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I get asked all the time what makes the East Valley special. And I have a long list of answers — the schools, the communities, the master-planned neighborhoods, the weather from October to May.
But nothing makes the conversation stop quite like the athletes.
The East Valley is quietly one of the most extraordinary sports development environments in the United States. The high schools here have produced NFL quarterbacks, NBA Champions, MLB MVPs, and Super Bowl participants — all within a few miles of each other in Gilbert and Chandler, Arizona.
This is not a coincidence. It is the result of exceptional coaching, deep community investment in athletics, fierce local competition that prepares players for the next level, and a culture that takes youth sports seriously from the ground up.
Let me take you through the schools that are putting the East Valley on the national map.
Perry High School — Gilbert
The Crown Jewel of East Valley Athletics
If you had to pick one high school in America that has produced an extraordinary concentration of elite professional talent in recent years, Perry High School in Gilbert would be a serious contender for that list.
In a single generation of athletes, Perry has sent players to the NFL’s biggest stage, the NBA Finals, and the NBA Draft — and has done it in multiple sports simultaneously.
Brock Purdy — San Francisco 49ers
Let us start with the most improbable success story in recent NFL history.
Brock Purdy grew up in Queen Creek and attended Perry High School in Gilbert. As a three-year starter for the Pumas from 2015 to 2017, Purdy set the Arizona Interscholastic Association 6A record with 57 touchdown passes in a single season as a senior. He was named the Gatorade Arizona Football Player of the Year and earned the Ed Doherty Award — Arizona’s equivalent of the Heisman Trophy for high school football. He led Perry to back-to-back state championship game appearances.
Despite that resume, Purdy was only a three-star recruit. He went to Iowa State, where he became a three-time All-Big 12 quarterback. Then the San Francisco 49ers selected him with the final pick of the 2022 NFL Draft — making him that year’s “Mr. Irrelevant.”
What happened next was the stuff of legend. Thrust into the starting role mid-season, Purdy won all five of his regular-season starts. He led San Francisco to back-to-back NFC Championship Games and Super Bowl LVIII — becoming the first Arizona high school quarterback in state history to start a Super Bowl.
The Town of Gilbert renamed the street outside Perry High School to “Brock Purdy Way” ahead of Super Bowl LVIII. Perry students wore Brock Nation shirts. The entire East Valley claimed him as their own.
Jalen Williams — Oklahoma City Thunder
While Purdy was rewriting football history, his Perry High School teammate — in spirit if not in the same graduating class — was doing the same thing in basketball.
Jalen Williams attended Perry High School and arrived as a modest recruit — a 14-year-old who had to fight just to earn a spot on the team. He grew five inches from his sophomore to senior year, averaged over 25 points per game as a senior, and was named the Chandler Unified School District Player of the Year as a junior.
The recruiting world mostly overlooked him. He committed to Santa Clara over offers from Hofstra and Nevada.
Then Jalen Williams became one of the greatest draft-day steals in NBA history. Drafted 12th overall by the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2022, he made the All-Rookie First Team, was a runner-up for Rookie of the Year, became an NBA All-Star, and in 2025 led Oklahoma City to the franchise’s first NBA Championship — scoring 40+ points in an NBA Finals game, one of only 34 players in history to accomplish that.
On February 10, 2026, Perry High School retired Jalen Williams’ Number 11 jersey — the first jersey retirement in the school’s history. His OKC Thunder teammates showed up in Gilbert to celebrate. It was a sold-out gym. The Town of Gilbert had renamed the street outside Perry “Jalen Williams Way” during the 2025 NBA Finals.
His message to the packed gymnasium: Run your own race. Rankings do not matter.
Cody Williams — Utah Jazz
And then there is Cody.
Cody Williams is Jalen’s younger brother. He also attended Perry High School. He helped the Pumas win their first basketball state championship in 2022. A consensus five-star recruit, he was the 10th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft — selected by the Utah Jazz.
Two brothers. Both Perry Pumas. Both NBA lottery picks. Jalen has an NBA ring. Cody is just getting started.
The Perry Basketball Dynasty
The Williams brothers played in a program built by one of the most decorated coaches in Arizona history. Head coach Sam Duane Jr. led Perry to four consecutive Arizona Open Division state championships from 2022 through 2025 — going 107-14 over Koa Peat’s four years in the program alone. During that run Perry competed in the prestigious HoopHall Classic at the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts, and the Les Schwab Invitational in Portland, Oregon. Nationally ranked. National notice. Gilbert, Arizona.
Hamilton High School — Chandler
The Football and Baseball Powerhouse
Four miles down Arizona Avenue from Perry sits Hamilton High School in Chandler. If Perry owns basketball and football simultaneously, Hamilton is the school that owns baseball — and has plenty of football credentials of its own.
Cody Bellinger — New York Yankees
The son of former MLB player Clay Bellinger, Cody grew up in Chandler and attended Hamilton High School where he was voted team MVP both his junior and senior years. His senior batting average was .429. He turned down a commitment to the University of Oregon when the Los Angeles Dodgers selected him in the fourth round of the 2013 MLB Draft.
What followed was one of the most decorated early careers in modern baseball. In 2017, Bellinger was named the National League Rookie of the Year. In 2019, he won the NL Most Valuable Player Award and the Gold Glove. In 2020, he won the World Series with the Dodgers. He is now with the New York Yankees on a five-year $162.5 million contract.
The kid from Hamilton High School in Chandler became a World Series champion and NL MVP.
And Cody’s brother Cole? Also a Hamilton alum. Also drafted professionally — by the San Diego Padres in 2017. The Bellinger family is Chandler baseball.
Terrell Suggs — Baltimore Ravens / NFL
Before Brock Purdy, before Jalen Williams, before Cody Bellinger — there was T-Sizzle.
Terrell Suggs attended Hamilton High School in Chandler where he played football, basketball, and track. As a junior he set the Arizona Class 5A record for rushing yards in a single game with 367. As a senior he was named a Parade High School All-American and Gatorade Arizona Player of the Year.
He went to Arizona State where he posted an NCAA record 24 sacks in a single season. The Baltimore Ravens selected him 10th overall in the 2003 NFL Draft.
What followed was a 17-year career that made him one of the most dominant defensive players of his generation. Suggs was named NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2003. He made seven Pro Bowls. He was named NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2011 with 14 sacks and seven forced fumbles. He is Baltimore’s all-time leader in sacks with 139. He won two Super Bowls — Super Bowl XLVII with the Ravens and Super Bowl LIV with the Kansas City Chiefs.
All of it started at Hamilton High School in Chandler, Arizona.
The Hamilton Football Program
Hamilton’s football program is one of the most decorated in Arizona history with seven state championships and a 2020 MaxPreps #1 national ranking. Their annual “Battle of Arizona Avenue” matchup against Chandler High School regularly draws over 10,000 fans and has been broadcast nationally on ESPN and ESPNU. NFL alumni coach within the program, passing down professional-level preparation to the next generation.
Chandler High School — Chandler
Arizona’s #1 NFL-Producing High School
Chandler High School holds a distinction that no other Arizona school can claim — it has produced more NFL players than any other high school in the state.
As of the 2025 NFL season, 14 players who attended Chandler High School have played or are currently playing in the NFL. That is the most of any school in Arizona and ranks Chandler among the elite football programs in the American Southwest.
Notable Chandler High NFL alumni include Terrell Suggs — who attended both Chandler and Hamilton before starring at Arizona State — Brett Hundley, who played quarterback in the NFL, and Chase Lucas, who plays cornerback for the San Francisco 49ers.
The rivalry between Chandler High and Hamilton — the “Battle of Arizona Avenue” — is one of the most anticipated regular-season high school football games in the country. Both schools are in the Premier Region of the AIA 6A Conference, widely considered the most competitive region in Arizona.
Mesquite High School — Gilbert
Baseball’s Contribution
Mesquite High School in Gilbert has its own professional sports story. Zach Davies, a right-handed pitcher, was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the 2011 MLB Draft after a standout career at Mesquite. He went on to pitch for the Milwaukee Brewers, San Diego Padres, Chicago Cubs, Arizona Diamondbacks, and other MLB clubs. A professional baseball player raised right here in Gilbert.
What This Means for Families Moving to the East Valley
When I talk to families relocating from California, Texas, or the Pacific Northwest — especially families with athletic kids — this is one of the conversations I love having most.
The East Valley is not just a great place to live. It is a great place to develop.
The coaching at the high school level here is exceptional. The competition is fierce — you are playing against future NFL and NBA players in your conference every week. The facilities are world-class, with modern weight rooms, turf fields, and programs that operate with professional-level structure.
And the proof is not anecdotal. It is Brock Purdy. Jalen Williams. Cody Williams. Cody Bellinger. Terrell Suggs. Chase Lucas. Real people who grew up right here, attended schools right here, and competed in these neighborhoods before becoming champions on the biggest stages in professional sports.
If you are a family with a student athlete who dreams of playing at the next level — the East Valley puts your child in one of the best competitive environments in the country. I would not say that if I did not believe it completely.
Let me show you these communities. They are worth seeing firsthand.
Heather Seegmiller
Licensed Arizona Realtor
Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate S.J. Fowler
(480) 316-2667 | heather.az.properties@gmail.com | heatherarizonarealtor.com
License SA715388000 AZ
