Recruiting Report: Christian Guess (2018)

Christian Guess (2018) has been in the gym this summer working on his jump shot.

The 6’6’’ wing from Shaker Heights, who has several Division I offers, spent time in Atlanta working on said jumper with former Shaker Heights star Malcolm Sims, who was good enough to be recruited by Indiana and Bobby Knight in the early 90s.

Guess struggles to get rotation on his jumper and shoots a knuckle ball and he was working on that with Sims, who was one of the top prep players in Cleveland in the 1990s. He was also working on his mental side of the game, according to his high school, coach Danny Young, which includes doing a better job of keeping his emotions in check during the heat of battle.

Guess has had quite the odyssey as a prepster, but it looks like it’s going to pay off for him playing at the next level.

He started his prep career at Glenville, before transferring to Shaker Heights for his junior season. However, he was ineligible for much of his junior year because of grades. He came on and played well in the postseason. He said not being able to play “humbled” him.

He played well in a recent Earl Boykins summer league game against East Cleveland Shaw.

“He did a good job of fitting back in and getting into the flow; good defense, rebound, close down on defense. He did a good job of not only scoring but distributing the ball to his teammates,” said his coach Danny Young, who rates Guess as one of the top players in the state, and said he’s currently underrated.

Prephoops.com had Guess rated as the No. 12 player in the state in the Class of 2018, just behind Cleveland Heights’ Yahel Hill , 5’10”, who is a No. 11 and a point guard.

Guess earned all-league honors as a freshman and sophomore year while playing at Glenville.

His struggles in the classroom kept him off the court for much of his junior season, but the experience has helped him mature.

“It cost me a lot. But it humbled me,” said Guess of his academic struggles.

“I think that was definitely a growth experience for him,” said Young of Guess’s time away from the game last year.

Guess describes himself as a slasher, who brings energy and likes to get his teammates involved. He also has quick post moves that can torture opponents.

During a win against Shaw on July 3 in the Earl Boykins summer league Guess played well, according to his high school coach, Danny Young.

“I thought he did a good of getting back and getting into the flow of how we’ve been playing pretty much all summer league, playing good defense, toughness, rebounds, closing out on shooters. Tonight I thought he did a very good job of not only scoring, but distributing the ball to his teammates,” Young said.

Guess, who plays AAU for Ohio Red, has offers on the table from DePaul, Tulsa, Toledo and Kent State, according to Young.

“He’s one of the best in the state. I think he’s underrated,” said Young.

Shaker should be loaded this year. The Red Raiders also have 6’2’’ Dale Bonner (2018) and 6’5” Kevin Bishop (2019), who are both players who project to the next level.