Sophomore Centers Ready to Shine

Introduction: There are some outstanding sophomore centers in Arizona scheduled to graduate in 2025. Here is a look at five of them with two coming from the same school - Saguaro High School.   [player_tooltip player_id='558897' first='ALEXA' last='SIMPSON'] - is a 5-10 shooting forward/center for Saguaro High School in Scottsdale. To date. she is averaging 22.9 points a game to go along with 7.1 rebounds and 4.2 steals. In the calendar year 2022, Max Preps selected her as Player of the Game a total of eight different times. In November, against ALA, Alexa had a double-double of 34 points and 11 rebounds. Playing in 20 games as a freshman on the varsity, she averaged 10.1 points and 7.2 rebounds. Now, as a sophomore, she is shooting 53% from the floor. Also a softball player for the Sabercats, she batted .420 in 21 games as a freshman. For the week of December 12-18, she was nominated by WaFd as Arizona Girls Basketball Player of the Week for her performance against Poston Butte - she led both teams in scoring with 28 points and also had eight rebounds, two assists, and five steals.   EVALUATION: Alexa went from scoring 10 points a game as a freshman to 24.4 in the first nine games of 2022-23. She is an outstanding scorer whether it be driving the lane, hitting a perimeter jump shot, or scoring from beyond the three-point arc. She is also becoming an outstanding leader and has improved as a defender. She should be ready to have a breakout sophomore season.     [player_tooltip player_id='558946' first='MACKENZIE' last='BUCKNER'] - is a 6-0 power forward/center for Betty Fairfax High School. Through the early part of the 2022-2023 season, she is averaging 15 points per game, 8 rebounds, and 2.8 steals. With a win over Washington High School earlier in the season, she recorded a double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds. She did the same against Central High School with 20 points and 11 rebounds. Max Preps selected Mackenzie as Player of the Game against Alhambra when she was a freshman. Fairfax lost to Ironwood Ridge in last season's state tournament although she had 13 points and 14 rebounds in the game. She averaged 12.9 points and 10.4 rebounds as a freshman and was named Player of the Game on six separate occasions by Max Preps.   EVALUATION: Mackenzie is an amazing all-around player, both offensively and defensively. She has improved her scoring and rebounding transitioning from a strong freshman season to being a sophomore. She is also a tenacious defender and has improved her leadership skills, both off and on the court.     [player_tooltip player_id='530983' first='ERICA' last='MCGADNEY'] - is a 5-11 sophomore power forward/center for the Saguaro Sabercats. Through 11 games for the 2022-2023 season, she is averaging 11.1 points per game along with 5.2 rebounds and 5.4 steals. As a freshman, she played in 18 varsity games averaging 3.4 points and 1.9 rebounds. As of mid-December, Erica was ranked third in the state in steals. Saguaro finished 13-13 last year, losing in the AIA State Tournament to Paradise Honors, 82-57. She was nominated for the WaFd Arizona Girls Basketball Player of the Week for the period of December 5-11. She had a double-double in a December win over Desert Mountain with 16 points and 10 steals. In that game, she also recorded five rebounds, five assists, and a blocked shot.   EVALUATION: Erica is a 'steals machine' averaging over five per game and recording 10 in a game in early December. She is an outstanding defender with great lateral speed. After averaging 3.4 points a game as a freshman, she has improved her scoring average as a sophomore to 11.1 points per game. Erica is a vastly improved offensive player, both as a shooter and ball-handler.     [player_tooltip player_id='339067' first='JANESSA' last='BARCELLO'] - is a 5-11 sophomore center for Ridgeline Academy and her club team, GSA. She is the number one-ranked sophomore center in the state. At Gilbert's Prep Girls Hoops Expo 250 last October, she stood out as both a scorer and defender. Her long wingspan helps toward steals and deflections. She is a transfer from Millennium High School. One scout commented on Janessa: "She is an outstanding passer with a good mid-range jump shot and also hits from beyond the arc. She is both scrappy and versatile and makes her teammates better. On the defensive end is where she shines, hustling on every defensive set."   EVALUATION: Janessa is an outstanding all-around player and she should have a great sophomore, junior, and senior year at Ridgeline Academy. A transfer from Millennium High School, she excels on defense because of her athleticism and versatility which makes all of her teammates better. A tremendous passer on offense, she has improved her shooting from both the perimeter and beyond the arc and is only going to get better.     [player_tooltip player_id='530980' first='AMANDA' last='WILEY'] - is a 5-10 power forward/center for Yuma Catholic. She plays basketball and volleyball for Yuma Catholic. Thus far this season, she is averaging 15.8 points per game to go along with 8.5 rebounds per contest and 2.8 steals. Against Palo Verde High School earlier in December, Amanda had a double-double with 27 points and 10 rebounds. For her efforts, she was nominated as a Player of the Week in girls high school basketball by WeFd Bank. She played in 20 games as a freshman, averaging 14.0 points per game and 6.7 rebounds per game.   EVALUATION: Amanda has a tremendous work ethic and her motor is always running 100% of the time. In 20 games as a freshman, she averaged 14 points per game and her numbers are up, halfway through her sophomore year. Her all-around game has improved dramatically and she should have a great career at Yuma Catholic. She will definitely be playing at the next level after she graduates from high school.

Introduction: There are some outstanding sophomore centers in Arizona scheduled to graduate in 2025. Here is a look at five of them with two coming from the same school - Saguaro High School.