Louisiana Class of 2019: Guard Breakdown
Now that we have finally released our initial rankings for the 2019 class, it’s time to give everyone a little breakdown of the best players at each position. We are going to be starting at the guard position, but we won’t be including any of the players in the top 5. If you want to read more about these players, check out the article from earlier this week here: https://prephoops.com/2017/06/louisiana-class-2019-top-players-breakdown/
At the top of the guards for 2019 is 5’8 Norris Williams Jr. of Archbishop Hannan. Despite him being undersized, he plays with a ton of heart, as well as a very high basketball IQ. He was the best player on a team that fell a game short of the Top 28 this year, and is continuing his great play as a lead guard for LA Elite. Right behind Norris is 6’1 Marvin Robertson Jr of Central Lafourche. Robertson is one of his classes top two way players at the guard spot, and can really lock down one on one in the half-court, as well as being able to get a lot of steals in the passing lanes. He has a smooth jump-shot from deep, but will need to improve his handles in order to transition to more of a true point for the next level.
Right behind those pair of teammates for LA Elite is 5’10 Jatarius Turpin of Wossman. Last season, despite being the second option for his high school team, he was able to consistently put up big numbers. He is very good at putting the ball in the bucket, but with the ball in his hands more this upcoming season, he is going to have to get better at facilitating the ball when attacking the rim.
Next up is 5’8 Terrence Jones of LCA, who is another player that is undersized but doesn’t play like it. TJ is a thick guard that can fill it up in a hurry. He can score on all three level, and is a much better finisher around the rim and around size than you would anticipate. He has been playing well for Team Milsap as well, playing up with their 17u, and he has been a difference maker for them at that level as well.
Behind those guys is 6’2 Rodney Munson of De La Salle. As long as he is in the gym, he is within range, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he found a way to make a jumper from outside the gym. He has a very high IQ, and can be just as effective off the ball as he is on the ball, which is rare for kids at this age with this much talent. He was the biggest reason that De La Salle was able to make it passed St. Thomas More in the semi-finals, before De La Salle was able to capture their first state title in 30 years.
The last of the top guards is 6’1 Tra’Michael Moton of Woodlawn-Shreve. Tra’Michael honestly might have a higher ceiling than anyone else on this list. He is a high volume scorer, and that skill seems to have translated against tougher competition, as he is playing well on the Under Armour Association with LA Elite. My only issue with him is that he takes a lot of tough, contested shots, although up until this point they seem to go in more often than not. I have only seen him play a handful of times, and I want to make sure that he isn’t just on a ridiculous hot streak that has lead to him making those tough shots. However, if he keeps making those shots heading into next year, then he has top 10 talent written all over him.