#GrindSZNKickoff Sante Fe Day 2 Standouts: Top Guards

<p>The second day got underway of the GrindSZNKickoff which had plenty of interesting games at the Santa Fe Events Center. There were big men who controlled the paint, forwards who slashed and controlled the wing but here I focus on the top guards on the day. </p> <p><strong>H&amp;H Elite -- Mason Matteson </strong></p> <p>One of the early games of the day seen the 17U H&amp;H Elite showcase their talents in a win. One of the big standouts in the game was Matteson who completely controlled from the guard spot. Matteson is a smooth lefty that plays with a bit of bounce to him and extreme confidence. He got to the rim as well as any other guard on the day and finished at the rim with either hand. He is very quick and has a great understanding of time and possession. He broke the press, made a move on the defender to free himself up and dominated the guard battle with a game high 21-points but also got others involved. </p> <p><strong>Latrell Boyd -- Texas Supreme Elite </strong></p> <p>Boyd was one of the best two way guards on the entire day. He sets the tone on the defensive end as he steps up to the challenge despite being a smaller guard, used his strength and quickness to stay in front of the defender. He generated a few steals that led to easy baskets in transition and he also found the open man. He is dangerous in the fast break as he is very quick and is a floor general that shows remarkable leadership. When the other team went on a run it was Boyd who calmed things down with making the right plays and getting to the rim. Boyd is definitely a player to keep an eye on moving forward as he makes others around him better and can score with the best of them. </p> <p><strong>Bijon Cortes -- Team Griffin</strong> </p> <p>The most impressive team on the day was this Team Griffin as they have so many athletically gifted players on the team and in the midst of all of those above the rim highlight plays a player that often times goes unnoticed is Cortes. That is until you take a look at all of the intangibles and ways that he opens things up. Cortes is a wing that fits in perfectly as he was able to space the floor knocking down multiple 3-pointers. He plays at his own pace and is an excellent passer that is versatile. He finished shots, forced the double team and passed it to the open man and got everyone involved. He plays a lot off-ball but is very comfortable with the ball in his hands that is a playmakers ready to make things happen. </p> <p><strong>Travon Patton -- Next Level </strong></p> <p>Albeit in a losing effort one of the best guards on the day was Travon Patton. Patton was able to get his own in an intense back and forth affair. He recorded 20 points and had multiple steals and big time plays to give his team an opportunity to win. He is quick, knows where he wants to go and gets there. Patton never settled and stayed on the attack. He is not the traditional pass-first guard with this team as they needed him to score the ball but he also made sure to get it to his guys for open shots. He finished through traffic, penetrated the defense to open up the defense and was able to knock down a few shots as well. This Next Level team will have to play better if they want to get a win in the tournament but with Patton at the helm they have a chance at turning things around. </p> <p><strong>Kendural Jolly -- Buddy Buckets </strong></p> <p>The most complete floor general on the day that got others involved while also getting his own was Jolly. Jolly is a guard that you have to always keep an eye on as he is able to hurt you in multiple ways. He is a small guard that is able to disrupt the defense as he is the primary ball handler on a group with elite guards that does not make many mistakes, has great court awareness and vision and also can play off ball and knock down jumpers. In the first half he was distributing and making sure his teammates were happy as his team went into the halftime intermission with a two point lead. The second half however is where he made his push. Buddy Buckets were able to extend that lead to as much as 20-points behind Jolly's 12 second half points including knocking down four 3-pointers. He was able to see a few shots fall and also got a layup at the rim. He finished the game with 16 points and had countless passes that led to an open baskets from himself or to another teammate for a better angle. He has great ball handling skills, is able to free himself up and also values each possession which you need from your lead guard. Jolly is an important piece to that Buddy Buckets team even if the stat sheet says otherwise. This time it showed how valuable he is. </p>