High school basketball in Tucson, 2016-17, was so good that 14 teams won at least 20 games.
The best of the best: The Gregory School’s boys team was 29-1 entering Saturday’s 1A state championship game, and Pueblo’s girls basketball team finished 26-2, a shade ahead of Pusch Ridge’s 26-3. Here’s one man’s all-city teams:
Boys All-City Fab Five
- Nick Jackson, junior forward, Sunnyside. Jackson averaged a double-double, 18.6 points and 10.1 rebounds, and is being recruited by multiple Division I teams.
- Sam Beskind, junior guard, Catalina Foothills. At 6-foot 3 with a power move to the basket, Beskind was a force behind the Falcons’ 22-win season.
- Cole Gerken, senior guard, Ironwood Ridge. Gerken didn’t play on a good team, but he averaged 16.6 points and plans to play for Brian Peabody at Pima College next year.
- Nick Rosquist, senior guard, The Gregory School. The state’s leading scorer, a versatile shooter, averaged 29 points and led the Hawks to the 1A championship game.
- Majok Deng, sophomore forward, Salpointe Catholic. He is so highly regarded that UCLA assistant coach David Grace stopped to visit Deng on the Bruins’ visit to Tucson.
Girls All-City Fab Five
- Taylor Thompson, senior guard, The Gregory School. Headed to Concordia (Oregon) University, Thompson averaged 26 points for the 21-9 Hawks.
- Jazzy Hughes, senior, Mountain View. The 6-foot wing, who is being recruited JC power Pima College and coach Todd Holthaus, averaged 15 points for the Mountain Lions.
- Araceli Loya, senior forward, Pueblo. Loya averaged 12 points and seven rebounds for the 26-2 Warriors and completed her career with 1,207 points.
- Ilyssa Diamond Galindo, junior guard, Pueblo. The pass-first point guard, daughter of coach Izzy Galindo, averaged 12 points and six assists.
- Alyssa Perez, junior guard, Marana. The Tigers’ emergence as a 22-5 team had a lot to do with Perez’s 16-point scoring average.
