Section 7, one of the biggest stages for high school players to showcase their talents in front of over 700 college coaches, begins Wednesday with the girls hosting their own Section 7 event for the first time. 

State Farm Stadium will be transformed into a hoopster’s paradise, with 12 courts hosting 800 games and teams from 12 different states. Each team is guaranteed a minimum of four games.

The event will kick off for the girls with Wednesday’s Wilson 3-Point Contest, followed by the first games on Thursday, beginning at 1:15 p.m.

“It is exciting, and this is what we envisioned when we started Section 7 on the boy’s side,” said Andrew Curtis, Perry High girl’s basketball coach. “We have 128 girls teams that are committed to playing, which is incredible for our first year.

“We always ran a girl’s portion of the event, with anticipation of it going live into its own entity. Here we are five years later and everything he (Arizona Basketball Coaches Association executive director Matt King) envisioned has come true.”

The boy’s 3-Point Contest will be on June 22, followed by a Slam Dunk Contest. Both events are sponsored by the Fiesta Bowl.

“This is such a big event because we get all these prestigious teams from around the country playing under one roof in a top notch facility at the Cardinals stadium,” said Ray Portela, Sunnyslope boy’s basketball coach.

“It is a great way for these players to get exposure and play in front of some of the nation’s top college coaches.”

One of the more anticipated matchups on the girls side, Etiwanda (CA) versus Desert Vista, takes place on Thursday at 5 p.m. on Court 4.

Both teams finished ranked in the top-20 by ESPN the previous school year.

Etiwanda is led by ESPN’s class of 2024 13th-ranked player, Kennedy Smith. Desert Vista, however, will be without 2026’s top-ranked player, Jerzy Robinson but is represented by 2024’s Shay Ijiwoye, the 41st-ranked player in her class.

Robinson is currently preparing for FIBA’s U-16 Women's Americas Championship, which begins Tuesday in Merida, Mexico. 

Sierra Canyon (CA) and Centennial (NV), top-20 girls teams from the 2023 season, also will travel to State Farm Stadium. The girl’s Section 7 will also feature 2024 stars Jordan Lee of St. Mary’s (CA), Etiwanda’s Destiny Agubata and Centennial’s (NV) Kaniya Boyd.

On the boy’s side, Harvard-Westlake (CA), Centennial (CA), Perry and Notre Dame Sherman Oaks (CA) are some of the headliners. National top-50 2024’s Isaiah Elohim of Sierra Canyon and Centennial’s (CA) Carter Bryant, a University of Arizona commit, are two of the talented upperclassmen who will also be in Glendale.

But the 2025 players figure to also attract a lot of attention when Section 7 for the boys begins on June 23. That class is represented by five players in ESPN’s top-25, including Christopher Columbus’ (FL) Cameron Boozer, and his twin brother, Cayden. They are the sons of two-time NBA All-Star Carlos Boozer.

The list is rounded out by third-ranked Koa Peat of Perry, 13th-ranked Elzie Harrington of California St. John Bosco and 16th-ranked Tounde Yessoufou of California St. Joseph’s. Peat and the Boozers helped Team USA win the FIBA Men’s U-16 Americas Championship in Merida, Mexico on Sunday.

Peat, the captain of the U-16 U.S. team, also helped lead Perry to the first-ever Arizona Open Division title en route to earning the 2022 Gatorade Arizona Boys Basketball Player of the Year. 

All fans who purchase floor passes for Section 7 will also get exclusive access to the first ever SLAM Experience, which includes a photo station with the 2024 Division I Men’s Basketball National Championship Trophy as well as access to the Class of 2023 Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Exhibit.

“We are going to see some really tough teams in our bracket,” Portela said. “It is going to be a challenge and we are looking forward to playing some of the best teams on the west coast.”

To view Section 7’s game schedule, download the free Arizona Basketball Coaches Association’s free app.