Richard Smith

West Valley Preps

They arrived at Deer Valley in what likely was the basketball program's darkest hour.

In July 2014, about a month before the Class of 2018 started classes at the Glendale school, junior-to-be Quentin Hoffman died of an accidental drowning in his apartment complex pool. The Skyhawk community came together, raising thousands for the Hoffman family. Incoming freshman Deven Breckner won the "Threes for Q" contest as part of that fundraiser.

Breckner and classmate Ari Danzy often started as freshmen in a back court now severely lacking in experience. Bryce Davis was not thrown into the fire as much, but showed promise behind seniors Edward Hardt and Rees Plummer. Keyvaughn Williams played at the lower levels but moved into the rotation as a sophomore.

"Freshman year was tough because we lost Q, a brother and a great player. We also had to play extremely well for Rees and Eddy. Also, that's when coach Dunn was crazy coach Dunn, lol," Breckner stated in a Twitter interview Wednesday.

Not quite four years later, this quartet of seniors led the Skyhawks to heights unseen since current assistant coach Lawrence Hill, and fellow NCAA Division I players Christian Polk and Joey Shaw were walking on campus in 2005.

Deer Valley lost the 5A state final Tuesday, 13 years after that team's bitter overtime semifinal loss to Mesa Mountain View in the biggest class in the state. In 2006, the Skyhawks — led by Polk — reached the 5A-II finals, falling to Phoenix South Mountain.

"I'm very proud of all my teammates and I truly love all of them. We did some things that haven't been done at the school for a long time and we left our mark at Deer Valley," Davis stated in a Twitter interview.

The Skyhawks nearly erased a 13-point second half deficit before falling to defending champion Phoenix Sunnyslope.

Sunnyslope stops late Skyhawks push, defends 5A title

"It's hard for the four seniors. I've been with them for so many games. I hurt for them, and they're hurting right now," Coach Jed Dunn said. "I love their fight, man. They cut it to two and I'm happy they didn't go away (easy)."

It almost did not happen for the Skyhawks and the coach who just completed his 10th season leading the program.

After a near miss of the playoffs in their freshman year, things nearly fell apart for the class of 2018 during an after a tumultuous sophomore year where Deer Valley finished 11-14.

Breckner said he and his classmates thought about leaving during the ealy years - and now he realizes they would have missed out.

"We all wanted to transfer at one point. I personally almost transferred before my junior year," Breckner stated. "But me and coach Dunn talked about it and I stayed. Thank God I did because I would miss something special and regret it the rest of my life. Coach Dunn has made such a big impact on our lives. That guy will never be forgotten."

Breckner said now the coach is like family to the seniors and through the years, coach and players have developed a genuine love for each other.

Instead of leaving for an easier situation, they stayed and made Deer Valley a contender. Before their junior season, sophomore role players Ethan Cashion and Brandon Savage transferred in to join them.

But the core four remained the heart of the team. Following a bad night in the playoffs last year, the now-seniors made their last shot at the record books count.

"I told them, the four seniors all could have transferred at some point. Our sophomore year, I was really hard on them. I told them during the game this is the joy, the reward the hard work and staying committed to it. This is the payoff. I'm really proud of them for that," Dunn said.

Deer Valley's Ari Danzy (#1) is fouled while driving to the basket against Sunnyslope in a 5A Championship game on Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2018 at Wells Fargo Arena in Tempe. [Jacob Stanek/West Valley Preps][/caption]Now, Breckner, Danzy, Davis and Williams leave having raised the bar for the program. Dunn's early teams were largely successful but had not advanced beyond the quarterfinals until this year.

The core four mentored a junior class that contributed more with each playoff game.

"It's been a great season. I'm a junior and I hope we can get here again," Savage said.

Deer Valley drops to 4A next year, and in essence will trade Sunnyslope's dynasty for Shadow Mountains.

But with juniors like Savage, Johnny Diaz, Jaret and Jared Allen and Cahsion returning - and with freshman guard Jackson Leyba looking impressive in a title game cameo - the Skyhawks can make a stand in their new home.

"We'll be in the gym in three weeks. The work doesn't stop. I think Johnny (Diaz) is developing into a great leader and I think he'll get these guys playing. I'm excited about the next couple years,"

But first, they and their senior mentors can step back and reflect on their ride to the finals.

Breckner said the players will never forget the community support - Deer Valley fans filled more than half of the lower bowl of Wells Fargo Arena Tuesday night.

And they will never forget the journey.

"These last 4 years at have been a crazy ride, we’ve made some unforgettable memories and will be brothers forever. As far as seeing the community and school come together it was definitely cool because it was something us seniors hadn’t seen before," Danzy stated.

All four seniors said their time in the basketball program taught them life lessons that will resonate long after their playing days are over, and that their coach has become another father figure for them.

Danny stated that the amount of things Dunn taught the team off the court are uncountable.

"My favorite memories outside of basketball that came from Deer Valley is definitely the relationship we have with the Best Buddies Program and all the bonds i was able to create with special needs kids. Seeing how much joy and happiness we brought to them really made everything worth it," Williams stated.

Deer Valley's Keyvaughn Williams (#5) drives to the basket against Sunnyslope in a 5A Championship game on Tuesday, Feb. 27 at Wells Fargo Arena in Tempe. [Jacob Stanek/West Valley Preps][/caption]