PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) — COVID-19 is on the rise as soon as once more in Arizona. The newest numbers from the state well being division present 12,987 instances and 42 new deaths. Eight Arizona counties at the moment have excessive transmission ranges, and Arizona is the one state within the nation the place each single county has medium or excessive ranges of COVID-19 transmission.
Hospitalizations have additionally been rising over the past month, however this 12 months’s Thanksgiving surge isn’t fairly as extreme as final 12 months’s surge. Nonetheless, a number of Valley docs count on these numbers to proceed rising into subsequent 12 months. “I’m taking a look at about February, the height can be over,” Valleywise Well being emergency doctor physician Frank LoVecchio mentioned.
In comparison with the previous couple of months, LoVecchio says November feels totally different concerning the amount of COVID instances. “The numbers are saying that there’s solely about seven % of those who come to Arizona ERs, or Maricopa County ERs with COVID-like diseases,” he mentioned. “It feels prefer it’s far more than that. It feels prefer it’s double or triple that.”
Valleywise officers say the variety of COVID instances has greater than doubled from August till now, and LoVecchio says that’s on high of a rise in flu and RSV instances which weren’t as prevalent final 12 months. “We’re slightly burnt out, I hoped this might be over,” LoVecchio mentioned. “However it appears to be like like will probably be slightly bit worse these subsequent two months.”
Advertisement
Eight % of Arizona COVID-19 sufferers at the moment occupy hospital ICU beds, in response to current Well being And Human Providers information. That’s one of many highest charges within the nation and greater than 2.5% above the nationwide common. College of Arizona physician Shad Marvasti says one of the simplest ways to combat the surge is doing what the CDC, DHS, and different organizations have really useful for the reason that pandemic began.
“Take into account sporting these masks in indoor public areas,” Marvasti mentioned. “Not only a flimsy surgical or material masks however both a KN-95 or an N-95. In case you haven’t been vaccinated, you undoubtedly ought to get vaccinated. And in the event you haven’t been boosted, now could be the time to get boosted.”
However with the pandemic approaching 12 months three, Marvasti isn’t assured that many Arizonans will change their methods. “I don’t count on most Arizonans to take precautions, sadly,” he mentioned. “I believe folks have been desensitized to it. When the numbers are excessive, everyone ought to do their half.”
Arizona State had a tough win against a solid team in Grand Canyon earlier this week. This Sun Devils squad is filled with many veteran players but also has three young freshmen who have a very promising future in college basketball.
Let’s dive into their dynamic trio of freshmen.
Patrick Breen/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
The youngest player in all of college basketball is a 6-foot-9 big man, Jayden Quaintance. The Arizona State big man is oozing with potential. Coach Bobby Hurley has gone on record saying that Quaintance is the best defensive freshman he has ever coached and that statement is certainly believable.
He currently averages 3.5 blocks per game and has the footwork, agility and quickness to defend out in space effectively. Although there are moments when he can be out of position or a bit jumpy, he has the potential to be a special rim protector. His hands are bigger than Shaquille O’Neal’s and his wingspan is around 7-foot-5.
Advertisement
On the offensive end, he has real talent even though he’s still figuring out game on that side of the court. The two-way potential Quaintance possesses is special and there is no other big in college basketball who has the ceiling he possesses.
James Snook-Imagn Images
In Arizona State’s game against Grand Canyon, freshman guard Joson Sanon dropped 21 points and showed quite a bit of promise for the Sun Devils. The 6-foot-5 guard has proven to be an elite shooter, especially for a freshman. Although it’s a small sample size, he is shooting 52.6% percent from behind the arc on a little over four attempts per game.
His shooting ability is special as he is lethal off the catch, can make tough pull-up jumpers, and even has some movement shooting ability. The versatile shooting and touch are lethal, which is what makes Sanon really intriguing. As he gets older and stronger it would be nice to see him get more rim attempts.
He has been given a certain role on the team, so maybe if he returns for his sophomore season he can explore more off the dribble actions. Arizona State’s coaching staff hopes to see him return for his sophomore year but it wouldn’t be a surprise if he was to end up as a one-and-done.
Nov 10, 2024; Spokane, Washington, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils guard Amier Ali (5) runs back on defense against the Gonzaga Bulldogs in the first half at McCarthey Athletic Center. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-Imagn Images / James Snook-Imagn Images
A 6-foot-8 wing, Amier Ali is another freshman for this Sun Devils squad that looks to have a bright future with the program. The main intrigue with Ali is his shooting ability paired with his positional size. On the season, he’s currently shooting a ridiculous 63.6% from behind the arc on good volume while only playing 12 minutes per contest.
Advertisement
Although he’s only getting limited minutes, we should expect a much bigger role out of him next season. In high school, he showcased real secondary playmaking ability and vision that he hasn’t been able to really show in college quite yet, but that is to come.
As he is given more on-ball responsibilities as he gets older, we could see him rise up on draft boards as his archetype is quite rare. Someone at 6-foot-8 who can be an elite shooter while also being a secondary playmaker is something NBA teams covet.
Want to join the discussion? Like Draft Digest on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest NBA Draft news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.
PHOENIX (AZFamily)— Do you have what it takes to go ‘Over the Edge’ and face a challenge for a good cause?
On Saturday, Special Olympics Arizona held its annual fundraiser, and participants geared up to go ‘Over the Edge’—rappelling 27 stories down Phoenix CityScape.
This year, around 80 people registered to rappel down the building, facing their fears or taking on a new challenge—something Special Olympics athletes do daily.
“Every day, Special Olympics Arizona athletes are getting out of their comfort zone and overcoming obstacles whether it be going to practice or making friends or whatever it may be. They’re putting themselves out of their comfort zone every single day, and so this is an opportunity for the community to do the same thing,” said Tarren Kramer with Special Olympics Arizona.
Advertisement
This year’s fundraiser was open to the public. Once registered, participants were asked to raise $1,000 for a guaranteed rappel spot. The $1,000 represents the cost to support two Special Olympic athletes for a full year.
“It’s a really incredible way for the community to come together and really just show that the athletes are being seen, that they understand that it’s hard and that every day can be different, but they’re here to support the athletes and do what they can to raise awareness and do what they can to be part of the community,” said Kramer.
See a spelling or grammatical error in our story? Please click here to report it.
Do you have a photo or video of a breaking news story? Send it to us here with a brief description.
Saint Thomas Tommies (3-1) at Arizona State Sun Devils (3-1)
Tempe, Arizona; Sunday, 8 p.m. EST
Advertisement
BOTTOM LINE: Arizona State hosts St. Thomas after Joson Sanon scored 21 points in Arizona State’s 87-76 win against the Grand Canyon Antelopes.
Arizona State went 14-18 overall with a 10-5 record at home during the 2023-24 season. The Sun Devils allowed opponents to score 74.0 points per game and shoot 45.0% from the field last season.
St. Thomas went 10-8 in Summit League action and 6-9 on the road a season ago. The Tommies gave up 64.8 points per game while committing 15.8 fouls last season.
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gray/NV5ABFOWNVF43LDD6XPB6IHRII.jpeg "Arizona is the only state that has medium/high COVID-19 levels in all its counties")
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25724877/Super_Nintendo_World.png "The next Nintendo Direct is all about Super Nintendo World’s Donkey Kong Country")
