Willow Canyon junior guard Jaydon Hayes drives to the basekt during a game against Phoenix Mountain Pointe June 5 at the Prime Time tournament at Millennium High School in Goodyear.
Every high school sports offseason is, to at least some degree, a rebirth.
Willow Canyon boys basketball reconvened in late May, playing in a tournament at Arizona Christian University then taking part in the Prime Time tournament. This invite-only event by Monarch Sports brings together eight of the top teams in the state.
The Wildcats took the floor without guard Maurice Carter, their leading scorer in 2025-26 at 21 points per game. Coach Joseph Colletti June 5 confirmed that the junior has left the program.
“Obviously we’re adding a couple of new players and then adding guys into bigger roles. At the same time we had some guys depart. Some guys graduated and some guys chose to find some other situations. It’s all just about building and making sure that our culture is the thing that can transcend whoever is wearing the jersey at this point.”
As originally reported by Jacob Seliga of NextUpAZ on June 11 and announced on Instagram that day, Carter has transferred to Millennium.
Junior guard Jaydon Hayes is a natural source for a larger role after averaging 19.4 points per game.
Senior forward Garrison Bambolo (7.7 ppg) and senior guard Braylen Gray (6.1 ppg) are also candidates to see expanded offensive roles.
“We’re really a brand new team every single year, but moreso this year. We’re learning new roles and new wrinkles in our offense and defense. It’s definitely a process and we’re at the start of it,” Colletti said.
Several players are completely new.
Sophomore wing Jacob Jensen transferred in after playing on Millennium’s junior varsity. He injured his ankle in the Wildcats’ first round game against Phoenix Mountain Pointe.
“He’s been a part of our feeder program and just decided to try something different that first year then decided to come back,” Colletti said. “I really think he can make an impact for us.”
Willow Canyon’s first trip to Prime Time did not go well on the scoreboard. But at this point, the biggest objective is getting a much different team as many reps together as possible.
“Spring is really about getting better individually. In the spring, a lot of these guys go back to their AAU teams so they hear different voices and have different influences,” Colletti said June 5. “We’re really just getting back together. Last week was our first week in the gym together.”
Richard Smith Senior News Editor | Glendale & West Valley Preps
Richard Smith has been with Independent Newsmedia since 2016, and worked at a Sun City-based news outfit covering the Northwest Valley for 22 consecutive years.
An NAU alum and lifelong Arizona resident, Richard began as a copy editor and page designer at Surprise Today and the Daily News-Sun, then rekindled his love of sports writing by taking the reins on West Valley Preps in 2008.
For most of the mid-2010s he was the Surprise editor and West Valley Preps reporter. Now he’s the West Valley Preps Editor and Surprise Associate Editor.
As COVID restrictions slowly lift, Richard is cautiously optimistic he will visit book stores, football fields and gyms again this fall.
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