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SPORTS
Sports
THE CHANDLER ARIZONAN | WWW.CHANDLERNEWS.COM | AUGUST 8, 2021
Chandler soccer player, 15, to play for prestigious academy in Germany BY ZACH ALVIRA Arizonan Sports Editor
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ameron Kobey knew early on in his childhood he had the opportunity to use soccer as an outlet for success in his future. He first began kicking around the soccer ball at a young age. He was a natural at the game. When he joined a youth soccer team for the first time, he stood out from the rest of his teammates. Now 15 years old, the would-be sophomore at Hamilton High School is preparing for what he and his father, Mark, have dubbed an opportunity of a lifetime. On Aug. 10, Cameron will board a flight to Germany where he will spend the next nine months competing in the Bundesliga, a league dedicated to prestigious international soccer academies. Cameron
Cameron’s parents, Susan and Mark, admit there was some hesitancy allowing him to live in Germany for most of the year. But the benefits he will receive both in soccer and academically outweigh any fears they have of him living nearly 6,000 miles away. (Pablo Robles/Arizonan Staff)
will stay on the same campus as Germany’s DFI academy in Bad Aibling, a city just south of Munich in Bavaria. “I’m very excited,” Cameron said. “I think it’s going to be a really good experience for me. It’s something I’ve been looking forward to a lot over the (summer) break. It’s an opportunity Cameron didn’t think was possible until Mark presented him with the idea in March. At the time he was still expecting to compete for Real Salt Lake, one of the premier youth organizations with ties to the Major League Soccer club in Utah. Just in the last two years, three of Cameron’s teammates were recruited from the East Valley-based organization to the Real Salt Lake Academy in Utah. In many ways, it helps fast track a professional
see SOCCER page 29
Valley Christian’s Shaw brothers continue basketball legacy BY DREW SCHOTT Arizonan Staff Writer
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t Valley Christian High School, Caleb and Luke Shaw look to write the next chapter of their family’s basketball legacy. They shined June 18 when college coaches gathered at Court 6 of the Section 7 basketball tournament to watch Valley Christian face off against Dobson High. Among those who gathered were Grand Canyon University Head Coach Bryce Drew and assistant coach Casey Shaw, but they weren’t just there to evaluate players. They were there to watch family play. The Shaw brothers, two of Valley Christian’s newest players, are Casey’s sons and Drew’s nephews. “They’re talented,” Casey Shaw said. “I think they’ve got a chance, both Caleb and Luke. They’re good enough to be
While just a sophomore, Luke has already established himself as a starter at Valley Christian. They are part of a new-look Trojan squad that replaced 11 seniors. (Zac BonDurant/Arizonan Contributor)
college basketball players.” Sidelined by the pandemic last year, the Shaw brothers are a key part of a new-look Valley Christian squad that replaces 11 seniors. Coming off a 17-1 campaign, the Trojans are prone to benefit from the brothers’ arrival. According to Casey Shaw, Caleb, 6’4” senior, can play both point guard and combo guard, while Luke, a 6’ sophomore, is growing as a point guard by working on his fundamentals and court vision. Returning to competitive basketball for the first time in a year, Caleb and Luke are following in the footsteps of a well-known basketball family. Their mother Dana, a member of the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame, is the sister of Bryce and Scott, the head coach of reigning national champion Baylor University.
see SHAW page 29
