House brothers give Desert Mountain a chance against No. 1 Perry and its 5-star duo
Scottsdale Desert Mountain basketball got on the map once Kaden and Kalek House enrolled as freshmen. Anybody who was in Section 7 over the summer and saw them play knew this was an Open or bust year for the Wolves.
Now, as they've asserted themselves, especially Kaden, scoring in bunches at will and living off the free-throw line, the Wolves have a chance to shock the country.
That's if they can continue to show no fear as they walk into Gilbert Highland's gym on Friday night and take on big, bad Gilbert Perry, the No. 20-ranked team in the nation, who has perhaps the best dynamic duo in the nation in 6-8 beasts Cody Williams and Koa Peat.
They delivered Perry's first boys basketball state championship last year when Williams was a junior and Peat a freshman. They're that much better now.
Peat is ranked among the top five players in the country in the 2025 class by national recruiting services. Williams, who has signed with Colorado and will be playing in both the McDonald's All-American Game and the Nike Hoops Summit, is ranked among the top 10 nationally in the 2023 class.
So how does Desert Mountain attack that?
By letting the House brothers loose.
"I feel like when I'm playing top competition like that, it brings out the best in me," said the 6-foot-3 Kaden, who dropped 40 points on No. 5-seed Glendale Ironwood in a surprising 81-61 quarterfinal blowout.
Kalek, who also is 6-3 and often will give up shots for his brother who has a better look at the basket, agrees.
"Playing against 18-and-under top competition in the country just makes us better," Kalek said. "Guarding Cody, guarding Koa, it's just getting us prepared and better as players."
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They both possess the same swag and confidence as their dad, Eddie House, one of the greatest all-time players at Arizona State, who holds the single-game ASU record with 61 points in a game in 2000 at California, and their uncle, Mike Bibby, a 14-year NBA veteran, who led Arizona to its only NCAA basketball championship as a true freshman in 1997.
Both men have been in the House brothers' corner since they were little and watching big brother Jaelen tear it up for four years at Phoenix Shadow Mountain with four 4A state championships.
"I think all three of them are different," Eddie House said of his sons. "They all play in a different way. They all can affect the game positively in different ways.
"For all three, the main thing is winning. And they'll do anything they can to try to get that W."
Overnight, with the House brothers, and Mike's son Michael assisting first-year head coach Mitch Armour on the bench, Desert Mountain has become Shadow Mountain Bibby Era 2.0.
"They're amazing kids," Armour said. "They're coachable. They're respectful. And they're likable kids. Especially off the court. They put effort in their classes. That's great for freshmen. That makes it easier for me to coach."
They've learned commitment, hard work, structure and how to tap into their full potential from their brother Jaelen and uncle and dad.
Michael Bibby remembers Kaden and Kalek hanging around when the bigger guys were balling during his senior year at Shadow Mountain in 2016, when he led the Matadors, coached by his dad, to the state title and became The Arizona Republic's Player of the Year.
Jaelen House was a freshman on the Shadow Mountain team playing productive minutes when Michael Bibby was a senior.
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Then, Kaden and Kalek watched Jaelen take off under Mike Bibby with a string of four state titles in a row.
"They've been around good basketball for a while," Michael Bibby said. "They work out with people who have played at the highest level. Obviously, Eddie and my dad. Just being around high-level IQ players, teaching them not just skills stuff but fundamentals, IQ stuff, footwork. A whole bunch of stuff. They're doing a pretty good job so far."
They play fearlessly, but, mostly, they say they're having fun.
"My dad lets me know what I need to correct myself on," Kalek said. "He lets me know what I need to do to get better."
Jaelen, Kaden said, never took it easy on him in the gym, growing up.
"He's such a good defender," Kaden said of Jaelen, who is now playing basketball at New Mexico. "We were in the gym, with Michael and my brother, they wouldn't go at it soft, because we're younger. They would go at it like they would go at each other."
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Nobody expected Desert Mountain, a 13 seed, to get this far, except maybe the House brothers.
They won't come into the Perry game intimidated. They'll go at Williams and Peat and not back off.
When Michael Bibby was told they really have nothing to lose at this point, Bibby says, "They have a lot to lose."
"We expect to win," Bibby said.
Read more: Clutch plays send Centennial past Canyon View, into 5A semifinals
To suggest human-interest story ideas and other news, reach Obert atrichard.obert@arizonarepublic.com or 602-316-8827. Follow him on Twitter@azc_obert
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: House brothers give Desert Mountain a chance against Perry's 5-stars
