Roster Breakdown: Basha Bears

The Basha Bears had a great regular season last fall, going a perfect 10-0. During the season, they averaged over 47 points per game, and held their opponents to 16.4 points. With talent all over the field for Basha, they handled their opponents with ease, up until the Open Division Playoffs. That is where they saw their season end in the first round, going down to Liberty 38-20. Nevertheless, the three seed in the Open is always something to be proud of, but Basha seeks more this upcoming season. With Division I talent on offense and defense, watch out for these particular players to have a say to Basha's success this year.     [player_tooltip player_id='42934' first='Cole' last='Martin'], Defensive Back   Dynamic athlete. Best words to describe [player_tooltip player_id='42934' first='Cole' last='Martin']. Special Teams specialist who cannot be kicked to on punts or kickoffs (if you're lucky enough to score on his defense.) Lines up on the offensive side of the ball as well for jet sweeps and hand offs on the outside to showcase his speed. Great in open space, and had 4 touchdowns on the year. As for his primary position, he has great defensive awareness when playing corner, able to come off his man and make plays on the ball. Great hand talent and can swat balls and cause drop passes without creating contact and forcing penalties which is hard to do at the high school level. Martin is ranked #2 in the state overall in the class of 2023, and the number 1 defensive player. Committed to Oregon, watch out for this future Duck to be all over the field on all three aspects of the game.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/colemartin21/status/1551643518132555776?s=20&t=Y8T0C6zLgSQJWSUgrE3oeA </div></figure>     [player_tooltip player_id='42938' first='Wyatt' last='Milkovic'], Linebacker   At 6'1" 234 lbs, and clocking a 4.78 forty-yard dash, [player_tooltip player_id='42938' first='Wyatt' last='Milkovic'] has the numbers that you want leading your linebacking core. You turn on the tape, and it backs it up. Great run stopper, can fly to the ball and put a shoulder in the hole and stop running backs or quarterbacks instantly. Side to side speed is there as well with Wyatt. Reads the quarterback well in passing situations and can even line up on the edge for a QB rush/sack if you need him to. Led Basha in tackles with 132 (12 per game) overall a solid backer for his team. A Boise State commit, watch out for Milkovic flying around the field this year, and on the blue turf in the years to come for the Broncos.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/wyattmilkovic/status/1512505857736515585?s=20&t=Y8T0C6zLgSQJWSUgrE3oeA </div></figure>     [player_tooltip player_id='42908' first='James' last='Durand'], Offensive Line   [player_tooltip player_id='42908' first='James' last='Durand'] lines up at left tackle for Basha and is one of the most solid offensive linemen I have seen in this class. With perfect size at 6'6" 285 lbs, Durand is big and tall and protects the blind side of his quarterback very well. Great run blocker, down blocks with authority and can wipe out multiple defenders. Durand plays aggressive, and will pancake you multiple times in a single play if you allow him to. With offers from Ivy League schools like Harvard and Yale, Durand committed to the University of Wisconsin, where they are known to produce NFL caliber O linemen, and Durand can be one of those guys. Great future potential, he will show his talent this year on the field, protecting the next player on the list.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/JamesDurand17/status/1522549955100954625?s=20&t=Y8T0C6zLgSQJWSUgrE3oeA </div></figure>     [player_tooltip player_id='115519' first='Demond' last='Williams'] Jr, Quarterback   Only player from the class of 2024, started last season as a sophomore led this team to a perfect record and a trip to the Open Bracket. Over 2,600 yards passing and over 600 yards rushing, Williams is rated one of the best dual threat quarterbacks in the country. Great pocket presence for a young QB, who has a great strong arm and can drop balls in tight spaces deep down the field. He also knows how to throw the ball in certain circumstances. Seam route to the slot receiver needs to be on a rope, back shoulder throw before they get to the deep safety, throws the ball low and away to allow his guy to catch it without being led into a waiting backer for a big hit, Williams does all of that. Love watching him escape pressure as well, and also keeps his eyes down field. He had a great sophomore season, but I can't wait to watch his junior year and so on.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/QBDwilliams1/status/1532044945648807936?s=20&t=Y8T0C6zLgSQJWSUgrE3oeA </div></figure>       Basha are prepared to have another great season filled with lots of wins and competing for a top spot in the Open. With a tough second half of the schedule starting with Cactus on September 30, then a matchup with Liberty starts a brutal stretch for the Bears in October. But with the talent and coaching staff Basha has, I expect them to rise to the occasion and battle it out for the Arizona Title in late Fall.

The Basha Bears had a great regular season last fall, going a perfect 10-0. During the season, they averaged over 47 points per game, and held their opponents to 16.4 points. With talent all over the field for Basha, they handled their opponents with ease, up until the Open Division Playoffs. That is where they saw their season end in the first round, going down to Liberty 38-20. Nevertheless, the three seed in the Open is always something to be proud of, but Basha seeks more this upcoming season. With Division I talent on offense and defense, watch out for these particular players to have a say to Basha's success this year.