (Arizona commit) form the best back court in the state and will be a force to deal with. They will be asked to probably score around 50 points a game and facilitate for others as well. Up front, seniors 6-foot-5 Shane Grier (shooter) and 6-foot-5 Seth McCollum (rebounder) and 6-foot-3 SF Josh Onwordi (athlete) will be asked to control the glass. Then the guards 5-foot-10 senior CG Jordan Guy, 6-foot-1 junior SG Melek Alexander and freshman 5-foot-11 CG Eric Blackwell and 6-foot-2 W Dalen Terry will all need to provide compliment scoring for the dynamic duo. The team will mainly be an all perimeter team but it won’t be the first or last time that has happened and the Aztecs could make it happen.

#2 Desert Vista-Coach Gino Crump comes over from Casa Grande where he had a very successful season last year. He moves up a level and is blessed with a talented roster. Starting off with two stud seniors with 6-foot-5 Caleb Simmons (do it all wing) and 6-foot-5 Noah Baumann (shooter-San Jose State commit). Throw in the best size in the state with juniors 6-foot-11 C Steele Bennett (skilled), 6-foot-8 PF Christian Anigwe (length/rebounder), 6-foot-6 F Wesley Harris (athlete/rebounder) and 6-foot-6 F Jaden Rollins (shooter). Teams will have trouble matching up with all their size, but the key to going very far in the playoffs may be their two 2018 PGs in 5-foot-10 Alijah Gammage (ball handler/defensive stud) and 6-foot-1 Duane Miller (ball handler/scorer). They were runner ups in the state finals two years ago and only Simmons had the opportunity with having that experience. They will need to lean on his leadership skills and talents to take the Thunder all the way.

#3 Brophy Prep-Coach Matt Hooten has a veteran team with much size led by the Dunn brothers. Senior 6-foot-9 C Sean Dunn (rebounder/tough-Point Loma commit) and junior 6-foot-8 PF Conor Dunn (rebounder/springs). Throw in bigger guard/forwards in senior 6-foot-4 Matthew Kempton (rugged driver), 6-foot-6 junior Jaxson Baker (shooter) and 6-foot-4 junior PG Ian Burke (distributer/shooter) and you will have a tough time out rebounding this team. They also have another talented senior with 5-foot-9 PG Carlos Saucedo (ball handler). Lastly, a couple other senior shooters off the bench who could spark the team are 6-foot-1 Ryan Meza and 6-foot-2 Drew Shear which will make the Broncos an extremely deep, talented and older team which is always a recipe for success.

#4 Red Mountain-Coach Todd Fazio gets the most significant transfer of the year. He will have to sit out the first 8 games but 6-foot-5 junior star SF Timmy Allen (highlights) makes this team a true contender immediately. Allen has the ability to take over a game with playmaking, scoring and rebounding. Senior back court mates of 6-foot-3 SG Jacob Ries (shooter) and 5-foot-9 PG Andres Mayberry (shooter) will love playing off of Allen. Up front will be the vastly improved 6-foot-6 senior Chance Johns (skilled) and 6-foot-6 soph wide-body Andre Harris (physical rebounder/scorer). That five will compete with anyone in state. If a few players off the bench can contribute it will make the Mountain Lions even better.

#5 Chandler-Coach Ed Gibson is the newcomer in the East Valley who also has a talented and older group led by 6-foot-6 junior stud SF Tevian Jones. Jones scores the ball so effortless taking pressure off the entire roster. 5-foot-9 senior PG Jalen Gibson-Starks (speed/defender/slasher) and 6-foot-1 soph PG Vean Simon (long defender) will arguably be the top defensive guards in the conference. Add in shooters 6-foot junior AJ Howard, 6-foot soph Adrian Chandler and 5-foot-7 senior PG Brandon Thompson and you have some nice depth at guard. Junior 6-foot-1 guard Mike Anderson comes over from Hamilton and will sit out via the AIA transfer rule and should provide some help late in the year. They have a couple bigs up front who will need to chip in with 6-foot-4 junior Mason Mullins (shooter), 6-foot-6 soph Takari Fields (rebounder), 6-foot-4 junior Elijah Burden (rebounder/elite athlete) and 6-foot-4 senior Reese McKinnis (physical rebounder). Hopefully the new coach from Chicago can get the Wolves working in the right direction.

#6 Cesar Chavez-Coach Gary Lee is blessed with talented guards who can take over games at any time. It starts with 6-foot senior leader Donald Carter. Carter can score from all three levels and light up the scoreboard plus get his teammates involved. Junior 6-foot-1 PG Michael Rogers is arguably the strongest guard in the state and will be a problem to handle. Throw in athletic seniors 6-foot-7 C De’Mond Hart (shot blocker), 6-foot-3 PF Malik Porter (shot blocker/rebounder) and 6-foot-4 W Nick Morris (shooter) to bring some toughness. Then they have some depth at the guard spot with 5-foot-9 junior SG Joseph Samaniego (deep shooter), 5-foot-10 soph PG Artin Quinones (ball handler) & 5-foot-10 frosh PG Marquize Banks (speed). He also got two Carl Hayden transfers that have to sit with juniors 6-foot-6 C/PF Isaac Williams (inside scorer/rebounder) and 6-foot-2 F Kaleb Martin (strong). If Lee can get all these talented prospects playing together, he can take the Champions to the Final-4.

#7 Basha-Coach Michael Grothaus has a nice core group that’s been playing together for a couple of years. Senior star 6-foot-6 PF Gabe McGlothan (Navy commit) leads the way with his rebounding and strength inside plus his newfound weapon, the 3pt shot. They have some other seniors who will contribute in a big way with 6-foot-3 SG Terrell Brown (athlete/defender), 6-foot SG Nico Daal (shooter), 6-foot-5 PF Coleson Struhs (shooter) and 5-foot-10 PG Austin Picarello (shooter). Then a couple of juniors will add much needed depth to the team with 6-foot-4 W Brennen Davis (do-it-all player/defender) and 5-foot-7 PG Bryan Baptiste (fast ball-handler). Davis will need to be a big part of the team for the long term success with his versatility to defending many positions and handing the ball as well to lead the Bears far in the playoffs.

#8 Pinnacle-Coach Charles Wilde has the deepest group of guards in the state. It starts with dynamic 6-foot-1 freshman PG Nico Mannion (highlights). Mannion is a rare freshman that can change games with his ability to score plus set the table for his team. They also have four talented sophs all capable of hurting their opponent any given night. Leading that charge will be 5-foot-11 PG Trent Brown (distributer/shooter), 6-foot-4 SG Jordan Mains (shooter), 6-foot-1 SG Spencer Rattler (athlete/shooter) and 5-foot-9 SG CJ Nnorom (shooter). Up front they have a couple players capable including 6-foot-7 junior F Mason Johnson (shooter) and 6-foot-5 PF Connor Hutchings (rebounder). Wilde finds a balance of inside and out and he could make a deep run for this predominately younger Pioneers team.

#9 Hamilton-Coach Doug Harris has built this team from the ground up. He now has some nice stabilizing players in the program who work hard and buy into what he wants. And that is playing defense. Almost all of his players are long and athletic. Seniors 6-foot-5 F Jimmy Smith (athlete), 6-foot-4 F Tyler Whiteside (athlete) plus juniors 6-foot-4 SG Rashad Smith (scorer/defender) and 6-foot-6 PF Thane Hunter (rebounder) all like to play defense. They also have scorers in 6-foot-5 junior PF Zach Anderson (shooter) and 5-foot-11 CG Tyson Brown (shooter/scorer) making the Huskies a challenging team to play against.

#10 MTV--Coach Gary Ernst has mostly a senior group with a couple youngsters who will chip in. Seniors 6-foot-4 SF Nick Sessions (skilled scorer), 6-foot-1 PG Matt Clark (defender), 6-foot-2 SG Jared Finkenkeller (physical scorer) and 6-foot-2 W Jake Reeb (defender). Plus ‘18 6-foot-2 SG Cooper Richeson (shooter) & ‘19 6-foot-4 F Zach Lyons (physical scorer). A key may be a football player who may or may not take the court this season. 6-foot-8 C Curtis Hodges hasn’t decided if he will play this season or not. If he does join the team, it will give them a legitimate post defender and rebounder. If not, they will play small ball and defend at a high level and then they will do what they do well as always to make Ernst system difficult to defend for the Toros.

10 other schools of note with top players:

Central--’17s 6-foot-5 F Jaquan Butler, 6-foot-5 PF Buka Mbegbu, 6-foot-2 SG Terry Gardner, 6-foot-5 C Micah Vanterpool & 5-foot-11 PG Teancum Davis.

Sunnyside-’18 6-foot-8 PF Nikc Jackson & ‘17s 5-foot-7 PG Mikey Silva and 6-foot-6 C Santino Duarte.

Perry--’17s 6-foot-7 PF Jake Schulte, 6-foot-4 SG Blake Williams, 6-foot-5 F Rayjhan Billingsluy & ‘19 5-foot-10 PG Jalen Williams.

Millennium--’17s 6-foot-7 PF Morningstar Takapu, 6-foot-4 F Calvin Schmitz, 5-foot-8 PG Habib Arogundade & 5-foot-10 PG Keeshaun Cobb.

Mesa--’17 6-foot-3 F DJ Henderson, 6-foot-5 PF Antonio Barraza & ‘18 6-foot-1 PG Mark Hatch.

Mountain Ridge-’17s 6-foot-7 SF Jared Rodriguez & 6-foot-6 SF Saikou Gueye.

Gilbert--’17’s 6-foot-5 F CJ Waters, 6-foot-1 SG Steve Newendyke and 6-foot-2 SG Caden Towt.

Desert Ridge--’17s 6-foot-2 CG Keith Holmes, 6-foot PG Kyle Klaus, 6-foot-6 PF/C Ethan Smith, 6-foot-7 PF Billy Jordan, 6-foot-4 F Jalen Harris & ‘20 6-foot-8 PF Jason Harris.

Westview--17's 6-foot-6 F Brenden Van Dyke, 5-foot-10 PG Josh Tafoya, 6-foot-4 F Jon Jamison & '19 6-foot-3 CG D'Maurian Williams.

Horizon--’17 5-foot-10 PG John Henry Walsh, ‘19 6-foot-1 CG Aidyn Albright & ‘17 6-foot-8 PF Jake Hess.

Sleeper team:

La Joya--'17's 6-foot-1 CG Tre Mitchell, 5-foot-10 PG Malique Collins & 6-foot-2 CG Quincy Smith

Preseason Watch Lists:

10 POY candidates:

6-foot-5 Jr W Timmy Allen--RM

6-foot-2 Sr PG Alex Barcello--CDS

6-foot-5 Sr SG Noah Baumann--DV

6-foot Sr PG Donald Carter--Chavez

6-foot-2 Sr CG Tre Mitchell--La Joya

6-foot-6 Jr SF Tevian Jones--Chandler

6-foot-2 Sr PG Saben Lee--CDS

6-foot-6 Sr PF Gabe McGlothan--Basha

6-foot-7 Sr SF Jared Rodriguez--MR

6-foot-5 Sr W Caleb Simmons--DV

11 Breakout candidates:

6-foot-6 So PF Andre Harris--RM

6-foot-8 Fr PF Jason Harris--DR

6-foot-8 Sr PF Jake Hess--Horizon

6-foot-2 Sr SG Chris Holloway--Skyline

6-foot-8 Jr PF Nikc Jackson--SS

6-foot-6 Sr PF Theron Long-Dobson

6-foot-1 Fr PG Nico Mannion--Pinnacle

6-foot-4 Sr SF Nick Sessions--MTV

6-foot-6 Sr F Brenden Van Dyke--Westview

6-foot-5 Sr PF CJ Waters--Gilbert

6-foot-3 So CG D’Maurian Williams--Westview

10 DPOY candidates:

5-foot-8 Sr PG Habib Arogundade--Millennium

5-foot-10 Jr PG Alijah Gammage--DV

5-foot-9 Sr PG Jalen Gibson-Starks--Chandler

6-foot-5 Jr W Brennen Davis--Basha

6-foot-2 Sr CG Keith Holmes--DR

6-foot-2 Sr PG Saben Lee--CDS

6-foot-6 Sr PF Gabe McGlothan--Basha

6-foot-3 Sr F Malik Porter--Chavez

6-foot-5 Sr W Caleb Simmons--DV

6-foot-2 Sr SG Caden Towt--Gilbert

Here are the individual Region rankings:

Region-1 (Metro)

1. Cesar Chavez

2. Central

3. Trevor Browne

4. North

5. Maryvale

6. Alhambra

Region-2 (Desert Valley)

1. Pinnacle

2. Mountain Ridge

3. Horizon

4. Desert Mountain

5. Boulder Creek

6. SDO

Region-3 (Southwest)

1. Millennium

2. La Joya

3. Westview

4. Valley Vista

5. Copper Canyon

6. Tolleson

Region-4 (East Valley)

1. Red Mountain

2. MTV

3. Mesa

4. Skyline

5. Dobson

6. Westwood

Region-5 (Southern)

1. Sunnyside

2. Tucson

3. Rincon

4. Cibola

5. Kofa

6. San Luis

Region-6 (Premier)

1. Brophy Prep

2. Chandler

3. Basha

4. Hamilton

5. Perry

Region-7 (Central)

1. Corona del Sol

2. Desert Vista

3. Gilbert

4. Desert Ridge

5. Highland

6. Mountain Pointe

My 16 projected playoff teams:

Region winners get a ticket to the Conf Play-In game if they are not a top-8 seed.

1. CDS--Region winner

2. DV

3. Brophy--Region winner

4. Chandler

5. Chavez--Region winner

6. Red Mtn--Region winner

7. Basha

8. Pinnacle--Region winner

9. Hamilton

10. MTV

11. Central

12. Sunnyside--Region winner

13. Perry

14. Millennium--Region winner

15. Mesa

16. Mountain Ridge

8 that may lose in the Conference Play-In games:

17. Gilbert

18. Desert Ridge

19. La Joya

20. Westview

21. Horizon

22. Highland

23. Valley Vista

24. Desert Mountain