2021-2022 – Season Summary
For the Brophy basketball program collectively, the 2021-2022 season was one of the most successful in the last decade. Between the freshmen team (17-0), JV team (17-1), and varsity team (25-3) the basketball program finished the season with a combined record of 59-4 while playing in the most competitive region—the 6A Premier Region—in the entire state. At the varsity level, the team was made up of fourteen players—six seniors (Patrick Chew, Jacob Dolasinski, Ben Mills, JP Musselmann, Miles Nash, and Trey Phillips), seven juniors (Connor Fitzgerald, Conner Ivy, Skyler Johnson, Arman Madi, Scott Root, D’Jay VanDyke, and Sam Williams), and one sophomore (Braeden Speed). Eight of those players were returning from the 2020-2021 team that made a run to the 6A state semifinals.
After starting the season 2-1, including two double-digit wins over Westwood and Valley Vista, Brophy headed into a much-anticipated matchup against longtime rival, St. Mary’s, at Hoophall West on December 8th. After trailing 20-11 at the end of the first quarter, Brophy used a 21-8 second period to take a four-point lead at the half. In the second half, the game remained close throughout with four lead changes in the last four minutes of the fourth quarter alone. With a little over one minute to play in the game, Brophy took a 62-60 lead on a three pointer from Connor Fitzgerald ’23, and the Broncos would go on to win the game 65-62.
The following day, Brophy headed up to Sacramento, CA for the 47th annual Father Barry Classic hosted by Jesuit High School in Carmichael, CA. In the first round, Brophy defeated St. Patrick-St. Vincent (Vallejo, CA) by a score of 63-54. Then, in the semifinals of the tournament, Brophy matched up with perennial Northern California powerhouse, Archbishop Mitty. Brophy’s stifling defense was the difference in the game, and the Broncos prevailed 66-47 to move on to face the host school, Jesuit, in the championship. This was the second time in the last five years of the tournament—the other being the 44th annual Father Barry Classic in December 2017—where Jesuit and Brophy met in the tournament championship. The first half of the game was back-and-forth, and neither team was able to build much of a cushion. Early in the third quarter, with Jesuit clinging to a two-point lead, Brophy went on a 15-0 run to take control of the game 45-32. Brophy went on to win the game 59-46 to capture its third Father Barry Classic title in tournament history (1981, 2017, and 2021). Senior guard Patrick Chew was named the MVP of the tournament and senior guard Miles Nash and sophomore guard Braeden Speed were both named to the all-tournament team.
After returning from Sacramento, Brophy defeated Chaparral 51-26 on Tuesday, December 14th, and, the following week, entered the 2021 VisitMesa.com Basketball Challenge with a 7-1 overall record and a five game winning streak. In the first game of the event, the Broncos knocked off Mesquite, the eventual 4A state champion, by a score of 68-41. The following day, Brophy defeated Regis Jesuit (Denver, CO) 69-46 in a matchup between two Jesuit high schools. Then, on the third day of the VMBC, Brophy beat the host school, Mountain View (Mesa), 55-45. After finishing pool play with a 3-0 record, Brophy faced Davis, the defending Utah 6A state champion. The Broncos played the Darts tough through the first three quarters of the game, but Davis prevailed late to halt Brophy’s win streak at eight. Sophomore guard Braeden Speed was named the “Breakout Player” of the tournament and senior guard Patrick Chew was named to the all-tournament team. Seniors Miles Nash and Trey Phillips both received Honorable Mention recognition.
When the second half of the season began in January, Brophy finally found itself at full health after the return of junior wing Arman Madi from injury. Madi, an All-Premier Region First Team selection as a sophomore, had been the team’s leading scorer the previous season. Following four wins in the first two weeks of January, Brophy (14-2) met up with preseason 6A favorite Perry (14-4) in the first of two regular season meetings. Perry entered the game as the #1 team in the state in The Arizona Republic’s “Super 10” Rankings. With the help of its stingy defense, Brophy defeated Perry 56-39 in front of an electric crowd in Robson Gymnasium. This was the second of nine straight double-digit victories by Brophy during the stretch run of the season, which included a second victory over Perry and culminated in a 72-36 win over Pinnacle in the second-to-last game of the season. With a 51-47 victory over Hamilton on the last night of the regular season, Brophy secured an undefeated record in the Premier Region and its third Premier Region title in five years (2018, 2020, and 2022). The team finished the regular season with a 23-2 record and entered the playoffs as the #2 seed in 6A.
After a bye for the conference play-in games, Brophy opened up the first round of the 6A playoffs with a 56-39 victory over Valley Vista. That set up a rematch with the same Pinnacle team that Brophy defeated by nearly forty points less than three weeks earlier. This game, however, was a much closer competition. After taking a 13-9 lead at the end of the first quarter and 24-16 lead at the half, Brophy looked to be in control of the game. However, Pinnacle came storming back to take their first lead of the game with just under four minutes to go in the third quarter. Then, with the Broncos trailing by four with less than thirty seconds to go in the period, a series of steals and layups changed the momentum of the game. Connor Fitzgerald stole a pass and laid it up to cut the deficit to two, then Braeden Speed and Miles Nash forced a turnover leading to a layup for Arman Madi, and, finally, Fitzgerald picked up a second steal and an assist to Speed to give Brophy a two-point lead at the end of the third. That momentum shift continued with a 13-0 run in the middle of the fourth period, and Brophy walked away with a 63-48 win and a second consecutive trip to the 6A state semifinals where they would face their Premier Region rival, #3 seed Perry, for a third time that season. Given their familiarity with one another, Brophy and Perry were both locked in on the defensive end of the floor, and neither team was able to generate many easy baskets. With less than a minute remaining in regulation, Brophy tied the game at 43-43 on a finish by senior guard Patrick Chew. After neither team scored in the first overtime, the game stretched into a second overtime and then a third before Perry prevailed 49-47. The Broncos ended their season at 25-3 with a second consecutive trip to the state semifinals.
The entire coaching staff would like to thank all of the 2021-2022 Brophy basketball players and their families for an incredibly special season. In particular, the coaching staff would like to thank the six seniors for their dedication and hard work over their Brophy careers and for setting an incredibly high bar for success for those that follow them. Also, special congratulations are extended to Premier Region Player of the Year Arman Madi (’23), Premier Region Defensive Player of the Year Braeden Speed (‘24), 1st Team selections Patrick Chew (’22) and Miles Nash (’22), 2nd Team selections JP Musselmann (’22) and Trey Phillips (‘22), and Honorable Mention selections Jacob Dolasinski (’22) and Connor Fitzgerald (‘23). Arman Madi was also named to the 6A All-Conference 1st Team, and Patrick Chew and Braeden Speed were named to the 6A All-Conference 2nd Team.
2021-2022 – Roster
2021-2022 – Schedule
