Catie Cheshire is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Highland for AZPreps365.com.

AJ Riggs has hit clutch shots since he was in third grade.

Described by Highland coach Todd Fazio as the best 3-point shooter in Arizona, Riggs routinely scores in double digits for the Hawks, including one game as a sophomore when he made nine 3-pointers and was eventually named AZCentral’s Boys Athlete of the Week on Jan. 3, 2019.

According to his dad, Ammon, performances like that are nothing new. 

Ammon said he knew AJ had something special when his son made three consecutive jump shots at the end of a game to bring his team back for the win despite being one of the youngest on the team as a third-grader.

“He's always been someone who's just kind of risen to the occasion,” Ammon said. “The higher the stakes, the better he plays.”

Fazio said the 6-foot-1 Riggs is the Hawks’ go-to player when they need a game-winning basket and has been since the end of his sophomore campaign last year. As a sophomore he was named First-Team All Region for 6A Central. This year he’s kept up that pace, continuing to masterfully shoot threes while focusing on rebounding and improving his mid-range game after putting on more weight in the offseason.

All of this has the junior averaging 16.4 points per game.

Riggs sought to make those improvements himself because he wants to play at his full potential.

“I don't want to regret anything when I'm older or think I could have done more or put in more time,” he said.

Ammon, who taught AJ to play in parks growing up, then became his coach in competitive leagues. He shared that AJ has a history of finding improvements on his own.

Ammon said AJ came home one night during his sophomore year and informed his dad that he learned a new way to shoot free throws. Instead of shooting the way Ammon taught him, AJ wanted to change the position of his feet after seeing the technique in practice. Father and son discussed the change, but doing the work to adjust the shot was up to AJ.

Doing the work doesn’t faze Riggs. In fact, how seriously Riggs takes basketball is one of the first things Fazio noticed about him. That, and how well he can shoot the ball. 

His shooting skills and mentality blend to make Riggs excel.

“The biggest thing for him as a shooter is he has a short memory,” Fazio said. “If he's zero-for-six it's not gonna stop him. He's gonna keep shooting, and he has that shooter’s mentality.”

His mental toughness and quiet drive are also what make him a leader on the team.

According to both Fazio and Ammon, AJ leads by example because he’s a quiet person naturally. Though Fazio said Riggs will speak up if he needs to, the biggest thing that makes Riggs a good teammate is that everyone sees how hard he works.

“When your best player is your hardest worker, you're going to have a good team,” Fazio said. “We're fortunate that he's a leader for us in that aspect.” 

Ammon said because of AJ’s quiet nature it’s possible to watch a game without realizing how well he is playing until you look up and see he scored in double digits.

One such performance by Riggs came against Gilbert this season. Highland won 62-59 in what Riggs described as his favorite game of the season. He scored 18 points, including four 3-pointers, saying the performance had extra meaning because it came against the Hawks’ rival.

Riggs hopes to continue performing in big games past his tenure at Highland.

He wants to play in college and Fazio said he believes Riggs has the drive and skills to do so. In addition to his athletic accomplishments, Riggs is a 4.0 student. Ammon said AJ’s academic dedication translates into better decision-making on the court

Riggs’ ambitions aren’t all as far in the future as his collegiate career. He wants to win a state championship this year.

The Hawks are in good shape to have a shot at the 6A title entering the final stretch of the season. The team hasn’t lost since Jan. 29, boasting an 11-2 record heading into Friday's game and the No. 4 ranking in AZPreps365 rankings.