Rising Junior Stars: 2022 Standouts

The Arizona girls’ preps hoops outlook has some outstanding players for the class of 2022. In fact, two schools have two players each as rising junior stars. One high school is Salpointe Catholic in Tucson which boasts guards [player_tooltip player_id="214584" first="Kylee" last="Callahan"] and [player_tooltip player_id="214593" first="Tessa" last="Hasting"]. The other is Kelsey Erickson and [player_tooltip player_id="214599" first="Halle" last="Bryan"], both juniors at Shadow Ridge High school in Surprise. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="214584" first="Kylee" last="Callahan"]</strong> – a 5-7 guard for Salpointe Catholic, she also plays for the Tucson Rattlers AAU 17U team as well as Salpointe’s track and field team. Her footwork and fluidity are impressive and she shows a good understanding of the game. Kylee is also competitive and a gamer and works well without the ball. She also understands how to establish tempo and has added an effective jumper out to the 3-point line. Salpointe Catholic will be one of the better teams in the state this year and Kylee will be a large part of their success. Last year she led the Lancers in assists and steals and was second in scoring as a sophomore. She is hard-working, tough-nosed, versatile and skilled and made second team all-region last year (4A Kino). “She is an outstanding student with a 3.9 GPA,” said her coach, Joe Luevano. “She is also taking advanced courses and wants to major in bio-medicine. Kylee is also an outstanding leader and sets an example for the other players. She is also an excellent defender and normally plays the best guard on the opposing team.” <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="214593" first="Tessa" last="Hasting"]</strong> – a 5-10 guard also at Salpointe Catholic, she can also play shooting guard and point forward. A transfer from Tanque Verde High School, Tessa averaged 7.9 points per game as a freshman on a team that went 23-8. She made the southern Arizona All-Freshman team while at TVHS and that year also made the Arizona Scholar All-Academic team with a weighted 4.06 GPA. “She, like Kylee, is a gym rat, plays on the same club team and both are team captains, "said Coach Luevano. “She is a very confident player, a 4.0 student, and has the leadership ability to pick her teammates up and bring them along.” &nbsp; <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="214597" first="Sunday" last="Leopoldo"]</strong> – is a 5-9 forward who plays for Coach Vince Lombardi at Cholla High School. She was Player of the Game eight times between 2018-2020 and averaged 16.9 points per game as a sophomore, eighth-best in the state. “She really has been under the radar,” said Coach Lombardi. “Her parents are African and she has a long body. Sunday handles and shoots the ball very well and was the regional Defensive Player of the Year last winter.” “Sunday is a three-year varsity starter and sees the floor well,’ said Coach Lombardi. “She is also a straight A student and enrolled in an advanced academic program. A hard-working rebounder, Sunday is a quiet leader that can always be counted on.” &nbsp; <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="214591" first="Syrene" last="Sanders"]</strong> – is a 5-5 guard from Cactus Shadow High School who led her team in assists and steals as a sophomore. Last winter Cactus Shadow finished with an overall 27-5 record and 12-0 in their region. As a freshman and sophomore, Syrene has played in a total of 59 games, averaging 6.4 points per game, 2.6 assists per game and 2.1 steals per game. More importantly, she gives up only 2.6 turnovers per game. Syrene also plays for Lady Nation Basketball. She has a reputation of being lightning quick with an outstanding basketball IQ. Syrene can finish with either hand, sets up her teammates at both ends of the floor, shoots the mid-range jumper and three-ball well, and passes well in transition. &nbsp; <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="214600" first="Kelsey" last="Ericksen"]</strong> – is a 5-5 guard from Shadow Ridge High school in Surprise and plays for Coach James Nyman. Kelsey made the All-Academic Girls team with a 4.33 weighted GPA. She won Player of the Game a total of six times over the 2019-2020 season and was named to the Regional first team as a sophomore. “She is very dedicated to the game,” says Coach Nyman. :She understands the game, has a strong basketball IQ, dribbles well and creates space. Kelsey also is a good defender and has stepped up as a vocal leader.” &nbsp; <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="214599" first="Halle" last="Bryan"]</strong> – is a 5-8 guard who came to Arizona from Oklahoma last year. She also plays for Coach Nyman at Shadow Ridge High School. “She has improved her three-point game as well as her mid-range jump shot, “said Coach Nyman. “She has definitely leadership instincts, is a good defensive player and also, like Kelsey Erickson, an outstanding student.”