It is every high school athlete’s dream to win the state title game. With an entirely new starting lineup, but with 10 seniors, the Deer Valley basketball team is looking at potentially its best shot to win a ring.

Without four of their five starters from last year, Deer Valley is tasked with filling the shoes left behind by the graduating seniors of last year and claiming its first state title, one that had eluded their grasp one season ago.

The big four from the 2017-18 season included point guard Ari Danzy, forward Bryce Davis, point guard Deven Breckner, and shooting guard Keyvaughn Williams. The four led the Skyhawks to a 26-3 record, outscoring teams by an average of 15 points a game.

Davis and Breckner have since gone on to play collegiate basketball at the University of Incarnate Word and Maryville University, respectively.

The Skyhawks are 6-1 on the season, with their only loss coming against Apollo, which they beat twice last year, once in the regular season and again in the playoffs, 68-64. While their competition hasn’t been as tough early in the season, the Skyhawks are outscoring opponents by an average of more than 25 points per game.

Despite its good start to the season, Deer Valley was left out of azcentral’s power rankings in the preseason, instead giving the nod to schools like Apollo and Salpointe Catholic.

Deer Valley coach Jed Dunn described the differences between this year’s and last year’s teams.

“We talked about what Bryce would do for us, what Deven, Keyvaughn, and Ari would do,” Dunn said. “We’re running 12 to 13 players deep. It is going to have to be by committee. That’s hopefully how we’ll do it. Those guys aren’t irreplaceable. Those guys played since their freshman year, but it’ll have to be our numbers.”

With the loss of the four senior leaders, it has been Johny Diaz’s role to lead the team from the point guard position.

“This year I am more focused on being a leader,” Diaz said. “Last year we had more leaders, so I didn’t have to do as much. I’m looked to more often this year, and I have to stay on top of it.”

Dunn has certainly noticed Diaz’s role as a leader expand. His potential exceeds many other players Dunn has had in the past, which creates an added pressure to perform.

“He’s really good,” Dunn said. “He upsets me a lot too because I expect so much from him. He’s so good so much of the time. When he makes one mistake, I go nuts at him.”

Dunn praised Diaz’s mental toughness, saying he’s the only one he can coach “tough,” and attributed it to his upbringing. Diaz was a focal point in Deer Valley’s game against Mesquite, earning trip after trip to the free throw line, widening the gap for the Skyhawks.

Even teammate Jaret Allen emphasized the importance of Diaz’s role on the team.

 “It’s nice having him on the team,” Allen said. “When we (Jaret and Jalen Allen) are getting trapped, all we have to do is clear it and he’ll get it up the court.”

Now in his 11th season as coach of the Skyhawks, Dunn has led Deer Valley to a winning record eight of his 10 years, with last year being his best season. Dunn led his team to its first state championship appearance since 2006.

A grueling 45-35 loss to Phoenix’s Sunnyslope at Arizona State University’s Wells Fargo Arena last February kept Deer Valley from finally claiming its first state title. While winning a title is a dream of many, it isn’t being preached on a daily basis at Deer Valley.

“I just want my kids to play hard,” Dunn said. “Obviously we want to win, but winning is a byproduct of playing hard.”

Along with playing hard, a different message is at the forefront. Every team huddle is broken with a chant of “1, 2, 3, Family.”

Whenever anyone is asked how they describe this team, every player’s response is the same; it’s a family. From the countless hours spent practicing in the gym, to spending time together during classes, the bond between teammates is unlike many others.

“We are a family,” Deer Valley senior forward Brandon Savage said. “We get along very well. Everyday we’re hanging out, before school, after school, during lunch. Anytime … we’ll just call and get some shots in.”

The special bond among the team isn’t the only trait that makes this team a family. Seniors Jaret and Jalen Allen are twin brothers who’ve been playing basketball for as long as they can remember.

“We’ve played basketball our entire lives together, so we know how we like to play,” Jaret Allen said. “As far as the rest of the team, we’ve all been playing club since around seventh grade. Having played that long together, it just comes easy.”

The team has been able to promote team values and chemistry through group activities such as bowling and NBA 2K tournaments.

Unlike most of the players on this year’s roster who have only been under Dunn’s guidance during their varsity tenure, the Allens have known Dunn since their earlier days at Highland Lakes Elementary School.

Dunn has been teaching Physical Education at Highland Lakes for the past 14 years, since his graduation from the University of Akron, which led to the twins’ choice of high school.

Now in their senior years, along with eight other members of the team, Deer Valley is in a win-now situation. With more than half of the roster set to graduate this spring, the clock is ticking on Deer Valley’s title chances.

Even with the looming departure of much of his team, Dunn said he knows that it must be taken one game at a time.

“We know we’re going to get everyone’s best shot,” Dunn said after a win over Mesquite High. “You can see it our guys’ eyes. They’ve been through these situations before.”

While every win matters for playoff seeding, the season still has more than 14 regular season games left to play, meaning the road ahead for the Skyhawks is a long one if they want another shot at claiming their school’s first title.