Cameron Holmes, Goodyear Millennium

The 6-foot-6 guard signed with top-ranked Arizona. He’s a complete player, a dynamo at both ends of the court, who took the Tigers to the Open state championship game his sophomore season, a loss to Perry and Peat, who won four state titles in his Perry career.

Holmes, one of the more athletic players in the state, a great leaper, has stayed loyal to Millennium, even after the Tigers said goodbye to coach Ty Amundsen, who left last summer to be an assistant at Arizona State. Holmes avoided the prep school scene — where basketball-focused schools play national schedules — and has developed into the No. 38-ranked player in the nation in the 2026 class by ESPN.

He’s a scorer from all three levels. He hyper-extended his knee on his way to a dunk against Georgia-power Wheeler late in the Hoophall West semifinal game of the traditional bracket. Losing Holmes hurt the Tigers’ chances of beating Wheeler and getting a chance to play Phoenix Sunnyslope in the final. But those two teams will see each other twice in the second half of the season.

First-year coach Rich Thornton said that Holmes could have played in Millennium’s 11-point win over Phoenix Desert Vista last week, but he held him out as a precaution. Holmes returned Jan. 17 in the Hoophall Classic in Massachusetts with a game against Christ the King out of New York.

Holmes is the brother of former Dayton star DaRon Holmes II, who was a first-round NBA draft pick of the Suns in 2024. The Suns traded his draft rights to the Denver Nuggets. Cameron is a different style of player than DaRon. He’s not as tall, but has the same kind of hops, plays a bigger role on the perimeter and, like his older brother, gets after it defensively.

Here’s where to find Holmes’ next five games, all times MST:

Jan. 21, at Sunnyslope, 7 p.m.; Jan. 27, at Brophy Prep, 7 p.m.; Jan. 30, at Phoenix Desert Vista, 7 p.m.; Feb. 10, at home against Sunnyslope, 7 p.m.; Feb. 12, at home against Brophy Prep, 7 p.m.

Rider Portela, Sunnyslope

The 6-foot-6 Portela has signed with Colorado. One of the best defenders in the state, he’s been a big part of his dad, Ray Portela’s, Sunnyslope teams since his freshman year, helping the Vikings to two Open Division state final appearances, both losses to Perry. His long arms and ability to stay in front of his man frustrate opposing players.

An ultimate team player, Portela doesn’t need to be the main scorer for a team that has jumped in the national rankings since winning two major holiday tournaments from No. 38 to No. 4 by MaxPreps. He’s the ultimate team guy.

Juniors Delton Prescott and 6-foot-11 Darius Wabbington have been the team’s top two scorers this season. That’s OK with Portela, because they’re winning and playing cohesively. It might be Ray Portela’s most complete team and it starts with Rider’s leadership and defensive prowess.

It’s easy to find Portela on the court, because he’s the guy nearly inside the jersey of the man he’s covering. He’s diving for loose balls, making steals and leading breaks with dunks. He can fill it up from beyond the arc, too.

Portela is confident he can fill into his tall frame at Colorado, which, he feels, will be great for his development. Defense will get him on the court faster than most at a high major, and there might not be a better defender in the state. Learning from his dad will be beneficial at the next level.

Always wanting to challenge himself, Portela feels Colorado will do that. He’s looking forward to escaping the 100-degree summer days in Phoenix and seeing his game take off in Boulder.

Here’s where to find Portela’s next five games, all times MST:

Jan. 21, at home against Millennium, 7 p.m.; Jan. 27, at Desert Vista, 7 p.m.; Feb. 3, at home, against Tempe Corona del Sol, 7 p.m.; Feb. 6, at Brophy Prep, 7 p.m.; Feb. 10, at Millennium, 7 p.m.

Richard Obert has been covering high school sports since the 1980s for The Arizona Republic. Catch the best high school sports coverage in the state. Sign up for Azcentral Preps Now. And be sure to subscribe to our daily sports newsletters so you don’t miss a thing. To suggest human-interest story ideas and other news, reach Obert at richard.obert@arizonarepublic.com or 602-316-8827. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter:@azc_obert