Live Period No. 3: Point Guards Make Splash
(Photo credit: Adidas) If the second live period for Colorado teams was about the big men, the third and final period has been about the play of the point guards. As we consistently check the dispatches from Las Vegas, or…
Access all of Prep Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue Reading(Photo credit: Adidas)
If the second live period for Colorado teams was about the big men, the third and final period has been about the play of the point guards.
As we consistently check the dispatches from Las Vegas, or watch streaming video, the reports coming back have indicated that the floor generals from our state have been turning heads.
Today we are digging a little deeper into what has been going on with some of our state’s top point guards.
Colbey Ross, 6-1, 2017
Ross has seen his stock rise nationally in a big way over the past couple weeks. The 6-foot Colorado Chaos point guard has picked up three offers in the last six days, including a new offer from Stetson (where his former Chaos teammate Clay Verk will play next season) that came on Friday.
During Chaos’ play at the Fab 48 tournament in Las Vegas, national scouts have chimed in on Ross’ impressive ability to run his team and always find ways to score the basketball. In a 63-57 victory over Houston Hoopstars on Friday, which helped Chaos finish 2-1 in pool play, Ross nearly notched a triple double with 27 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. Few players in the state from his position affect the game in so many ways. It has been good to see others recognizing and appreciating his impact outside the state.
Jaizec Lottie, 6-0, 2017
We were able to catch the live stream of Billups Elite’s championship bracket victory over Team Eleate on Friday night, and the dual point guards, Elijah Blake (more on him in a minute) and Lottie, made a big impression.
Lottie’s numbers didn’t pop out — six points, four rebounds, two assists — but the way he controlled the game did. He was quick and decisive coming off the pick-and-roll, quickly creating space between him and his defender that gave him the opportunity to make plays and get the offense in gear.
Dynamic Billups forward Aguek Arop, who finished with a game-high 17 points, credited Lottie in a postgame interview for continually putting him in position to easily finish plays.
Elijah Blake, 6-2, 2017
At a strong 6-2, Blake may have the best blend of frame and athleticism at the position in Colorado. Those physical tools allow him to make an impact in a variety of ways. He had 10 points and 10 rebounds in the game I watched online against Team Eleate, scoring at the basket, in transition and off mid-range.
His strength and willingness to grab the ball of the rim and go makes him a hard-to-contain, one-man fastbreak who can really put a defense on its heels.
Jon’il Fugett, 5-11, 2018
Fugett had a monster weekend as the Hawks went 3-1, losing a one-point heartbreaker in the championship bracket to a long and talented Team Loaded North Carolina. Fugett was a catalyst throughout, scoring in the bunches out of the backcourt with a quick first step, an array of floaters and creative finishes and solid outside touch.
Fugett is probably right up there with Brevin Brimble as the best shooting pure point guards in the state, but what really separates Fugett is his relentlessness as an on-ball defender. His ball pressure often wreaks havoc, no more so than in the Hawks’ second pool play game against the N.Y. Jayhawks. With the Hawks trailing by two points and less than 30 second remaining, Fugett locked down and flustered the Jayhawks’ ball-handler in the backcourt, then came up with a steal. He quickly dished to teammate Xai’Vion Jackson for an and-one layup that stood as the winning play.
His height is certainly not a deterrent for the way he plays the game, as he consistently limited longer perimeter defenders against Loaded N.C. He’s in for a breakout junior year at George Washington.
Brevin Brimble, 6-0, 2017
The aforementioned Brimble was praised once again this week for his ability to run a team and set scorers up in the right spots. He has an innate ability to see a play develop several moves ahead and make the intelligent play.
Brimble also lights up in a hurry as a pure shooter who can get it himself off the dribble, as he is excellent in ball-screen situations.