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By Brendon Pricco
Cronkite News
PHOENIX – CIA Bella Vista, representing Bella Vista College Preparatory in Phoenix, competes in the most challenging high school basketball league in the country. Not only do they play in the most demanding league, but they’re winning.
The Nike EYBL Scholastic League runs 14 teams deep with nine of them ranked in ESPN’s latest top-25 rankings. The league has 60 alumni actively playing in the NBA, including Donovan Mitchell, Cade Cunningham and Zach Edey.
CIA Bella Vista checks in at No. 6 in ESPN’s rankings, is the top team in Arizona and the Bears are in first place in the Scholastic League. They hold an 8-1 record going into the final two games of regular season play.
“We went from literally no one even talking about us for four months to all the way to number six in ESPN,” assistant coach August Mendes said.
In a league boasting several five-star prospects, the Bears flew under the radar entering league play and were not ranked in ESPN’s preseason rankings in November. That can be attributed to several factors. For one, CIA Bella Vista is not designed like many of their opponents.
“We play nine guys, which is really tough to do in a 32-minute game. Quite frankly, it’s almost impossible to do,” coach Brandon Rosenthal said. “Especially when you’re working with high-profile guys, guys that not only have aspirations of playing high major (college basketball) but also professional basketball.”
Playing nine players, while difficult, has been instrumental in the team’s success in Rosenthal’s first season leading the program. Rosenthal’s previous coaching stops include stints with the Phoenix Suns, Arizona State and the Santa Cruz Warriors (Golden State Warriors’ G League affiliate).
“Most of the teams play like five guys, and they’re tired in the third quarter and fourth quarter,” senior Aginaldo Neto said. “So we just go in in the second half and put our foot on the gas.”
The nine-man rotation creates a balanced offensive attack as only one Bear averages double-figures. Point guard Miles Sadler leads the team with 16.4 points per game, second in the league behind five-star Darius Acuff Jr., who plays for IMG Academy and averages 25.2 points per game.
“I just think our whole team really bought in,” senior forward Jaion Pitt said.
International players lead CIA Bella Vista
Another unique characteristic of CIA Bella Vista is that all nine players are international, representing four countries: Canada (six players), Angola (one player), Cameroon (one player) and Senegal (one player). Bella Vista College Preparatory has seven teams, and approximately 25 countries are represented across those teams, according to Rosenthal.
“I think that’s contributed a little bit to our success because nothing’s been handed to us,” Rosenthal said. “Things are driven by USA basketball, and a lot of the notoriety, rightfully so, goes to the USA basketball players.
“So for our group of players, to break in and get some of the acknowledgment and create some of the opportunities that they need for themselves, they’ve got to go from completely unknown to performing at the highest level.”
The players reside in several different team houses. They’re around each other constantly, on the court, in class and in the houses. Rosenthal compares them to brothers.
“We’ve got guys that have been here (in the United States) since eighth or ninth grade,” Rosenthal said. “So just to make that level of commitment and then go through that whole process together collectively is part of the reason why we’re having so much success right now.”
For senior Austin Goode, a Canadian native, it’s his first year in the United States.
“I’ve grown a lot as a player and as a person off the court since I’ve been here,” Goode said.
He’s been able to turn to teammates for guidance. Everyone has been through the same transition and adjustment.
“I teach the young guys because I’ve had a lot of experience,” Neto said. “I’ve played pro before, I’ve been to a lot of places, so I bring more experience than anything.”
The blossoming chemistry off-court between the players translates to the gym. Now, with just two regular-season games remaining, CIA Bella Vista is in position to compete for a Scholastic League Championship, and potentially a national championship.
Looking ahead for CIA Bella Vista
The Bears will put a bow on the regular season this weekend with contests against Wasatch Academy (UT) on Saturday and Veritas Academy (CA) on Sunday. Both games will take place at The Bishop’s School in San Diego.
Winning both games would clinch the regular season title for CIA Bella Vista, no small feat.
The Nike EYBL Scholastic League Tournament in Augusta, Georgia, follows the conclusion of the regular season. A championship in that tournament will clinch a spot in the biggest event in high school basketball – the Chipotle Nationals.
“That’s the big show,” Rosenthal said. “It’s a huge honor to get invited, and you pretty much have to have a spotless record.”
Only eight teams in the country are selected for the Chipotle Nationals. Last season the winner was Montverde Academy (Florida), and now every player from their starting five last season is averaging double-digits at the Division I level, including projected No. 1 draft pick Cooper Flagg at Duke.
CIA Bella Vista is in a position to earn a spot in Chipotle Nationals, but every game matters. One more loss could be the difference between a coveted spot, or the offseason.
“The rest of our games, we’re playing for a championship,” Rosenthal said.
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