Spencer Durose is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Valley Christian High School for AZPreps365.com

The Valley Christian boys basketball team looks to create the same magic they did just a year ago. The defending 3A state champs have established themselves as the top dog of the division once again this year, holding a record of 25-1. 

The Trojan's only loss comes from Vista Murrieta (Murrieta, CA) early on in the season, but other than that it’s been smooth sailing for the team. They hold a 17-0 record in the division.

Head coach Greg Haagsma talks about the growth and leadership of his young squad that’s kept them afloat all season long. 

“We’ve been pretty close to the top, if not at the top all season long,” Haagsma said. “We returned a lot of players from last year, obviously we graduated our best player, but we were so young around him that coming back with as much leadership and our guys got a year older it was really nice.”

Haagsma believes this year's team is even more well-rounded than last year’s state championship roster. 

“We’re deeper, we’re more balanced, and we still have stars in like a Luke Shaw,” Haagsma said. “And so it’s been a really fun team to coach.” 

Shaw currently leads the team with 26.4 points per game. The 6-foot-2 junior is averaging just over double the points he did last year while also leading the team in steals per game. He credits the team's work ethic and relationships as the main reason for their success this year. 

“I think having a lot of players on this team play together last year as well, I think that really helped with the bond and the teamwork,” Shaw said. “I think teamwise we’re ready and locked in for playoffs.” 

Shaw and the Trojans are no strangers to the playoff atmosphere. He noted what it would take for them to hoist the state championship trophy again this year. 

“We all know what it’s like to win, and we know what it takes to win,” Shaw said. “We’re all doing that every day to put in the work and to get back to that winning level.” 

Austin Wallace, another member of last year's state championship-winning roster, believes that the team is right where they need to be in order to win it all again. He recapped how the season has been going for the team thus far.

“We started good and then we had a little bit of a slow streak, and now we’re building momentum back again and playing fast again, playing the Valley Christian basketball that we know,” Wallace said of the season. 

Though familiar with the winning feeling, Wallace knows how important it is for the team to be focused heading into playoffs. 

“I feel like we just gotta play as hard as we can because they got nothing to lose and we got something to lose,” Wallace said. “We go into every game playing as hard as we can and know we need to win.” 

The Trojans currently have two more games left in the regular season before claiming their bid in the 2023 AIA State Basketball Tournament. They hope to end on a positive note, keeping their team atop the 3A division rankings heading into the tournament.