AZSPORTSNETWORK

Coach P Az HS Prep Rankings for Week 10, Jan 25th, 2010

Week 10:

GIRLS BASKETBALL

1A

1. Salt River
1. Gila Bend
3. Ft. Thomas
4. St. Michaels

5. Rock Point
6. Joe City

7. Salome
8. Valley Lutheran: Salome away, GC away

9. Seligman
10. Joy Christian
10. Patagonia

12. St. David
13. Northland Prep
14. Gilbert Christian
15. Duncan

Looking In: Phoenix School for the Deaf, Superior

GIRLS BASKETBALL

2A

1. Valley Christian
2. PC
3. Pima
4. ALA
5. Many Farms
6. SCA
7. San Carlos
8. Thatcher
9. GreyHills

10. Camp Verde
10. Valley Sanders

12. PRCA-As soon as I moved them up they lose to DC. I am figuring DC pressed.
13. Tombstone
14. Benson
15. DC

Looking In: Williams, Bourgade, Horizon,

GIRLS BASKETBALL

3A

1. Window Rock
2. Winslow
3. Monument Valley
4. Safford
5. Tuba City
6. Ganado
7. Hollbrook
8. Chinle
9. Alchesay
10. Snowflake
10. Round Valley

Next:

12. Coolidge
13. Sedona
14. Estrella
15. Wickenburg

BOYS BASKETBALL

1A

1. Gilbert Christian (Play VL and St. Gregs this week)
2. St. Gregory-St. David and GC at Home plus St. Augustine away.
3. Valley Union (Only 2 losses to St. Gregs)
4. Valley Lutheran, (brutal schedule on the road this week!) They could lose 3!
Monday @ Salome, Tuesday @ SanPasqual, Wed @ Duncan, Thurs @ Gilbert Christian and Friday @ home vs Mayer. Dunca is much improved and Mayer is tough as well. I do not see them being a good game after being on the road so many games and having to face a tough GC team.

5. Joe City-St. Mikes coming up!
6. St. Mikes-Joe City coming up!
7. Orme-can they sneak up on GC for regionals??!!
8. Mogollon
9. Mayer
10. Duncan-VL this week. Have a chance to prove they belong.

Next:

11. Ft. Thomas

12. Tanque Verde-tough games left but destiny in own hands with 2 games left with St. David.
13. St. David
14. Bagdad
15. St. Augustine-Must beat Patagonia @ Patagonia to get in playoffs.

BOYS BASKETBALL

2A

1. SCA
2. WWP
3. San Carlos
4. VC

5. Thatcher ( Lost to Willcox but still top 5)
6. Many Farms
7. PRCA
8. Horizons
9. Precision

10. NWC
10. Benson

NEXT

12. DC
13. Grey Hills
14. Willcox
15. Williams (I really have a hard time putting Williams at this spot)

BOYS BASKETBALL

3A

1. EFH
2. Chinle
3. Blue Ridge
4. Hollbrook
5. Winslow

6. Safford: Beat Florence

7. Alchesay

8. Florence

9. Ft. Hills

10. Round Valley

10. Santa Cruz

12. Show Low

13. Coolidge
14. Empire
15. Window Rock

Hello 3A Fans!

Wow playoff time is right around the corner and this week starts the first part of those playoffs as we have the Spiritline championships in Prescott this Saturday at about 3:30 check in time for most teams.

We want to say good luck to the 1-3A teams and give a shout out to the teams we have covered so far like Benson. From what we have seen they have a great chance to bring home some hardware and we will be in Prescott to cover the entire competition. We will begin in the morning with the 4-5A competition and then stay all day until the entire event is over.

Please make sure you check out site for full coverage and if you are a coach, parent, or athlete make sure you join our site for free and upload pics and video of your teams competition.

Here is a list of the 3A teams competing after already qualifying for state:

Safford, Snowflake, Coolidge, Show Low, Chino Valley, Florence, Estrella Foothills, Winslow, and Payson.

Hello 2A Fans!

Wow playoff time is right around the corner and this week starts the first part of those playoffs as we have the Spiritline championships in Prescott this Saturday at about 3:30 check in time for most teams.

We want to say good luck to the 1-3A teams and give a shout out to the teams we have covered so far like Benson. From what we have seen they have a great chance to bring home some hardware and we will be in Prescott to cover the entire competition. We will begin in the morning with the 4-5A competition and then stay all day until the entire event is over.

Please make sure you check out site for full coverage and if you are a coach, parent, or athlete make sure you join our site for free and upload pics and video of your teams competition.

Here is a list of the 2A teams competing after already qualifying for state:

Bisbee, Valley Christian, Thatcher, Scottsdale Christian, Miami, Northwest Christian, Camp Verde, Tombstone, Horizon Honors, San Miguel, Bourgade Catholic, Morenci, North Pointe Prep, Benson and St. Johns.

Hello Fans!

Lets pretend that all conferences used PPTs and
the playoffs started this week. I have used my own
info to calculate games but this would be fairly
close right now: I will then list my predictions on how it will really end up
in regions.

Lets Start with the South which really is now down to
1 spot left anyways as St. David is securing the 3rd spot
with a slight chance to catch Patagonia if they lose but
highly unlikely as they defeated VU this last Friday. I do
not see Patagonia barely catching GB but it can come closer
than I even thought a week ago. The 4th spot is gonna be
close between Greenfields, St. Gregs and Immaculate. VU
lost Saturday to St. Gregs and I think they eliminated
themselves. Greenfields may lose it late.

We will do the boys tomorrow. And Girls today.

South: Pretty interesting stuff. The South, if were holding a regional tourney, would have been very interesting to say the least. Besides a heavy favorite GB the rest would have all been up for grabs with St. David playing real good now but most of these top 3-6 teams have either won or lost by under 5 pts of each other.

#1 Gila Bend
#2 Patagonia
#3 St. David
#4 Greenfields

Coach P Playoff Predictions:

#1 Gila Bend
#2 Patagonia
#3 St. David
#4 Immaculate

North: Joe City would be out and they are tough. The regionals for this tourney will be the most competitive in my opinion.

#1 St. Michaels
#2 Seligman
#3 Rock Point
#4 Grand Canyon

Coach P Playoff Predictions: Toughest conference to predict! Great games coming up to show really who is above but gonna be a great regionals. It would not surprise me to have a Northland Prep or Grand Canyon slip thru or a Fredonia go on a run late and get in. My predictions on 1-4 are solid but the order is less as these teams are very close. St. Michaels gets the nod because game vs Many Farms in a close loss.

#1 St. Michaels
#2 Rock Point
#3 Seligman
#4 Joe City has a schedule of ST. Michaels2x and Rock Point at end of season.

East: This may end up with these same teams.

#1 Salt River
#2 Ft. Thomas
#3 Duncan
#4 Gilbert Christian

Coach P Playoff Predictions: I think the SR vs Fort match may be closer because of the location and playing more games. I also feel the Fort is playing better. GC could surprise and step up to the 3 spot as well. You just never overlook a Cibecue just because they can compete. Superior has played GC tough so they could slip thru.

#1 Salt River
#2 Ft. Thomas
#3 Duncan
#4 Gilbert Christian

West: Based on games reported I do not see at this point VL not being ahead for these PPTs if the season stopped. PCDS would be close.

#1 Valley Lutheran
#2 Salome
#3 Joy Christian
#4 Bagdad

Coach P Playoff Predictions: A lot will tell us this Monday as VL plays Salome and Bagdad and PCDS play each other. Joy Christian can upset a team and get to the Championship team.

#1 Salome
#2 Valley Lutheran
#3 Joy Christian
#4 PCDS

If you look at all of these conferences I think the North would be the most competitive of having the overall top 4 being different. The west top 4 could also be interesting with 3 teams a chance to beat the other on a neutral date. The East is pretty much predictable besides Duncan upsetting someone or an upset of Ft. Thomas over SR. The other teams could upset somebody tho.

Good Morning 3A fans!

How is the weather in the winter wonderland up North and East! Man I sure do miss the snow as I lived in CO, Mn, SD, Iowa and others where snow was the best part of the year for me.

Enough of the weather and lets start looking at the 3A conference situation as we enter playoffs.

First lets look at the boys divisions. There is no doubt that my feeling is their are only a few teams with a legit shot to win it all and that will go up or down based on who meets EFH early based on ppts. But after watching EFH and having seen all other contenders that is the conclusion I come from at this point in the season. So now lets look at the contenders for the 3A BBB run for the championship:

1. Chinle: They are a huge favorite as the team that has the best chance vs EFH. They have size, shooting, quickness and can play zone or press. They also have depth. if they are on opposite sides of the brackets then this could be a possible match-up. In my opinion they are the team with the best shot to dethrone EFH.

2. Blue Ridge: They have been playing very good basketball and if they can do this for the rest of the season look for them to be a nice contender to at least get through to the championship game.

3. Winslow: You cannot count out this talented team. But they are streaky and can go down quicker than people think.

4. Hollbrook: If they can sustain playing at a high level they can also make a run to the title game.

Now for real longshots:

5. Florence: Playing real good ball right now and can surprise and upset some teams along the way.

6. Safford: Same as with Florence. Size could be the issue.

Santa Cruz, South Pointe and Empire can be dangerous but the other North teams can also surprise but besides bracket malfunctions there are not a lot of contenders to dethrone EFH this season.

As for the girls it is all North besides Safford. Sorry but I have seen them all and it is Window Rock, Winslow and Monument valley. The other North teams can go far like Hollbrook and Ganado and Chinle but a team may not make it. I always think of Alchesay on the North but they are from the East.

Safford is the only non-North team with a chance. They have a very good team. However, their leading scorer went down vs Benson and it could be a bad injury. If this happens it hurts their chances but they are still a good team.

Hello 2A fans!

Are you watching what is happening to the race for the championship??!!

First we have the injury situation for SCA as their big man had to have surgery and may be out for the rest of the year. We wish him the best.

But Valley Christian, who I have thought was an average to above average team has made both SCA and WWP look human with 9 and 10 point losses respectively. Now do not get me wrong here. I mean that with a lot of respect but VC has had some exceptional teams in the past.

I think what we may be seeing now is a 2A tournament with favorites but it is now cloudier than ever. SCA still has tons of players who can play ball but that is a huge loss. I see VC steadily improving and will be a dangerous team come playoff time. I think the chink in the armor for both SCA and WWP have been a sign that although the favorites anything can happen and the 2A playoffs may be better than expected.

Lets take a look at the teams who could make a run if WWP and SCA faltering no particular order:

1. Valley Christian: Good shooting team with real good coaching. if they hit the trey they are dangerous and they can run. The x-factor is they shoot real good from the free throw line. have faced some real good teams and are battle tested.

2. Thatcher: They lost tons of seniors and their HC and what have they done? Nothing but turned a rebuilding season into a reloading season. They have some excellent players who can shoot with some size and are peaking at the right time.

3. San Carlos: When you can run and shoot and press and you have one of the best players in Antonio in 2A you always have a chance. I am looking forward to their game with Benson in Benson later in the season.

4. Many Farms: This team can outright fly and I can see them upsetting a team or two in the playoffs. They are very deep and have some very good talent.

5. Benson: This is my dark-horse in 2A. If you notice I am not saying sleeper. To me a sleeper is a team who comes on and nobody knows about them. They are a dark-horse because after taking Safford to triple over-time before losing they showed they can be a very good team. In their win vs Pima I came away with a team that just may not have the depth and a team that really had to pick things up. Against Safford I saw them do both. What has to happen for them is to continue to make sure Dastrup is involved in the offense and defense. With him involved it takes a lot away from the pressure of Graf and Denewith. But they need the other 2 players to step it up and contribute day in and day out. I mention 2 other players is because the weakness with this team is the depth. They have 5 players and the rest are young and inexperienced who work hard but foul trouble can be their demise come playoff time.

On the girls side all I can say is yawwwwwwwwwwwn. Actually I am joking but right now it seems this may be a two-legged race between PC and VC with only a chance of an upset in the making. The worst case scenario is gonna be if PC and VC end up on the same side of the brackets based on ppts.

Lets look at the contenders in 2A and who can upset some teams and maybe make some noise. Once again not in any particular order:

Strong Contenders with a legit shot:

1. Pima: The Rough Riders are a very good team. They have excellent players, and Bryce gives them that go to girl as well to match vs some of the other teams. But they also have some good coaching. What makes this team dangerous is their ability to play strong defense and wear you down. They sit in that 2-3 and just make it hard for you to get easy baskets. They also have the ability to play the pressure game and run the floor.

2. ALA: A very talented team who has a good inside game and can run. Their strength is their defense and quickness. The weakness though is they do not score a lot of points vs good teams and that could be their problem come playoff time.

3. SCA: This team is borderline and legit contender. They beat who they are suppose to but have not done much against the stronger teams in my opinion but can be a dangerous team.

4. Many Farms: I really like this team. They can press and shoot and have 2 really good guards. if this team gets the correct match-ups they can go far. They have defeated some good North teams and with their upset of Chinle has shown they are ready and peaking for the playoffs.

5. PRCA: Now I say this with all the respect in the world but this team comes nowhere close to the teams of the past for PRCA but.....it is the mystique of the Lions past that has allowed them to stay and win this season. Let me explain: because of their mystique I have seen coaches play right into the strength of this team which is their slower half-court offense going inside to their 2 big girls. I have sat in the stands and watched as running teams, being content to stay close with them have totally played a slow half-court game with PRCA and lose but in the stands parents are happy and it seems the coaches as well??? I am mentioning this because it is the teams themselves that have allowed PRCA to become a very dangerous team come the playoffs! Their weakness is the guard play and running game. But because of the past the teams do not want to do that and play the slow game with them. Their weakness is to run and press them and not allow the 2 inside girls the chance to hurt you. Plus you get them tired and force the big girls to the bench. The teams that have done that have success as I saw a very young Benson team do this early in the season. But now they are a legit top 8 team and it will all be based on the match-ups. if they go against a team that will run and press they can get an early exit. if not they may well see them going deep into the playoffs. So instead of PRCA coming in as an average team their confidence has grown because of their mystique and coaches allowing them to be in games they had no business winning.

6. San Carlos: They had some girls injured and not sure who is back. We will see when they face PRCA who they have and how good they are entering the late season playoff run.

Upset teams:

1. Thatcher: They have a solid team and can go far or lose quicker than expected.

2. North Team: Just pick one and it can happen. The favorite to be Grey Hills.

3. Camp Verde: They are a solid average team with good coaching and experience in the playoffs. They can hurt a team or two come playoff team. They are actually my dark-horse team on the girls side.

4. Tombstone: Size and fast guards. if they make the playoffs the jackets could be a final 8 team if they play to their style and the girls lack of experience does not haunt them.

5. Willcox: They seem to be playing much better and you cannot count them out for an upset or two.

6. Bisbee: They can be tough one night and awful the next but can sneak in a game or two possibly.

and lastly what is with this Tonopah team??? Are they the real deal or just having a decent season without a real chance??!! I say a real good season with a chance at an early round upset.

Hello 1A sports fans!

I just love the snow. Unfortunately for many North teams the sports schedules were cancelled because of all of the snow that came down and expected this week.

One of those games I really wanted to see was in BBB between Gilbert Christian and Mayer. Mayer has been playing some good ball and nobody has come close to GC this season so I thought this was a good game to see where both teams were at as we enter the end of the season before the playoffs.

Boys South: As expected the race is tightening up for the 3-4-5 spots for those elusive ppts. Remember the top 4 teams go to the playoffs and there is no regional tournament. Right now St. Augustine is in the 3rd spot, then Tanque Verde with St. David on their heels. The Tigers won a huge game vs St. Augustine this week and play Tombstone tonight and still have 2 games left with TV. St. Augustine had a close loss to VU and must rebound vs Tanque Verde tonight. They have a hard schedule left which includes Patagonia away a team they lost to earlier in the year. TV may have the best shot with games vs St. A and 2 with St. David left. beating these teams will more than likely get them in. Since St. David is biting at their heels those games are huge.

BBB: Ft. Thomas beats St. David this week and was a great response after losing to Duncan.

BBB: North: This is a good battle and 3 very good teams will come out of the regional tournament and be very dangerous in the playoffs. St. Michaels, Joe City and Mogollon can cause fits for teams. JC beat Mogollon this week and Mogollon and St. Mikes split their season games. The matchup we are waiting to see is between JC and St. Michaels.

BBB: West: With GC destroying all teams in their path many are forgetting about Valley Lutheran and Orme. The score has not been posted but Orme did lose to Valley Lutheran. VL will play GC late in the season so that will show us how good VL is when comparing these 2 teams. Joy Christian boys seem to be playing some good ball as of late so do not count them out.

BBB: East: I still see this coming down to Ft. Thomas and Duncan but we will have to wait to see if SR is improving.

BBB: South re-match!!!: Valley Union heads to St. Gregs this Saturday the 23rd to face St. Gregs away. The ppts have gotten real close so this game could come down to who wins this 2nd game. VU escaped a loss vs St. Augustine this week so we will see Saturday if this is the same team I saw at VU when it was close until mid 4th period. WE will broadcast that game on Saturday.

In 1A girls basketball the South is heating up as much as the boys and it is from a hot St. David team. The game vs Tombstone tonight is huge as this could be the game that catapults them to the #3 spot leap-frogging a Greenfields team that had their playoff chances get cloudy with a loss vs Immaculate School. St. David can possibly even pass up Patagonia if Patagonia does not win out even though Patagonia has beaten them 2x this season. If Patagonia defeats VU tonight then I think they can win out and take the #2 seed. However Immaculate is a scrappy team and plays Patagonia 2x late in the season and could be a spoiler to help their chances for the playoffs. I see GF as having the toughest road but must beat Immaculate the next time they play to stay ahead of them for the 4th spot. St. David has already secured a playoff spot in my opinion along with Patagonia so now it is up to Gf and Immaculate and VU to vie for that 4th spot.

GBB: East: With a regional tournament on the horizon we are looking at the Salt River possible rematch with Ft. Thomas. SR did go to the Fort to win their game but this will be a long tourney and you never know. The bad thing is if SR loses out on the 1st seed they will join GB on the top of the bracket.

GBB North: This conference is heating up with the emergence of St. Michaels defeating Rock Point! Their only loss besides tourney games have been to a very strong 2A Many Farms team. I see Rock Point, St. Michaels and Joe City being the top teams but look for Northland Prep and Grand Canyon to make a run for the playoffs as well with Fredonia looking as an outside long-shot but it is Fredonia! Besides SR and GB I can see a champion coming from this division. Then add in Seligman who blew out Fredonia and beat Grand Canyon and you have a very good upcoming regional tournament!

GBB: West: Salome, VL and Joy Christian seem a lock for regionals and a playoff berth. The debate is how good is Gilbert Christian come playoff time and can they get into the playoffs to defend their championship. Also, PCDS seems to be playing good basketball so you never know with them either.

Coach P Az HS Prep Rankings for Week 9, Jan 18th, 2010

Week 9:

GIRLS BASKETBALL

1A

1. Salt River
1. Gila Bend

3. Ft. Thomas
4. St. Michaels
5. Rock Point

6. Joe City
7. Salome
8. Valley Lutheran
9. Seligman
10. Patagonia
10. Joy Christian

12. Grand Canyon
13. Northland Prep
14. Fredonia
15. Gilbert Christian
15. Duncan

Looking In:

St.David, PCDS, Superior

GIRLS BASKETBALL

2A

1. Valley Christian
2. Phoenix Chrisitian
3. Pima
4. Arizona Lutheran Academy
5. Many Farms

6. SCA
7. San Carlos
8. PRCA
9. Thatcher
10. GreyHills
10. Valley Sanders

12. Camp Verde
13. Tombstone
14. Benson
15. Williams

Looking In:

Bourgade, Horizon Honors, Hayden

GIRLS BASKETBALL

3A

1. Window Rock
2. Winslow
3. Monument Valley
4. Safford
5. Tuba City

6. Ganado
7. Hollbrook
8. Chinle
9. Alchesay
10. Snowflake
10. Round Valley

12. Coolidge
13. Sedona
14. EFH
15. Wickenburg

BOYS BASKETBALL

1A

1. Gilbert Christian
2. St. Gregory
3. Valley Union
4. Valley Lutheran
5. Joe City

6. St. Michaels
7. Orme
8. Mogollon
9. Mayer
10. Duncan

11. Ft. Thomas
12. Tanque Verde
13. St. David
14. Bagdad
15. St. Augustine

BOYS BASKETBALL

2A

1. Scottsdale Christian Academy
2. WestWind Prepatory
3. San Carlos
4. Thatcher
5. VC

6. PRCA
7. Many Farms
8. Horizons
9. Precision
10. NWC

11. Benson
12. DC
13. Grey Hills
14. Yuma Catholic
15. Williams

BOYS BASKETBALL

3A

1. Estrella Foothills
2. Chinle
3. Blue Ridge
4. Hollbrook
5. Winslow

6. Safford
7. Florence
8. Alchesay
9. Ft. Hills
10. Round Valley
10. South Pointe

12. Show Low
13. Empire
14. Coolidge
15. Window Rock

Hello 3A fans!!!

#1Estrella Foothills takes a short road trip and will take on 2A #2 WWP in Friday Night boys basketball action. Azsports will cover this game so join us at 7pm tonight live!
Ok now lets look at some of this weeks 3A highlights:

BBB: The North: Chinle beat Window Rock and won a gave that was not either close or in over-tivme this week.

BBB: Many Farms @ Chinle: Many Farms played Chinle close in the Coke Classic so lets see how they do this time around. They are one of the fastest teams in the state at any level when it comes to pushing the ball.

GBB: Monument Valley vs Window Rock: This is a huge game tonight. besides Winslow teams have not been able to break through vs Mv and WRock has the team to claim the upset tonight!

Hello 2A sports fans!!!

Here is the best matchup this week in boys basketball. WWP will be hosting Estrella Foothills which we will be broadcasting live at 7:00pm Friday night! This features EFH the #1 team in 3A and #2 WWP in 2A.

GBBima defeats Benson: #3 Pima does not even break a sweat as they jumped all over the #9 benson team this week. This was the first time I saw Pima play and am very impressed with what they do. They are always disciplined and their zone defenses are some of the best around.

GBB:SCA vs Horizon Honors: This is a chance for HH to show they can play with the big girls as they face a very good SCA team.

On the Rise: PRCA is quietly winning games and showing they can be a top 8 team come playoff time. It has everything to do with match-ups and so far teams are willing to stay close and play a half-court style game instead of showcasing the PRCA weakness which is the play vs the Press based on their young gaurds.

On the Boys side: Boys Basketball:

HH vs SCA: On paper this looks like it will be a blowout but HH does have a good team and will have to step it up tonight as they face an SCA team who looked quite human vs VC this week.

Ft. Hills vs Vc: This is a very good 2A vs 3A matchup as both these teams are looking to rebound. VC gained a huge boost with its close loss vs SCA while Ft. Hills lost to Florence and dropped in the rankings.

Hello 1A Fans!!

So far no real surprises in 1A GBB as Ashley W. breaks the all-time 3pt career scoring record vs SanPasquel. While others only reported this after it happened we have been on this story for some time and have enjoyed giving her credit for this great accomplishmeny.

GBB: Northland Prep vs Joe City: This is a huge game @ JC tonight! This could pave the way into who is the 2 seed going into the regional tournament. Both teams are playing good basketball going into this matchup.

GBB:St David defeats Valley Union: St. david kept their playoff hopes alive by defeating VU 49-24 in Thursday night action! This was a huge game as a loss vs VU would not only have kept them behind Vu but far down the power point list behind VU. St. David has been up and down this season and were about ready to fall out of contention for the 3-4th spot in the South. They now sit in the 4th spot a few points ahead of VU.

South Playoff Power Points Weekly Update: if the season were to stop today here are the 4 teams that would be in the state tournament from the South Division from 1-4 seeds:

Girls: Gila Bend, Patagonia, Green Fields, St. David

Boys: Valley Union, St. Gregory, Tanque Verde, St. Augustine

One key note here is that although St. Gregs has beaten VU, they would still be the 2nd seed in the playoffs. This could get interesting as the teams will meet again. We could see St. Gregs win both games and still be the #2 seed!

GBB: St. Greg vs Tanque Verde: Both of these teams need a win but St. Gregs needs this win to stay in the hunt for the 4th spot in the south conference. The loser of this game I think is done and will not be able to make up the points needed to try and leapfrog over St. david and Valley Union.

Boys Basketball: St. Michaels loses to Mogollon in what many would be considered an upset! The inside game of Mogollon was to much for St. Mikes as Mogollon was able to get them to play their game.

BBB: St. David vs St. Augustine: This is a do or die for St. david and their playoff hopes. If they lose tonight I am not sure they can get back into the hunt as they are already way behind the 4th spot. If St. Augustine loses they are still in good shape but do not want to give a spark to St. David. This is a case when you have a chance to squash the team who can bump yopu from the playoffs and we will see if St. Augustine can take care of business at home tonight.

Coach P Az HS Prep Rankings for Week 8, Jan 11th, 2010

Week 8:

GIRLS BASKETBALL

1A

1. Salt River
1. Gila Bend

3. Ft. Thomas
4. Rock Point
5. Salome

6. Valley Lutheran
7. Grand Canyon
8. Joy Christian
9. Joe City
10. Patagonia

11. Northland Prep
12. Fredonia
13. Gilbert Christian
14. Superior
15. Duncan

Looking In:

St.David, St. Michaels, PCDS,

GIRLS BASKETBALL

2A

1. Valley Christian
2. Phoenix Chrisitian
3. Pima
4. Arizona Lutheran Academy
5. SCA

6. San Carlos
7. Many Farms
8. Thatcher
9. Benson
10. GreyHills
10. Valley Sanders

12. PRCA
13. Camp Verde
14. Williams
15. Desert Christian

Looking In:

Hayden, Bourgade, Horizon Honors, Tombstone

GIRLS BASKETBALL

3A

1. Winslow
2. Monument Valley
3. Window Rock
4. Hollbrook
5. Safford

6. Chinle
7. Ganado
8. Round Valley
9. Tuba City
10. Sedona
10. Alchesay

12. Wickenburg
13. Estrella
14. Coolidge
15. Blue Ridge

BOYS BASKETBALL

1A

1. Gilbert Christian
2. St. Gregory
3. Valley Union
4. Valley Lutheran
5. Orme

6. St. Miachaels
7. Joe City
8. Ft. Thomas
9. Mogollon
10. Mayer

11. Tanque Verd
12. Duncan
13. St. David
14. Bagdad
15. St. Augustine

BOYS BASKETBALL

2A

1. Scottsdale Christian Academy
2. WestWind Prepatory
3. San Carlos
4. Thatcher
5. VC

6. DC
7. Many Farms
8. Horizons
9. Precision
10. NWC

11. PRCA
12. Benson
13. Grey Hills
14. Yuma Catholic
15. Williams

BOYS BASKETBALL

3A

1. Estrella Foothills
2. Chinle
3. Hollbrook
4. Blue Ridge
5. Winslow

6. Florence
7. Ft. Hills
8. Safford
9. Alchesay
10. Round Valley
10. South Pointe

12. Show Low
13. Empire
14. Coolidge
15. Window Rock

Hello 1A Fans!!

What a great Tuesday morning! I could not sleep all night after broadcasting the Boys Patagonia vs St. Augustine game Monday evening! This game went down to the wire and it did not just end up that way at the last minute. These 2 teams gave their all for the entire game and the 4th quarter was as intense as I have seen in a game this season. There was no letdown at all by either team as they battled to tie after tie and with both teams taking no more than a 3 pt lead it was a spectacular finish where Patagonia was able to prevail in the end! I am still exhausted just talking about it.

GBB: St. Augustine: The Lobos continued their winning ways and right now this program has jumped into the top 10 for a long time and very well we may be seeing the best turnaround in 1A girls for the 2009-2010 basketball season after they won maybe 2-3 games all of last year! This team plays with heart and a lot of depth. They have good shooting and can run and press as well.

Coach of the Year: I think an early candidate for Coach of the Year because of such a great turnaround this season the the Patagonia Lobos HC Ralph Padilla. I had talked with Coach Padilla at the beginning of the season and he felt they could be a pretty good team this year.

South Playoff Power Points: if the season were to stop today here are the 4 teams that would be in the state tournament from the South Division from 1-4 seeds:

Girls: Gila Bend, Patagonia, Green Fields, Valley Union

Boys: Valley Union, St. Gregory, Tanque Verde, St. Augustine

One key note here is that although St. Gregs has beaten VU, they would still be the 2nd seed in the playoffs. This could get interesting as the teams will meet again. We could see St. Gregs win both games and still be the #2 seed!

GBB: Northland Prep: A day after playing a tough game and almost beating Rock Point the NPrep girls team lost by 20 to St. Michaels. The coach stated how his team was very lethargic after the game from Rock Point. I would think his team needs to know that the playoffs are back to back days and if they make state they must play hard each night. This game forced us to move them out of the top 10 rankings but we feel they are still a good team.

Hello 3A fans!!!

What in the heck has gotten into the boys Florence team!!! First they have a great showing in the BR Holiday Tournament and then they defeat Ft. Hills last week and then a very good SanCarlos team! They have earned our AZSports Team of the Week Award for not only stepping into the top 10 by being a sleeper team to watch for the rest of the season.

Ok now lets look at some of this weeks 3A highlights:

BBB: The North: Chinle keeps rolling by winning another overtime game! This team is playing in some close games which may help them be a much better team under pressure situation come playoff time.

BBB: Estrella Foothills: They continue to win and showed NM how good basketball is here in AZ.

Hello 2A sports fans!!!

Valley Christian and Phoenix Christian continue to roll with wins over this past week.

GBBima: They did lose to Safford by under 10 and are starting to make a claim as a legit contender for the 2A state championship. They did lose to PC in a tournament game so that is why they are #3 in our rankings but wioth 2 close losses to Safford they are a serious threat for the title.

GBB:Many Farms souldly defeated GreyHills proving they are the team to beat up North when tournament time rolls around in the 2A classification.

GBB:Baboquivari: They came down to earth by losing to Miami this past week. They have a few easy wins coming up and then they need to win at least 1-2 other games to hold onto a top 24 spot to make the playoffs.

On the Boys side: Boys Basketball:

NWC vs WWP: WWP defeated NWC but the real story here is how NWC has been dropping games since the break and have dropped considerably in our rankings.

BBB:Thatcher: They are playing good ball right now and are a top 5 team. I am not sure they have the horses to stay with a WWP or SCA but if they peak at the right time you just never know.

Hello 1A football fans!

What an awesome week of action over the weekend!

GBB: Gila Bend: WE will have a very good article about gaurd Ashley Wirtzburger
who is closing in on the National 3pt All-Time record for the most 3's in a career! The most impressive part of this is that she has done it by also leading her teams in assists and being a team player first. If you know her most will tell you she would take pride in an excellent pass over a trey any day of the week. They have 3 games this week and based on how she does she can break it this week. If you have followed her this season she has sat so many games that this record should have been broken by now. However, when this record is broken this will be a TRUE record and not one that was earned by having her stay in routes on the back of weak teams and poor sportsmanship!

GBB: Salome: With 2 tough back to back games they won a big conference game vs Valley Lutheran but then lost a game vs #1 Salt River on Saturday in Salome. They had a good 4th quarter to keep the score from looking real bad but with the victory and loss Salome has put themselves into as a team to watch come tournament time.

GBB: Salt River: The gauntlet is over for the Eagles as they went to Salome and handed SAlome a loss this last Saturday. In what I believe is the toughest schedule played in 1A GBB they have shown they are one of the teams with a very good shot to win the state championship this year. Ramirez stepped up at Salome while Newton was held down in scoring. But the real story was how other players are learning to step up when defenses try to shut down their main players in Newton n Ramirez.

GBB: The brackets are out and the good news is that at this point if all plays out correctly Salt River and Gila bend are on the opposite side of the brackets for the playoffs. The only real chance of this not happening is going to be the East regional tourney if somehow SR is upset by a team like Ft. Thomas.

GBB: Rock Point: Rock Point exscaped a huge upset this last weekend vs Northland Prep. There is no doubt that RP is the class of the North division at this point in the season.

GBB: Northland Prep: NP is still reeling after a chance to take down Rock Point this last week. WE have watched NP and they are not a bad team. Although they have lost a few conference games I can see them either winning the #2 seed or being a team that can upset RP and win the North #1 seed.

GBB: Valley Union: After watching Murphy from VU play inside all I can say is we have found the "Mean Machine" of 1 GBB! Wow! She plays with such intensity that it gives her team a chance to win each and every night. It is fun watching an athlete play so hard and she can turn around a game by herself and carry her team when needed.

GBB: Sleeper Alert: WE have talked about 2 teams this season as our sleepers and over this last weekend we feel very good that both teams are ready to do good down the stretch. Duncan beat St. David to show they will be a factor come regionals. Patagonia is quietly taking down teams in the south and has set themselves up quite nicely in the #2 spot in powerpoints in the South.

Boys Basketball: While people are following the exploits of Gilbert Christian, St. Gregs and Valley Union showed us over the weekend why both teams are gonna be tough to beat in state. Although St. Gregs won in double digit figures, this game was much closer than the score indicated.

BBB: Gilbert Christian: GC is outright dominating teams right now but are they just taking this as business as usual?? Heck no!! The entire GC staff made the long trek from Phoenix and went and scouted St. Gregs and VU over the weekend. After being upset last season in the playoffs they are not taking a chance and scouting St. Gregs quite heavily having watched them play over 3x so far this season.

BBB: St. Augustine: With a victory over Tanque Verde they have now jumped into the top 4 on powerpoints in the South. This team now has some players back and are on a roll. We will watch them tonight vs a dangerous Patagonia team at their place.

Hello 3A fans!!!

I am so excited because we will be covering the 3A North Regionals and I get more excited each day it gets closer to that time of the year! My experience at Chinle and that awesome stadium of theirs was the best one can imagine from smallball sports. The fans are crazy about basketball and love the game like no other.

Ok now lets look at some of this weeks 3A highlights:

GBB: The North: I compare the North basketball to the East in football. No matter how they beat up on each other in conference play, even the lower seeds in the North that make the playoffs can beat most teams in the state. This year I have seen all of the North teams and I will say this year is no different than other years. Right now the teams in the North should have the same success come tournament time.

GBB: Safford: Right now Safford looks to be the only non-North team that could make a run for the state championship in 3A GBB. They have depth and use defense to score. The big issue is how soon will they play a North team in the playoffs and where that game will be played. Even the lower seeds will be dangerous once again. Look for Safford, if they get a good bracket, to go deep into the playoffs this year.

GBB: Estrella Foothills: Will the real EFH team stand up???!!! I had them in my top 10 rankings and then they get demolished by SCA. They then have a decent tournament showing and come back and get leveled again. Now I understand some players were missing but this team needs to get focused and play hard each time so we get a good look at what they have to offer come tournament time.

BBB: Chinle has had some criticism of their coaching staff. I think this is a joke. They are doing a great job and many just do not understand that they face a tough team every night in the North. They have had some close games but have come thru with wins. This team is big, fast and strong and will be a threat to win it all even against EFH.

BBB: Blue Ridge seems to be on a roll since beating Winslow over the Holiday break. Look for them to make some noise in the East, where it seems teams are not standing up and separating themselves from the pack.

BBB: Florence: Watch out for the Gophers. Although they lost a lot of returners who transferred to other schools, they seem to be peaking just right with the young talented group of players that stayed for this season. They had a nice showing in the Blue Ridge Holiday tourney and should contend for the South title.

Hello 2A sports fans!!!

Wow what a day to wake up to and be excited about the 2A classification so lets get started:

With all of the attention being given to ALA and VC in girls basketball, lets give some kudos to a team that is still undefeated and has their sites set on the state championship. Phoenix Christian has been quietly winning tournaments, Tonopah and PC, and looking forward to a lete game match vs VC. This team can press and run and has a nice inside game as well. Depth does not seem to be an issue so keep an eye on #2 ranked PC!!

GBB: The season is turning into maybe 1-4 teams that have a chance to win the state championship title. yes we understand upsets can happen like last year with PRCA but right now we are looking at a huge difference between the top 4 teams in the state and the rest of the teams. Those 4 teams are VC, PC, ALA, and Pima. It does not mean teams will sit by and allow these teams to win it without a fight bu right now after seeing all contenders these are the clear frontrunners in 2A.

GBB: Lets look at big games the rest of the week that you should get out off of the couch and go watch:

Safford vs Pima: This is another great matchup between these 2 teams. Pima did stay close last time with Safford but Safford is a real good 3A team and will look to beat them handily this time around.

Greyhills vs Sedona:This is a very interesting game. GreyHills may be the top 2A North team and they are playing a Sedona team that has some talent. A win vs Sedona would say a lot for the GHA team.

AlA @ VC: This is a huge game that will count. The last game they played was a very good game. Both teams were off their game so this game has some extra incentive. It is not likely Vc will shoot as poorly as they did and vice versa for ALA. One huge difference could be ALA playing with a starter that was not in the last game. Look for tough defense and ALA looking to get more confidence than before and Vc looking to come out hard and strong and show ALA that staying close last game was a fluke that will not be repeated.

SCA vs Camp Verde; BC vs Horizon Honors Both of these games look to get each team rolling into the new year when dealing with powerpoints. Camp Verde needs to show the team that is a consistent state contender can still roll with the big girls. SCA needs to show all of us that they are a team with title ability as well. The Bc and HH matchup is a good one we saw in the Holiday Tourney at VC. Both these teams have a lot to prove.

Baboquivari @ Miami; This is an interesting game. I mentioned earlier to watch out for Babo who I had coached and built a nice foundation. The key was would the girls stay and play. They are now in the top 10 in PPTs but it has all been against teams that are struggling programs. The game that they won that makes you wonder is against SanManuel. They now must face a Miami team that looked horrible during the Chrsitmas Break and injuries may be an issue. If this is the case the Warriors could gain valuable PPTs from the Vandals team who looked good early on. It seems Baboquivari has enough easy games remaining to give them a playoff appearance.

On the Boys side: Boys Basketball:

NWC vs WWP: This game is the first test for WWP against a nice looking NWC team. This will give us a great indication whether or not the 2A title is between SCA and WWP or other teams will be a threat. Up to now WWP has been dominating the games they have played. SCA has done the same so NWC can show people in the state they are a legit contender.
BBB: #2 St. Gregs vs #3 Valley Union: This Friday we will broadcast live from Valley Union as we have Vu vs St. Gregs, whcih is a rematch of last years 1A State Championship game. This will really tell us how close or far these teams are in talent. While GC cruises thru an easier schedule these teams will play another game later in the year.

DC vs Thatcher; ALA vs VC:
The DC vs Thatcher game will show us where Thatcher is at this time of year. DC has played some good basketball but has been up and down. Thatcher has jumped in the rankings by showing some good tendencies over the break showing they can play good ball. In the other game VC has to make sure they handle ALA. They are a top team in 2A but have to be careful to beat the teams they need to beat and gain those PPTs.

Hello 1A sports fans!!!

Wow what a day to wake up to and be excited about the 1A classification so lets get started:

GBB: Salt River 67 Gilbert Christian 38! Wow I really thought just maybe that the GC team might put up a better fight but I had mentioned before that they are struggling in the PG position and this would really come into play. However their coaches felt they would find their way as playoffs come to pass. I think SR sent a huge message to the defending state champions that right now the 1A race goes thru them and Gila Bend. Coach Lytle has made sure his team is being tested all year as they continue to play one of the hardest 1A GBB schedule in the state of AZ. They came off the win vs 3A Coolidge earlier in the week after disposing of SanCarlos over the weekend. Getting it done for SR is once again Ramirez who scored 30pts and Newton with 17! This game was over from the beginning as they went up by 11 and increased their half-time lead to 20 at the half.

GBB: Gila Bend 67 St. Augustine 22! I know that their main player was injured but that really would not have mattered in this game. GB showed over the Christmas Break that they have taken their game to the next level. Leading the way for GB was Fernandez with 21, Alex Wirtsberger 14 and Ashley Wirtzberger rounding out the scoring with 13. The GB team must really stay focused as they have what looks like a very weak end of the year schedule. It doesn't have to hurt their team but it is an issue that the coaching staff has to deal with to keep them sharp and peaking come tournament time.

GBB: Gila Bend and Salt River: here is a hint to as how these teams may improve as the season gets near playoff time. Right now you need to keep an eye on the other role players for each team. So far GB has 3 players contributing more often than SR does in tough games and this will be huge when it comes to the playoffs or when and if these 2 teams meet again. It is my opinion that whatever team gets more contribution from more than their 2 top players will have the edge come tournament time.

GBB: St. Austine Catholic: They lost to Tanque Verde, normally a game they should have won but their top player is out with a bad ankle injury that she injured during the holiday break. This is huge for them as they need to get back to the winning ways to keep up with the powerpoints in the South Division!

GBB: Rock Point: While some teams are thinking the 1A state championship is a 2 team show, Rock Point has quietly shown they are in the mix as well. They are dominating the North is fine fashion while the other teams beat up on themselves. So keep an eye come tournament time for this team.

How the West Was Won: As you know the South Division is not having a regional tournament and will send the top 4 teams based on powerpoints to the state playoffs. This could get very interesting as the season winds down. I am not in favor of this format but it is what it is.

Boys Basketball: While people are following the exploits of Gilbert Christian, St. Gregs and Valley Union, people better start loking up North! Joe City is a very strong team but even though they have a shot at the state title, the team to watch up North is St. Michaels! They are cruising so far this season after playing a very good schedule. They have impressed me with victories over Many farms 2x this season. many Farms is a very good team and if they can stay with the fast Many Farms team then this shows me they can hang with GC who presses all of the time.

BBB: #2 St. Gregs vs #3 Valley Union: This Friday we will broadcast live from Valley Union as we have Vu vs St. Gregs, whcih is a rematch of last years 1A State Championship game. This will really tell us how close or far these teams are in talent. While GC cruises thru an easier schedule these teams will play another game later in the year.

Coach P Az HS Prep Rankings for Week 7, Jan 4-9th, 2010

Week 7:

GIRLS BASKETBALL

1A

1. Salt River
1. Gila Bend

3. Ft. Thomas
4. Rock Point
5. Salome

6. Valley Lutheran
7. Gilbert Christian
8. Grand Canyon
9. Fredonia
10. Joy Christian
10. Joe City

12. Patagonia
13. Northland Prep
14. St. David
15. Seligman

Looking In:

St. Augustine, Duncan, PCDS, Superior
Orme

GIRLS BASKETBALL

2A

1. Valley Christian
2. Phoenix Chrisitian
3. Arizona Lutheran Academy
4. Pima
5. SanCarlos

6. Scottsdale Christian Academy
7. Many Farms
8. Thatcher
9. Benson
10. GreyHills
10. Valley Sanders

12. PRCA
13. Camp Verde
14. Williams
15. Desert Christian

Looking In:

Willcox, Hayden, Bourgade, Horizon Honors

My sleeper Pick is Benson

GIRLS BASKETBALL

3A

1. Winslow
2. Monument Valley
3. Window Rock
4. Hollbrook
5. Safford

6. Chinle
7. Ganado
8. Round Valley
9. Tuba City
10. Sedona
10. Alchesay

12. Wickenburg
13. Estrella
14. Coolidge
15. Blue Ridge

BOYS BASKETBALL

1A

1. Gilbert Christian
2. St. Gregory
3. Valley Union
4. Valley Lutheran
5. Orme

6. Joe City
7. St. Mikes
8. Ft. Thomas
9. Mogollon
10. Tanque Verde
10. Mayer

12. Cibecue
13. Duncan
14. St. David
15. Bagdad

Looking In:

St. Augustine, Bagdad

BOYS BASKETBALL

2A

1. Scottsdale Christian Academy
2. WestWind Prepatory
3. San Carlos
4. NorthWest Christian
5. Thatcher

6. Valley Christian
7. Desert Christian
8. Many Farms
9. Horizon Honors
10. Precision
10. Benson

12. PRCA
13. Canyon State Academy
14. Williams
15. Yuma Catholic

Looking In:

Grey Hills Academy

BOYS BASKETBALL

3A

1. Estrella Foothills
2. Chinle
3. Hollbrook
4. Ft. Hills
5. Payson

6. Blue Ridge
7. Winslow
8. Alchesay
9. Safford
10. Florence
10. Show Low

12. Round Valley
13. Empire
14. Coolidge
15. Southe Pointe