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“These kids are following in DeAndre Ayton’s footsteps and that’s a great example to add. “is a testament to what we’re about and trying to makecome true,” said Marcus Gantt, current coach at Hillcrest Prep. He also played for the Wildcats before joining the Bulls in the upcoming season.
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His example helped Hillcrest Prep build a reputation for recruiting more elite prospects, including Terry, a Phoenix native who graduated from Corona del Sol High School Hillcrest switched. He was joined by fellow Dream City resident MarJon Beauchamp, who the Milwaukee Bucks picked with the 24th pick.Īn argument can be made in Hillcrest Prep’s favor that the trend started in recent years with top prospect Deandre Ayton, who came from the Bahamas and as a former wildcat stayed in Arizona throughout his playing career in the United States before he became the No. Arizona is becoming a cornerstone for high school basketballers going through college and eventually making it to the NBA as the state led the country with six first-round selections in June.Ĭanadian product Shaedon Sharpe, who was picked seventh overall this year by the Portland Trail Blazers, signed to the University of Kentucky after spending his final two years playing high school ball at Dream City Christian School, one of Arizona’s burgeoning prep academies in recent years. Three players from Tucson - Bennedict Mathurin (Indiana Pacers), Dalen Terry (Chicago Bulls) and Christian Koloko (Toronto Raptors) - heard their names on draft night.īut the local basketball boom occurs long before the college level. Basket lovers everywhere would agree that the University of Arizona Wildcats has the best basketball factory in the state of Arizona.