Arizona high school basketball role players find spots in the rotation
February 26, 2016 by MaxPreps, AZPreps365
{EMBED_VIDEO_9a4610fc-83b5-4ee2-b8b6-e6327d74ab6f}Video: Michael Bibby's highlights vs. Red Mountain High
See the Shadow Mountain star in action.
It takes so many players in so many different roles to get the ultimate goal.State championships have to be earned.
There might be heavy favorites and seemingly an easy ride to a title for some teams, but until it happens the forgone conclusion can quickly become the wasted opportunity. And for it all to come together certain players have to get it done.
Here is a look at some of the roles on the remaining teams heading into the weekend's basketball action.
The superstar
No one in the state might epitomize this role more than Michael Bibby of Shadow Mountain (Phoenix). The senior has been in the limelight long before he came to high school based on the last name alone. His father by the same name was a special player who took Arizona to a national championship.
The younger Bibby looks to close our his career with a Division II title after playing in only nine games last year and having to watch the Matadors lose in the semifinals from the bench.
Bibby averages 19 points a game, and has plenty of help from JJ Rhymes, but he is the face of the team and one of the state's top players.
The defender
When it comes to game-prep for the defensive side of things, the first one Gilbert coach Jay Caserio turns to is junior Caden Towt. The 6-foot-2, 160-pound junior is the Tigers' defensive stopper on the perimeter and draws a tough assignment each game.
"Caden Towt might be the toughest kid I've ever coached," Caserio said. "You coaches say that all the time, but it is really true. He doesn't say boo ever. You show him one thing on the scouting report and he's got it. You don't ever have to tell him anything again.
"You tell him 'You got this guy' and you don't have to worry about it again."
The secondary option
Photo by Darin SicurelloThere are times when the offense just goes kaput. The top guy has an off night, the passes are just a second off and the offensive rebounds are minimal. Someone has to step to the forefront.
Every team has the secondary players who can take on the scoring load. If it isn't one Hatch then it might be the other one.
Teams like Mesa, the second seed in the Division I tournament, likes to spread the offense around so it is good to have both a Mark Hatch and Drew Hatch, each of whom scored points in the quarterfinal win.
"I wish he'd pass me the ball more and let me take a few more shots," Mark said with a smile after beating St. Mary's.
The coach
There are so very many good coaches in Arizona that can guide their teams into the playoffs every year. There are only a few, however, who are seemingly a state title contender each year.
The Seton Catholic (Chandler) girls program enters Saturday's Division II semifinals with Karen Self on the sidelines with a chance to win an eighth state title after losing in the finals last year. She has won more than 600 games since taking over the program in 1992.
"There wasn't a lot of consistency, and the kids, when I got hired here, the first thing they asked me had nothing to do with my experience or where I played or anything," Self remembered earlier this year. "They only wanted to know if I was going to stay more than a year.
"It felt like the kids just needed someone to care about them and want to develop the program."
Jason P. Skoda, a former Arizona Republic sports writer and current Prep Sports Director for 1013 Communications, is a 20-year sports writing veteran. Contact him at jskoda1024@aol.com.
See the Shadow Mountain star in action.
It takes so many players in so many different roles to get the ultimate goal.State championships have to be earned.
There might be heavy favorites and seemingly an easy ride to a title for some teams, but until it happens the forgone conclusion can quickly become the wasted opportunity. And for it all to come together certain players have to get it done.
Here is a look at some of the roles on the remaining teams heading into the weekend's basketball action.
The superstar
No one in the state might epitomize this role more than Michael Bibby of Shadow Mountain (Phoenix). The senior has been in the limelight long before he came to high school based on the last name alone. His father by the same name was a special player who took Arizona to a national championship.
The younger Bibby looks to close our his career with a Division II title after playing in only nine games last year and having to watch the Matadors lose in the semifinals from the bench.
Bibby averages 19 points a game, and has plenty of help from JJ Rhymes, but he is the face of the team and one of the state's top players.
The defender
When it comes to game-prep for the defensive side of things, the first one Gilbert coach Jay Caserio turns to is junior Caden Towt. The 6-foot-2, 160-pound junior is the Tigers' defensive stopper on the perimeter and draws a tough assignment each game.
"Caden Towt might be the toughest kid I've ever coached," Caserio said. "You coaches say that all the time, but it is really true. He doesn't say boo ever. You show him one thing on the scouting report and he's got it. You don't ever have to tell him anything again.
"You tell him 'You got this guy' and you don't have to worry about it again."
The secondary option
Photo by Darin SicurelloMark Hatch, Mesa
Every team has the secondary players who can take on the scoring load. If it isn't one Hatch then it might be the other one.
Teams like Mesa, the second seed in the Division I tournament, likes to spread the offense around so it is good to have both a Mark Hatch and Drew Hatch, each of whom scored points in the quarterfinal win.
"I wish he'd pass me the ball more and let me take a few more shots," Mark said with a smile after beating St. Mary's.
The coach
There are so very many good coaches in Arizona that can guide their teams into the playoffs every year. There are only a few, however, who are seemingly a state title contender each year.
The Seton Catholic (Chandler) girls program enters Saturday's Division II semifinals with Karen Self on the sidelines with a chance to win an eighth state title after losing in the finals last year. She has won more than 600 games since taking over the program in 1992.
"There wasn't a lot of consistency, and the kids, when I got hired here, the first thing they asked me had nothing to do with my experience or where I played or anything," Self remembered earlier this year. "They only wanted to know if I was going to stay more than a year.
"It felt like the kids just needed someone to care about them and want to develop the program."
Jason P. Skoda, a former Arizona Republic sports writer and current Prep Sports Director for 1013 Communications, is a 20-year sports writing veteran. Contact him at jskoda1024@aol.com.
