Saturday “Dagger” Sheet: Backcourt Gems From Dec 13-19

<p>There was plenty of non-tournament and tournament action as well the week prior to Christmas, here we look at guards who shined as bright as Christmas lights during the week. </p> <p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><em><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="598786" first="Cristian" last="Willis"], 6-0, CG, Junior, Lithia Springs</strong></em></span></p> <p>On an off-night for his compadres, Willis had to pick up the slack and did so with style, getting 21 first-half points to keep the Lions in it vs a tough Chapel Hill group, a terrific shooter that likes it on the wing he’s most comfortable at the point pushing pace and using excellent ballhandling to weave through defenses to create scoring chances or dish off to open men, his game continues to mature at an impressive pace as he moves through the winter and toward a final summer to impress, underrated in a deep 2022 class for guards but can score it with any of them.</p> <p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><em><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="869607" first="Jason" last="Edwards"], 6-0, PG, Senior, Parkview</strong></em></span></p> <p>Last year in tandem with dynamic scorer Miles Kelly, Edwards still did a lot of damage with his lightning-quick moves off the dribble and long-range shooting prowess, with Kelly transferred out Edwards has assumed the primary scoring role for the Panthers and continued his exciting brand of play in slicing up Johns Creek for 34 points (20 in the first half) at the Lambert Holiday Classic, he’s an elite one-on-one defender and is just a blast to watch play not just for his ability to score in bunches but for his enthusiasm and energy which clearly lifts his teammates.</p> <p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><em><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="774846" first="Elijah" last="Williams"], 6-5, SG, Senior, Providence Christian (pictured above)</strong></em></span></p> <p>In finally getting a chance to see Willaims after a year spent hearing about his all-around abilities, I wasn’t at all let down in a terrifically exciting 1-point win over Peachtree Ridge at the Lambert Holiday Classic, long, quick and skilled with and without the ball Williams had it all on display in spurts against a very athletic opponent, his explosiveness off the deck was particularly awe-inspiring as he had one sequence where he made a tremendous block at one end and then hustled down to get a high-flying tip-in at the other, he got 19 pts in a variety of ways and showed off a sweet-shooting touch as well, as good an all-around player as I’ve seen so far this season.</p> <p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><em><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="598780" first="Chance" last="Thacker"], 6-3, PG, Junior Providence Christian</strong></em></span></p> <p>One of the summer’s breakout 2022 performers, Thacker gets down and dirty to do his damage while backcourt mate Williams grabs headlines, his game is just so "clean", it’s filled with a myriad of things coaches love at both ends - smart decisions, controlled use of his considerable athletic skills, an understanding of space and time that propels good PG’s to the next level, his 3-point shooting is incredibly underrated (had four 3’s against PR) because of his downhill driving ability using his solid frame, his recruitment is sure to see a super-charge off both that standout summer and what’s shaping up as a big regular season as well. </p> <p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><em><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="869616" first="Mason" last="Barnes"], 5-11, PG, Senior, Lambert</strong></em></span></p> <p>Barnes is the classic "heat" em up" PG who when the hot hand arrives will pull it from all over, he’s got Curry-esque range and plenty of quickness to find open spots, not at all afraid to drive it he has a crafty finishing game in close as well and with his head always on a swivel can easily step into a distributor role and set up teammates, a lot of fun to watch and someone who can make it to the next level even under 6-feet because of elite shooting ability. </p> <p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><em><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="806753" first="Brendan" last="Rigsbee"], 6-1, SG, Senior, North Gwinnett</strong></em></span></p> <p>In a thorough dismantling of Cherokee Bluff at the Lambert Holiday Classic, Rigsbee once again had on display all that sneaky athleticism and deadeye shooting that made him a sought-after recruit this summer knocking off big clubs with his ATL T-Wolves teammates, landing with a solid program at University of Alabama-Huntsville (along with Denmark PG [player_tooltip player_id="869585" first="Sutton" last="Smith"]), don’t let the lean skier fool you as he loves to attack the basket from all points and cannot be left unchecked past the arc (four 3-balls, 20 pts) as the Bears found out, with some graduation losses and Keon Jackson not with the team this season, team-leading scorer against Bluff senior Jordan Hancock (23 pts) makes for a solid backcourt running mate with his athletic ability and veteran decision-making. </p>