Arizona’s Summer Sizzle Standouts (pt. 1)

I was able to cover the Summer Sizzle in Phoenix, Arizona this weekend and came away with some noteworthy observations and takeaways from a bevy of Arizona prospects. There were plenty of out-of-state teams at this one, so I was able to take more in-depth notes on the local girls as the focus was on just one team per viewing since it was local vs. non-local nearly every game, rather than watching two Arizona-based teams at once. Let's dive into part one of our standout performers from the Summer Sizzle. <hr /> <strong>Angelina Thiel</strong> (AZ Magic (Black), 2022) <strong><em> HS Team:</em> </strong>Canyon View High School Angelina was very impressive for the Magic and by far the most active player on the court in their first game against Bulldogs BB (2023) on Friday night. She is an excellent cutter that understands where to be off the ball. At one point, she had a nice sharp cut that led to a foul and two free throws off a pass from teammate Hannah Alvarez. I came away impressed with her passing and decision-making from the post. Standing at 6'0" she has good size and to go with her vision and quick-decision-making in those situations. She was all over the place defensively, helping her teammates and bothering her assignment as well on the ball. Had a couple of steals that led to transition looks for her team and made nice outlet passes off said steals. Her greatest strength though was how active on the offensive glass she was. She had a nice putback off an offensive rebound after crashing the glass on a broken play. Two plays later, she grabbed another offensive rebound and got fouled which led to two more free throws. Had some excellent reads defensively, one for a block to close out the first half. Relentless defender. <strong>Saige Miller</strong> (AZ Swish, 2024) <em><strong>HS Team:</strong></em> Desert Ridge High School <p class="p1"><span class="s1">Miller is a six-footer that was extremely active on both ends of the floor throughout the Swish's run at the Summer Sizzle. She was constantly attacking the glass and not afraid to play physically which benefitted her team via a plethora of second-chance opportunities. Impressive rebounder instinctually. Saige did a nice job of staying vertical defensively, which is an underrated skill to have on the defensive side of the floor. </span></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1">Hit a deep catch-and-shoot three, the form on the shot was efficient and clean. Her size + high release point makes her shot very tough to block or contest.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> She has a chance to be a special two-way player as she progresses. She's definitely a prospect to keep an eye on moving forward.</span></span></p> <strong>Hannah Alvarez</strong> (AZ Magic (Black), 2023) <strong>HS Team:</strong> Horizon High School Alvarez is a 5'5" point guard that plays for Horizon High School. She ran the offense very well and under control while getting the team in sets or opting to push in transition. Plays with a good pace and has a plus handle. Hannah was the engine of the offense and a great communicator on both sides of the floor. Alvarez would settle for jumpers occasionally too early in the offense, but she does have a nice-looking jumper nonetheless. Played nearly the entire game, showed grit and fight despite her team trailing the entire way in the game I watched on Friday night. Excels in transition, had a creative euro step move to draw a foul and head to the line. Overall she's just a crafty player that can run an offense. <strong>Bryannae Robinson</strong> (MVP, 2021) <em><strong>HS Team:</strong> </em>Sierra Linda High School Robinson is a strong finisher that is able to carve out space inside and finish through contact. Fights through contact defensively as well, just a hard-nosed defender overall. She was very active and was able to get to the line on multiple occasions through her aggressive downhill attacking. I also thought she did a nice job drawing fouls by initiating contact on drives, she does not shy away from contact. The explosiveness off-the-bounce is what stood out the most when watching her play. Plays strong and hard on both ends and it showed throughout. <hr /> We have plenty of more coverage on the way from the Summer Sizzle so stay tuned!