Hoophall West, consisting of three top-10 Super 25 teams and five games that will be aired on ESPN channels, returns to Phoenix.
The tournament will take place from Wednesday through Saturday. For those interested in the high school basketball landscape, this is a good place to start as the 2019-20 season gets underway.
Teams from a handful of Western states, New York and Tennessee will participate in this tournament. It all begins Wednesday, when three girls basketball games — all six teams from Arizona — take place.
Super 25: National boys basketball rankings, Week 1
It will be the first time girls teams are included in Hoophall West.
Here are the top things to watch for:
Hillcrest Prep vs. Prolific Prep on ESPN2
A battle of top-five teams is set for ESPN2. No. 3 Hillcrest Prep and No. 5 Prolific will face off Thursday.
With several games under each teams belt, the transfer players have already had some time to get used to the team. Jalen Green and Nimari Burnett, ranked No. 3 and 15, respectively, in the 2020 Chosen 25, already have a handful of highlight plays ranging from alley-oops to a buzzer-beater from beyond halfcourt to win the Duel in the Desert title game
This is called a PERFECT fast break 💯 @NimariBurnett @JalenRomande @colehawk23 @T_Hoopfest pic.twitter.com/haxLapoo7P
— Overtime (@overtime) November 30, 2019
This buzzer-beater had everyone losing their minds 😮 #SCtop10
(via craigstutesman/Instagram) pic.twitter.com/9iGcaQseCd
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) November 24, 2019
Meanwhile, Hillcrest Prep has also come as advertised, scoring more than 110 points in its last five games. Incoming transfers headlined by 2021 Chosen 25 players Michael Foster, Jr. and Keon Edwards and 2022 five-star center Sadraque Nganga have fit in seamlessly thus far.
In addition to roster overhauls, both teams also have new head coaches. Former NBA player Mike Bibby took over Hillcrest, while Joey Fuca, who played professionally in Germany, is the new Prolific head coach.
Hillcrest has yet to see a real challenge while Prolific has played a tougher schedule early in the season.
It will be an early look at two rosters still getting comfortable with new players and schemes taking on top competition with potential future NBA players.
Evan Mobley running Rancho Christian
With brother Isaiah Mobley on to USC, Chosen 25 center Evan Mobley is now the leader of Rancho Christian. With size and length he’s a fiend on defense — from both the post and the perimeter — productive on offense and capable as a ball handler.
Despite being looked at as a potential No. 1 pick last year, it still looked like he had room to grow. As Mobley learns the best ways to use his his 6-foot-11 height and 7-foot-5 wingspan, he can become even more dominant than last year, when he put up 19.2 points, 10.4 rebounds and 4.7 blocks per game.
Mobley is still in the early conversation of No. 1 overall pick, though the stock of players like Cade Cunningham of Montverde Academy (Florida) have risen over summer. With a full season left before going to USC, Mobley can polish up his own game before joining the college ranks and getting more consistent time against players closer to his size and skill.
He’s not the only star on Rancho Christian, though. The athletic Dominick Harris, a four-star player, averaged 14 points, five rebounds and four assists per game last year
Rancho Christian started the season 3-0 before losing a pair of games. At Hoophall West, the Eagles will see Rainier Beach (Washington) on Friday night and then Christ the King (Middle Village, New York) on Saturday, the latter of which will be aired on ESPN+.
Click below for more Hoophall West storylines.
Early look at new Sierra Canyon team
No. 8 Sierra Canyon has a tough stretch with four games in eight days in three different states. But with so much talent, the Trailblazers will still be the favorite in practically any game they play.
How is this star-studded cast connecting? Most basketball fans who are active on social media know the sons of LeBron James and Dwyane Wade are on a team together. But neither of those two are the best player; that distinction would likely go to BJ Boston … unless you count Ziaire Williams, who is still ineligible due to transfer rules. Boston is No. 13 in the 2020 Chosen 25 and Williams is No. 9.
Sierra Canyon plays just one game, the Saturday night 7:30 p.m. appearance which will be aired on ESPN+. Things to watch for: how the stars share the ball, how advanced the game plan is, how the team looks together, and how Williams can help once he’s able to join.
If that all sounds overwhelming, just have fun watching this assortment of players take the court together.
Click below for more Hoophall West storylines.
Local Arizona public school stars
The host state, Arizona, has quite a few stars that could gain some national prominence from this weekend. There are a few local storylines to follow. Starting with two ranked players from public schools:
Dylan Anderson is a five-star center on Perry (Gilbert, Arizona). Just a sophomore, with his 6-foot-11 stature and ability to shoot from distance, there could be a time in the next couple years when he’s regarded as the best player in the state. He will lead the charge Saturday against No. 14 Mater Dei and Chosen 25 point guard Devin Askew in a game to be aired on ESPN+.
DaRon Holmes, a four-star junior power forward, led Millenium to the 5A state championship game while averaging 19.3 points, 10.7 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 4.2 blocks per game. Among the best defenders in Arizona, he will be tested in his matchup against Sierra Canyon on Saturday. This game will be on ESPN+.
Secondly, returning 6A state champion Pinnacle and 4A state champion Shadow Mountain will be participating, but there has been massive change at both schools. Pinnacle lost its backcourt duo of Nico Mannion, now starring at the University of Arizona, and Trent Brown, who averaged 19 points per game last season. There can’t be a reasonable expectation to replace those two.
Shadow Mountain basically has a brand-new team without head coach Bibby (now at Hillcrest) and its Div. 1 backcourt tandem of Jaelen House and Javon Blacksher, who are now at Arizona State and Grand Canyon State, respectively.
Who is going to step up for these teams as they try to continue to compete at the highest level?
Pinnacle faces Albany Academy (New York) on Thursday and Crossroads School (Santa Monica, California) on Friday while Shadow Mountain will see Regis Jesuit (Aurora, Colorado) on Friday and Coronado (Nevada) on Saturday.
Click below for more Hoophall West storylines.
Girls games
For the first time in Hoophall West history, girls high school basketball games will be included.
The top game will be Hamilton (Chandler, Arizona) vs. Mountain Pointe (Phoeinx), a rematch of last year’s 6A quarterfinals. Hamilton won by just two points, its closest game in the championship playoff run. This rematch will feature sophomore Pride guard Jaida Brooks, who led Mountain Pointe in scoring last year despite being a sophomore. This will be one of the first times this year to see her offseason growth.
Another group of players whose growth will be a storyline is, well, almost all of Perry’s (Gilbert, Arizona) roster. All the major contributors for the Pumas last year were sophomores. Led by Madison Conner, can they make a jump and help the team compete for a championship? They will take on host Chaparral on Wednesday night.
That host school still has another year of Anna Ostlie and Jess Finney together. The two are averaging more than 47 points combined through five games this year and look to be one of the better duos in the state.
Click below for more Hoophall West storylines.
Hoophall West schedule
Here is the full Hoophall West schedule:
Wednesday, December 4
(GIRLS)
| 5 p.m. | Desert Mountain High School, AZ | Arcadia High School, AZ | FLOHOOPS |
| 6 p.m. | Mountain Point High School, AZ | Hamilton High School, AZ | FLOHOOPS |
| 8 p.m. | Chaparral High School, AZ | Perry High School, AZ | FLOHOOPS |
Thursday, December 5
(BOYS)
| 5 p.m. | Pinnacle High School, AZ | Albany Academy, NY | FLOHOOPS |
| 7 p.m. | Hillcrest Prep, AZ | Prolific Prep, CA | ESPN 2 |
| 9 p.m. | Chaparral High School, AZ | Christ the King High School, NY | FLOHOOPS |
Friday, December 6
(BOYS)
| 3 p.m. | Shadow Mountain High School, AZ | Regis Jesuit High School, CO | FLOHOOPS |
| 4:30 p.m. | Pinnacle High School, AZ | Crossroads School, CA | FLOHOOPS |
| 6 p.m. | Rainer Beach High School, WA | Rancho Christian School, CA | FLOHOOPS |
| 7:30 p.m. | Sunnyslope High School, AZ | Gilbert High School, AZ | FLOHOOPS |
| 9 p.m. | Paradise Honors High School, AZ | Coronado High School, NV | FLOHOOPS |
Saturday, December 7
Session 1 –
(BOYS)
| 9 a.m. | Albany Academy, NY | Regis Jesuit High School, CO | FLOHOOPS |
| 10:30 am. | Apollo High School, AZ | Liberty High School, NV | FLOHOOPS |
| 12 p.m. | Rancho Solano School, AZ | Crossroads School, CA | FLOHOOPS |
| 1:30 p.m. | Shadow Mountain High School, AZ | Coronado High School, NV | FLOHOOPS |
Session 2 –
(BOYS)
| 4:30 p.m. | Perry High School, AZ | Mater Dei High School, CA | ESPN+ |
| 6 p.m. | Christ the King High School, NY | Rancho Christian School, CA | ESPN+ |
| 7:30 p.m. | Millennium High School, AZ | Sierra Canyon School, CA | ESPN+ |
| 9 p.m. | Hillcrest Prep, AZ | Hamilton Heights Christian Academy, TN | ESPN+ |
