Vote: Who should be SBLive's WaFd Bank Arizona Boys Basketball Athlete of the Week (2/5/2024)?
Here are the candidates for the WaFd Bank Arizona Boys Basketball Athlete of the Week as nominated by coaches, fans and readers.
Read through the nominees and cast your vote. Voting will conclude Sunday at 11:59 p.m. and the winner will be announced Monday.
If you would like to make a nomination in a future week, email danbrood91@gmail.com.
Editor’s Note: Our Athlete of the Week feature and corresponding poll is intended to be fun, and we do not set limits on how many times a fan can vote during the competition. However, we do not allow votes that are generated by script, macro or other automated means. Athletes who receive votes generated by script, macro or other automated means will be disqualified.
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AJ Anderson, Paradise Valley
The junior guard has stepped up for the Trojans, averaging 22 points, five rebounds and two assists a game over their past five contests.
Cade Benson, Kingman Academy
The senior center had a big double-double for the Tigers with a game-high 24 points and 15 rebounds, as well as having three blocked shots in a 71-64 victory at NFL Yet Academy.
Andrew Bhesania, Boulder Creek
The junior forward scored 26 points on an 11-for-12 shooting night from the field while also having six rebounds and a pair of steals for the Jaguars in their 69-50 home win against Pinnacle.
Elijah Braveheart, Kofa
The junior stepped up with 22 points, 14 rebounds, three assists and three steals to help lead the Kings to a 70-54 victory at Washington.
Josh Brownstein, Empire
The senior had a big double-double for the Ravens with 20 points and 17 rebounds while also having five blocks, two assists and two steals in a 93-45 victory at Catalina.
Jonathan Brown, Desert Christian
The senior guard turned in a strong all-around performance for the Eagles with 25 points, four rebounds, four assists and six steals in their 74-25 win over Valley Union in a game played at Desert Christian High School.
Johnathon Byaus, Combs
The senior shined for the Coyotes with 16 points, 13 rebounds, two assists, two steals and three blocks in a 53-30 victory over Poston Butte in a contest played at Combs High School.
Ares Chambers, Youngker
The junior forward turned in a double-double for the Roughriders with 26 points and 11 rebounds while also having three assists and two steals in a 49-48 setback against Glendale.
Jack Engelthaler, Basis
The senior had 37 points, 16 rebounds, six steals, two assists and two blocks for the Yeti in a 67-63 setback against Williams. He then had 40 points, eight rebounds, six assists, four blocks and two steals in a 78-44 win over St. Michael.
Devan Fowler, Cortez
The senior guard scored 28 points on 10 of 14 shooting while also having three rebounds and three assists for the Colts in their 71-65 victory at Lee Williams.
Kofi Idris, Camelback
The junior recorded a double-double for the Spartans with 14 points and 13 rebounds while also blocking three shots in a 70-34 victory against Browne in a game played at Camelback High School.
Braylon Johnson, Pinnacle
The senior forward turned in a double-double for the Pioneers with 29 points and 11 rebounds while also having two assists and two blocks in a 71-54 win against Mountain Ridge.
Fauster Johnson, Arizona College Prep
The junior guard scored 26 points, including 16 in the third quarter, and added four rebounds and three steals for the Knights in a 63-49 setback against ALA-Gilbert North. He also had 16 points, five rebounds and a steal in a 56-52 victory against ALA-Queen Creek.
Ja’kwan Jordan, Coolidge
The senior forward/guard turned in a double-double for the Bears with 10 points and 11 rebounds in their 66-36 victory at Crimson. He also had 14 points and 21 rebounds in a 67-61 win over ALA-Ironwood.
Ja’michael Keeton, Tempe
The senior forward stepped up with 21 points, 14 rebounds, five steals and two assists in leading the Buffaloes to a 60-54 home win over Apache Junction.
Isaiah Leyva, Buckeye
The senior guard recorded a double-double for the Hawks with 19 points and 11 rebounds while also having four assists, a pair of steals and a block in an 85-59 home win over Youngker.
Logan Martinez, Salpointe Catholic
The senior wing shined with 24 points, six rebounds, six steals and two assists in helping the Lancers triumph 56-49 against Pueblo in a game played at Pueblo High School.
Deray Mathis, Miami
The junior guard/forward had a huge double-double for the Vandals with 25 points and 18 rebounds while also having four blocks, three assists and three steals in a 75-72 setback at Blue Ridge.
Matthew McEnaney, Horizon Honors
The senior forward/center stepped up in a big way with 21 points, 15 rebounds, seven assists and six blocks to help the Eagles soar to a 76-43 home win against Tempe Prep.
Desean Middlebrook, Mesquite
The sophomore wing scored 21 points on a 10-for-14 shooting night while also having four rebounds, three assists and three blocks for the Wildcats in a 71-32 victory at Arcadia.
Damion Miller-Coleman, Moon Valley
The senior guard scored 22 points, sinking five 3-pointers in the process, for the Rockets in a 71-53 win over Shadow Mountain. He also had 26 points, connecting on six 3-pointers, in a 70-65 victory against Paradise Honors.
Nate Morales, Dysart
The senior guard scored 22 points, giving him more than 1,000 points for his high school career, in helping the Demons score a 95-34 win over Grande Vista, which gave the team a perfect 10-0 record in region play.
Luke Padilla, Seton Catholic
The senior guard had a double-double for the Sentinels with 20 points and 13 rebounds in their 67-48 home victory against Arcadia.
Nashoba Redhouse, Saguaro
The junior guard scored 31 points, shooting at a 6-for-9 clip from 3-point range, while also having four steals for the Sabercats in a 97-33 victory at Lake Havasu.
Aidan Schmidt, Casteel
The senior forward scored a career-high 31 points on a 12-for-17 shooting night from the field in helping lead the Colts to a 60-51 win over Higley. For the week, which also included wins against Mountain Point and Campo Verde, he scored at an average of 21.5 points a game.
Andy Saeva, Mountain Ridge
The senior guard stepped up with 19 points and seven rebounds for the Mountain Lions in their Desert Valley Contest at Pinnacle.
Braeden Speed, Brophy College Prep
The senior guard averaged 17 points, six rebounds and four assists a game, while shooting at a 57-percent clip from the field (50 percent from 3-point range) for the Broncos in a 76-45 win at Chandler and a 61-45 setback at Perry.
Adrian Stubbs, Maryvale
The sophomore had 27 points, 10 assists, five rebounds and five steals for the Panthers in a 74-47 win over Alhambra. He also had 16 points and nine assists in a 73-54 victory against Browne, and he had 26 points, 13 assists, seven rebounds and five steals in an 82-33 win against San Luis.
Tyler Tapaha, Holbrook
The junior tallied a game-high 27 points on an 11 of 16 shooting night while also coming up with five assists, four rebounds and three steals for the Roadrunners in a 75-51 victory at Show Low.
Uriah Tenette, Prescott
The junior point guard had 40 points, seven rebounds, two assists and three steals in three quarters of play for the Badgers in a 78-35 win over Flagstaff and he had 39 points, four rebounds, five assists and three steals in a 67-63 win over Coconino, helping Prescott clinch the outright Grand Canyon Region title for the first time since 2002.
Jaiden Thompson, Mountain Ridge
The junior point guard had 25 points and four steals for the Mountain Lions in their Desert Valley contest at Pinnacle.
Diego Torres, Horizon Honors
The senior had a strong all-around performance for the Eagles with a team-high 17 points, six rebounds, five assists, four blocks and three steals in their 78-39 home win against Santa Cruz Valley.
Nehemiah Ward, Peoria
The junior scored a team-high 21 points on 7 of 11 shooting from the field while also having six rebounds for the Panthers in their 60-51 win over Estrella Foothills in a game played at Peoria High School.
David Yourkoski, Cicero Prep Academy
The senior guard had a big double-double for the Centurions with 33 points and 11 rebounds while also having five assists and three steals in a 69-55 home win against Mogollon.
Gabril Zeller, Ash Fork
The senior guard had 23 points, 12 rebounds, four steals and two assists in the Spartans’ 52-50 loss at St. Michael.