By: Ralph Amsden
Most all-state teams are designed to have five players per team, but we all know real basketball doesn’t work that way. The 2013-14 All-CTR boys basketball teams run eight deep so we could have them square off in a virtual head-to-head game.
As always with previous postseason honors, Our hope is that this list helps to generate excitement about our local talent from year to year, cultivating an energetic and supportive atmosphere for the players that are working hard to represent their schools as athletes. It’s one opinion, and these spots are certainly debatable. If you choose to debate them in the comments section, we ask that you be respectful of the hard work each of these athletes put in to get where they’re at.
ALL-CTR FIRST TEAM
Starting Five
Markus Howard, Freshman, Perry: To put Markus Howard’s wonderful, award-winning season into perspective, consider this– only six players in NBA history have entered the prestigious 50-40-90 club. Howard did it as a freshman in high school. It’s just high school you say? Well, no one else in Arizona did it this year. In fact, according to Maxpreps, only one player among the nation’s top 150 scorers accomplished the feat (J.T. Escobar)
Jordan Howard, Senior, Perry: Jordan Howard may have averaged nearly 10 points per game less than last season, but it was his first 20 games averaging 17.3 points per game that helped Perry get off to a 19-1 start and allowed his younger brother to find his footing as a young leader. Howard also eclipsed 1500 career points on his way to committing to play basketball for Central Arkansas.
Marco Morales, Senior, Chandler: Marco Morales led Division 1 in 3-pointers made for the second season in a row, hitting the exact amount he made in 2012-13 (97), and giving him 249 for his CHS varsity career. He also went off a couple times in ways that only he could, going 6/10 from long range with a 28 point performance in a win over Saguaro, and 9/11 from long range with 29 points in an unforgettable playoff win at Desert Vista.
Brandon Haagsma, Senior, Valley Christian: You name it, he does it. Haagsma was 39th in D3 scoring, 23rd in rebounds, 5th in assists and 3rd in the entire state in 3-point percentage amongst the top 50 3-point shooters. He also won himself a state championship.
James Sosinski, Junior, Hamilton: The 24-4 Huskies spread the ball around and did whatever it took to win this year, but the Huskies big man in the middle showed that he could take a game over when it was needed. Sosinski had performances that included 21 points and 15 rebounds in a win over Desert Mountain and 19 points and 18 rebounds in a win over Chandler. Sosinski is also one of only a handful of defensive-minded D1 players to average at least 1.5 blocks and 1.0 steals per game.
Next Up
Zach Evans, Senior, Hamilton: First in the city in total assists, tied for fourth in steals per game, and was the third leading rebounder for Hamilton from the PG position.
TJ Widner, Senior, Valley Christian: Widner shot 68% from the field. For someone who averaged over 15 points per game, this could easily qualify him as one of the most efficient scorers in the state.
Nate Markovich, Senior, Basha: Stats weren’t always kept for Basha contests this year, but Markovich scored in double figures at least ten times, and helped lead an improved Bears squad to be competitive against much more experienced teams around the state.
ALL-CTR SECOND TEAM
Starting Five
Jake Rueter, Sophomore, Seton Catholic: Jake Rueter led the Sentinels to a 16-10 record, and a spot just outside the D2 playoffs. Rueter’s high energy play on offense say him aggressively slashing to the basket over and over again despite being a dangerous mid-range shooter. One of his best performances of the season came in Seton’s Silent Night game, where he scored 27, 6 points and 6 assists at home against Higley in a dominant win.
Deonte Harrington, Senior, Hamilton: Harrington was an interesting player this year for the Huskies. It seemed like whenever Hamilton needed a big shot, or needed someone to force the other team to give up a couple of fouls, Harrington was up to the task. A streaky scorer, he went for double figures in 12 games– 3rd most on the team.
Bryce Perkins, Junior, Chandler: Some were surprised when Perkins came out for basketball after quarterbacking a long and grueling football season, but come December, Perkins was on the court with the Wolves Varsity squad. Perkins scored in double figures in 17 of 24 games, and double digit rebounds 6 times, out-muscling many taller opponents.
Brock Gardner, Sophomore, Tri-City Baptist: Sure, we don’t cover Tri-City. Sure he plays in the lesser known Canyon Athletic Conference, but ultimately Gardner goes to school in Chandler and there’s just no way to keep him off this list. If you’re not impressed by his championship trophy or his impressive stat-line (24-10-5), there’s always this highlight video…
Geoff Vredevoogd, Senior, Perry: The Pumas would not have reached this year’s state semifinals had Vredevoogd not stepped up his game in a big way this year. In fact, Vredevoogd started out so hot in the semifinal game that Perry nearly had a chance to go to the final. Vredevoogd had three or more blocks five times, and scored in double figures on ten occasions.
Next Up
Cory Kasperson, Senior, Valley Christian: Kasperson went from scoring 2 points per game his junior year to just over 8 points per game this year, and picked a great time to have his career high 23 point game- the D3 state championship.
Bryce Fisher, Sophomore, Perry: Fisher might be the best perimeter defender in the state– and he’s only a sophomore. Often tasked to guard the opposite team’s best scorer, like Casey Benson, Fisher’s stats don’t come close to reflecting his value.
Kameron Casey, Senior, Chandler: Casey started the season with a bang, scoring 15+ four games in a row, and then struggled to find his groove, scoring over 15 just once more- in a 20 point, 9 rebound playoff loss in the second round at Dobson.
Honorable Mentions
Klay Stall, Tyrone Ayala (Basha), Zach Manguso, Kevin Vogl (Chandler), Luke McCook, Dylan McCall (Hamilton) Jake Mortensen, (Perry), Konrad Eze, David Stanley (Seton Catholic), Zach Wolf (Valley Christian)
Categories: Basketball
C-Town Rivals 
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