Recruiting Report: Quentin Guliford
Every year, Liberty High School seems to churn out solid point guards. Some of the recent torch bearers include Matt Edahl and Jacob Svorinic, Cole Trout and Dustin Trout, and most recently Dom Ciccaglione and Cole Roether. However, the best player on this year’s team will most likely be a wing. Quentin Guliford, 6’5 SG/SF 2018, looks to have a big season this year in hopes of taking Liberty back to the state tournament.
Guliford showed flashes last year of what he was capable of doing. However, playing with the Factory has enabled him to play against some of the top competition in the nation. This has forced him to find another level. When he returned in June to play with his high school team, he demonstrated that he is one of the elite players of the 2018 class.
Guliford’s College Interest
Guliford was largely unrecruited until this past club season. While participating with the Factory, he was able to play in front of a number of college coaches. His improved skill set and awareness enabled him to demonstrate to those coaches that he is a college prospect.
Despite earning a lot of college attention, “Q”, as many call him, has “no offers yet”. However, Q did mention that he has received interest from “Army, Portland State, Montana State, Central Arkansas, Wyoming, and Whitman”. In addition, he stated that these are the schools who have expressed “serious interest” in him as a prospect.
Guliford is currently waiting for his ACT scores. However, he has a 3.75 GPA and is looking for a school to “further [his] academic and basketball career”. He also mentioned that it is important for him to go “to a place [he] can grow on and off the court.”
Q’s recruitment has grown significantly, and understandably so. With that said, the job is far from done. He enjoyed his time with the Factory and stated that he “couldn’t have asked for a better opportunity”. He felt like he go to play “alongside some of the best players Arizona has to offer and against some of the best competition one could ask for”. He directly correlates his successful development to these opportunities. However, Guliford hopes to take his skill development back to Liberty in hopes of another strong season.
Guliford’s High School Experience
Although Liberty lost a lot of their scoring power with the departures of Cole and Ciccaglione, Guliford did not hold back on his expectations for this year’s team. His goal for this season is “to give our team an opportunity to compete for a state title”. In order to make this goal a reality, Liberty will need to replace a lot of scoring. The most naturally fits for replacing those parts are Jacob Edahl and Guliford. In addition, the team will have at least one highly skilled transfer in Josh Ursery, who formerly attended Valley Vista.
In addition to replacing scoring, Guliford expressed that he feels his role on this team is to be “the leader” who players “look up to and rely upon on and off the court.” Guliford, at least not in the times that I have watched, has not demonstrated a lot of vocal leadership. He leads by example and is a great teammate. His improved motor and playmaking ability will make him an easy candidate for the rest of the team to look up to.
Guliford’s Projection
At this point, I see Guliford as a low NCAA Division I prospect. Although he has improved significantly, he is still far from his ceiling. He is capable of making more plays than he realizes at times. He is an efficient scorer who can play without the basketball in his hands. The majority of his game translates extremely well to the next level. As his athleticism and skill set continue to improve as well as his awareness, his stock should continue to sky rocket.