Top teams and players to watch as season tips off
The Arizona Interscholastic Association's girls high school basketball season tips off this week, with several loaded teams returnign top players. Here is a look at some of the top teams to watch during the upcoming season
Desert Vista
The Thunder is reloaded and heavily favored to win the 6A title with four of their best players in the Arizona Republic's Elite 50 (to be published his week on azcentral.com), and three of them in the top 10, led by the state’s top player Shay Ijiwoye, who came from the nowdefunct AZ Elite Prep program.
Millennium
The Tigers have had a three-person head coach carousel over the past three seasons. But they haven’t lost a beat winning four consecutive 5A state titles. Millennium returns the state’s best starting five, which are all Elite 50 players, including No. 4-ranked Elli Guiney, one of the state’s best shooting guards Mia Amundsen, Bella Barrett, and their starting frontcourt players Kayda Pierce and Cece Cabrero.
Salpointe Catholic
The defending 4A champion, has four of its starting five back, many of them are top track and field sprinters who run a high powered pace offense. They have three players from the Elite 50, including fifth-ranked Taliyah Henderson and point guard Bria Medina, and Henderson’s fellow skilled big in sophomore Hannah Williams.
Perry
Led by the state’s No. 2 player and Vanderbilt-committed forward Khamil Pierre, the Pumas have most of the starting five back from last season’s remarkable 6A championship game run that upset higher seeds Yuma Cibola, Mesa Westwood, Xavier Prep before losing to the conference’s three-time champion Valley Vista. They’ll be one of the top teams in the highly competitive 6A Premier region consisting of perennial powerhouses Phoenix Xavier Prep and Hamilton, the revamped Basha, and Chandler.
Valley Vista
The Monsoon have big voids to fill this season. It lost last year’s top-ranked player in the state, Jennah Isai and their top forward Mikela Cooper to graduation, plus their former second-most talented player in Destiny Lunan transferred to Bella Vista Academy during the summer. But never count out Valley Vista’s legendary coach Rachel Matakas. She still has a highly skilled big Hannah Young who transferred from Desert Vista and return their starting point guard Olivia Arvallo, who will pick up the slack and drive Valley Vista to another deep playoff run.
Xavier Prep
Losing their best player Sarah Nakamura-Miller to a knee injury last summer will keep her out for the season. But Jennifer Gillom has a legitimate shot to win her elusive first 6A title with the state’s best point guard in Dominique Nesland, elite shooter Sienna Cherwinski, their top rebounder Maureen Ulrich, and their 6foot-6 rim protector Athiel Mlat.
Seton Catholic
Karen Self always creates 4A state title contenders no matter what. After their state semifinal loss to the eventual champion Salpointe last season, the Sentinels are bringing back senior forward Amelie Cartagena as their best player, one of the state’s top bigs in Caitlyn Benally, Sophia Morales and Mia DiPuccio.