Arizonas Finest: Week Three Dec. 15-21

The name at the top of the list was all set to change and an underclassman was ready to inherit GOAZCATS.com's crown of "Arizona's Finest" as our No. 1-ranked player. Yet once we got wind of a change in philosophy from the reigning Player of the Year's coach, we decided to give our No. 1 one more week at the top.

Arizona’s Finest

**Race for the Sean Elliott Award, which goes to the state of Arizona's Player of the Year regardless of class.

1. Ty Morrison, 2004
6-7, 205 WF
Phoenix (Trevor Browne)

-Averages 17.8 points, along with state-best 16.5 rebounds and 6.8 blocks per game.

-Has had games of 20, 20, 21 and 18 rebounds for 4-2 Trevor Browne, including season-opening triple-double performance (20 points, 20 boards, 10 blocks) vs. Hamilton.

-Didn’t get a lot of touches in season’s first five games, but a team meeting on Friday afternoon made it so that Ty will have the offense go through him now. In his first game as the focal point, all he did was score 30 points, grab 20 rebounds and block six shots.

-Unquestionably the state's best passing big man, and probably the best on the West Coast, too.

2. Lawrence Hill, 2005
6-8, 203 WF
Glendale (Deer Valley)

-Through eight games: 17.1 ppg, 12.3 rpg, 3.0 blks for 7-1 Skyhawks.

-Was primed to leapfrog Morrison to the state’s No. 1 spot and this week’s title holder as “Arizona’s Finest”, but what’s another week, right?

-Had 30 points and 16 rebounds in huge upset win at Trevor Browne on Thursday, and 17 of his 30 points came at the free throw line.

3. Jermaine Calvin, 2004
5-10, 175 PG
Tempe (McClintock)

-Leads Arizona’s premier 4A team with 23.0 points per game.

-A great athlete with pass-first point guard skills who just happens to be capable of filling up the score sheet at any given time. By far the best senior point guard in Arizona.

*SIGNED WITH UTAH.

4. Lee Cummard, 2004
6-6, 175 SG
Mesa (High)

-Through five games: 20.2 points per game for 3-2 Jackrabbits.

*SIGNED WITH BYU.

5. Kaleo Kina, 2005
6-3, 180 PG
Phoenix (Trevor Browne)

-20.3 points and 8.1 rebounds per game.

-Will play more of a wing role now that Trevor Browne head coach Mike Ellsworth has decided to run the offense through No.1-ranked Ty Morrison and put the ball in Daren Jordan’s hands as the point. Kina projects as a point guard in college, but for now he’s simply too creative as a scorer not to have him play off the ball.

-State’s Most Underrated Player.

6. Daren Jordan, 2005
6-0, 180 PG
Phoenix (Trevor Browne)

-“Houdini” is averaging 17.8 points and 4.0 assists per game for the Bruins.

-Made a permanent move back to natural point guard position after Thursday’s loss to Deer Valley. “I’m really not comfortable running the two,” Jordan told GOAZCATS.com on Sunday night. “So after (we lost), they put me at the one for the rest of the season and put Kaleo at the two because he is a better shooting guard than me and I’m a better point guard than he is.”

-Dropped a season-high 39 points and 9 assists on Chandler in a losing effort.

7. Lawrence Westbrook, 2006
6-0, 200 PG
Chandler (High)

-Averages 20.7 points per game, and had 29 in upset of then-No. 1 Trevor Browne.

-Has helped lead team to a 6-1 start, and has shown that he will be a force not only in Arizona, but nationally as well.

8. Joey Shaw, 2005
6-6, 170 CG
Chandler (High)

-19.6 points per game for 6-1 Wolves.

-Extremely attractive recruit for high major programs because of his ability to handle the ball at his size. Also one of the best shooters on the West Coast.

9. Ryan Holmes, 2004
6-2, 185 PG
Goodyear (Millennium)

-Leads the state with an impressive 27.1 scoring average.

-Proved his mettle with good performances against the likes of Ray Murdock and Apollo’s Tristan Wilson last week.

10. Duboise Williams, 2004
6-6, 175 WG
Tempe (Marcos De Niza)

-20.3 points and 9.6 rebounds per game for impressive Padres (5-2) so far.

-Only had six points in his last game after being assessed an early technical foul, which forced his coach to sit him for the remainder of the first half.

11. Gabe Freeman, 2004
6-6, 190 G/F
Tempe (McClintock)

-17.8 points per game for 4A’s No. 1-ranked team.

-Like Duboise Williams, Freeman is a do-it-all-type talent capable of bringing the ball upcourt and initiating the offense. Immensely talented perimeter player.

*SIGNED WITH SOUTHERN UTAH.

12. Christian Polk, 2006
6-3, 175 SG
Glendale (Deer Valley)

-Polk is averaging 15.3 points on the year for 7-1 Skyhawks.

-No. 22-rated sophomore in the nation.

-Is really coming into his own lately, averaging 22 points and six rebounds in his last two games, including a brilliant 24-point, eight-rebound performance in an upset of Trevor Browne last Thursday night.

13. Chad Goldstein, 2004
6-9, 230 PF
Scottsdale (Desert Mountain)

-17.6 points and 11.2 rebounds per game for 7-1 Wolves.

-Had 15 points and 17 boards in one game last week.

*SIGNED WITH UC-DAVIS.

T-14. Jerryd Bayless, 2007
6-1, 180 PG
Phoenix (St. Mary’s)

-The state’s best freshman is averaging 20.1 points per game after a solid week of action that included him hitting a game-winning floater in the lane at the buzzer to beat Brophy Prep.

-Rated as high as No. 14 in the national class of 2007 and has drawn comparisons to a more athletic Mike Bibby.

-Bayless averaged 26.0 ppg, including games of 27, 14, and 37 points in his first three games of the year. St. Mary’s is 5-2 so far.

T-14. Ryan McCurdy, 2004
6-10, 190 F/C
Gilbert (Highland)

-Leading undefeated (and top-ranked) Highland with a 15.1 points per game average.

15. Damir Suljagic, 2004
6-9, 210 PF
Tucson (Salpointe)

-Aggressive kid had 15 points and 11 rebounds in Lancers (9-2) most recent game.

*SIGNED WITH TEXAS TECH.

16. Ray Murdock, 2005
6-4, 190 WG
Phoenix (Pinnacle)

-Through ten games, Murdock is averaging 14.4 points.

-Had 22 points and 14 rebounds in a game recently. Seems to be getting into a groove of late.

-Can make an argument that he is the state’s best on-ball defender thanks to his strength, athleticism and court awareness.

17. Travis Gabbidon 2004
6-7, 200 SF
Phoenix (Desert Vista)

-Averaging around 16.4 points per game for the somewhat disappointing Thunder.

18. Monti Washington, 2005
6-3, 175 WG
Phoenix (Tolleson)

-Averaging 13.4 points per game for Tolleson.

-We really like Monti’s potential to become an impact player over the next year and a half, and think that he should secure a number of scholarship offers during that time as well.

19. Kevin Coble, 2006
6-6, 185 WF
Scottsdale (Christian Academy)

-Averages a team-high 17.6 points and 11 rebounds per game for the best small school in the state, SCA.

-Had a breakout game against Desert Christian on Saturday night when he had 15 points, 22 rebounds and six blocked shots in SCA’s intense 50-44 road victory. Very impressive sophomore.

20. Xavier Kilby, 2004
6-7, 205 WF
Phoenix (Desert Vista)

-Averaging 15 points and 10 rebounds Desert Vista.

21. Kal Bay 2006
6-0, 175 PG
Tempe (Marcos De Niza)

-Leads the state with 8.6 assists per game while scoring 11.7 points as well.

-Battled the flu last week and had a rough stretch of games, including one where he picked up an early technical foul and was held out for the rest of the game by his coach. Obviously, that affected his stats. Kal is a tough kid, though, and we think he’ll bounce back very soon.

22. Tristan Wilson, 2006
6-3, 180 WG
Glendale (Apollo)

-Wilson is averaging 16 points through five games this year.

-One of the most intriguing and promising guards in the state’s sophomore class thanks to his strong physique and athleticism. Wilson could be one to watch on the national recruiting scene sometime soon.

23. Justin Williams, 2005
6-4, 175 SF
Phoenix (Paradise Valley)

-Averages team-high 14.9 points per game for Paradise Valley.

24. T.J. Benson, 2004
5-10, 175 PG
Tempe (Corona del Sol)

-Averages 12.4 points per game for 6-2 Corona del Sol team.

25. Calvin Chitwood, 2004
6-5, 180 WG
Phoenix (Paradise Valley)

-Averaging 13.6 ppg for 4-3 team, including 20-point game vs.Glendale.

*SIGNED WITH CS-NORTHRIDGE.

_________________________

-Ben Hansen, Senior Editor

GOAZCATS.com

goazcatsben@yahoo.com