HIGH SCHOOL

Mountain Ridge G Josh Green spending summer with Hillcrest Prep

Richard Obert
azcentral sports
Mountain Ridge 2019 guard Josh Green is spending the summer with Hillcrest Prep's national high school basketball team.

Josh Green, who averaged about 20 points a game on Glendale Mountain Ridge's varsity basketball team as a freshman, is spending the summer with Phoenix Hillcrest Prep's national high school team, his father, Delmas Green, said.

Jayden Green, a 6-foot-5 guard and Josh's older brother, will likely spend the next school year on Hillcrest's post-grad team, despite having a couple offers, including New Mexico, to play basketball.

Delmas didn't rule out the possibility of Josh, a 6-4 combo guard, playing next high school season at Hillcrest, which is led by 7-foot-1 center DeAndre Ayton, considered the nation's top 2017 prospect.

Josh, considered one of the top 2019 prospects in the state with his quickness, skills and ability to go inside and shoot from outside, has spent the spring playing for the Oakland Soldiers, a top AAU program, in the Nike EYBL series. There is one more EYBL session, the Peach Jam in South Carolina, in early July.

After that, Delmas said Hillcrest might form a team to play in some college viewing showcases later in July.

MORE: Green brothers lift Mountain Ridge title hopes

"Right now, it's best for Josh what we're doing," said Delmas, who played professionally and coached in Australia for more than 20 years, before moving his family to the Valley more than a year ago. "We're just feeling things out. He'll be training with DeAndre Ayton. That's what he needs.

"Mountain Ridge, the school, the principal, has been great."

Mountain Ridge 2016 guard Jayden Green will play on Hillcrest Prep's post-grad team next season unless a college offers comes up that he likes.

Mountain Ridge coach Eli Lopez is planning on having Josh in the fold next season.

"As far as we know, he's coming back next year," Lopez said in a text.

Nick Weaver, the recruiting coordinator and co-founder at Hillcrest who coaches the post-grad team, said in the spring, before meeting with the Arizona Interscholastic Association, that he wouldn't take any more Arizona players in order for the national prep team to play against local high school teams.

But the AIA denied Hillcrest any kind of affiliation.

RELATED: AIA denies Hillcrest Prep membership affiliation

The AIA allows Findlay Prep, near Las Vegas, to play Arizona high school teams because Nevada's high school sports governing body gave it an affiliation as long as it doesn't take Nevada players.

Hillcrest will be in its second season as a national high school team, led by Ayton. Weaver said that senior-to-be Shamiel Stevenson, a 6-6, 228-pound forward, has joined Hillcrest's national prep team. He has offers from Arizona State, USC and Georgia Tech. He already has taken an official visit to USC.

He comes over from Wasatch Academy in Utah.

Jayden Green, a combo guard who averaged about 20 points during his senior season at Mountain Ridge, had offers from New Mexico and Cleveland State, but decided not to take them.

"It just wasn't what he wanted," Delmas said. "There were a couple of places that just were not the right fit for him. Coming over from Australia, he just wants to test the waters.

"We'll just give him an opportunity to get another year up his sleeve. But, saying that, if something good comes along, he still has a chance, can still go (to college) as a 2016."

To suggest human-interest story ideas and other news, reach Obert at richard.obert@arizonarepublic.com or 602-460-1710. Follow him at twitter.com/azc_obert.