Waxahachie Scouting Report: Guards

Waxahachie is a run and gun type of offense who plays tenacious full-court defense and traps to disrupt their opponents. Their players are tasked with constantly chasing the basketball and creating a hounding presence which they did to great success. They boasted a 27-7 record and made it to the third round of the Playoffs this year, losing to an elite team from Richardson. This is my in depth scouting report on the guards from Waxahachie.

BJ Francis- 2020 5’11
BJ is a confident guard with a flurry of moves in the mid-range and behind the line. He has a tight handle and with his low center of gravity seems to blow by bigger defenders with ease. He showed an elite ability to score behind the three-point line off the catch as well as one dribble sidestep threes to open up space for himself. He showed great use of the triple threat and got defenders to bite on simple fakes by utilizing good footwork. He is good at moving without the ball and if given space and time to shoot is absolutely deadly, off the catch and while moving with the ball. He is even comfortable shooting from NBA range. When open shots from him go up, the home gym always gets excited because he knocks them down at a great clip. He showed a good ability to elude defenders while finishing at the rim. He knows how to contort and avoid bigger defenders very well in the paint. He was one of the main sources of their offense and seemed comfortable operating as the point guard and scoring guard.

Dmarion Callier- 2021
Dmarion is a heads-up guard who runs with the basketball well. He is good at reading opposing offenses and jumping passing lanes. When controlling the tempo on the break he is smart at driving to one side and creating open driving lanes for his teammates, hitting them in stride for effortless layups

Chris Pace- 2020
Chris is an intelligent guard who works relentlessly on the defensive end of the floor. He is good at guessing his opponents next move which results in a good number of steals for himself. He hustles to every inch of the court and never gives up on plays. His never-ending energy always seems to have an impact on the floor when he is out there. He is good at running with the ball in transition and has his head up to create easy looks for teammates flashing to the basket.

Preston Hodge- 2021 5’10
Preston is a long-armed guard that plays scrappy defense that fits perfectly in Waxahachie’s full-court pressure and half-court traps. He is a fiery and passionate player who does not stand down to anyone. He is an expert at jumping passing lanes and finishing quickly on the other end. He rebounds well for his position and works tirelessly to chase down loose balls, resulting in a lot of steals and boards.

Ab Shorter- 2020 6’3
AB is a strong guard who finishes well around the rim. He showed great playmaking ability and was able to create easy looks for his teammates with fancy passes that he made mid-air off the catch. He showed an ease for finishing over bigger wings and a real expertise at operating down low. He is good at finishing with both hands even after beating a defender on a fast break opportunity. He has good active hands that somehow always end up affecting the ball.
He is relentless in chasing down loose balls and even had multiple instances over the year crashing into the front rows of the bleachers for even the slightest glimpses of a steal. He is not afraid to get down on the court and seems like the kind of team player every coach and teammate always wants to have on the floor.

AJ Russ- 2020 5’9
AJ is a scrappy guard who gets his hands into his opponent’s space causing a ton of disruptions for his size. He is a stocky athlete with strong hands and intelligent instincts to get his hands onto the basketball as opponents are going up for layups over him, causing multiple steals like this. He also showed a knack for getting his hands onto the ball and forcing other turnovers with intense on-ball defense.