Updated 2023 Rankings: Baltimore Point Guards

<p>Last week, we released our <a href="https://prephoops.com/maryland/rankings/2023-rankings/">updated 2023 player rankings</a>. As usual, the flow of content follows with different breakdowns of the updated list. I'll be focusing on the Baltimore prospects and break down each position starting with the point guards.</p> <p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="957054" first="Ace" last="Valentin"]e | 6'1 | Mount St. Joseph</strong></span></p> <p><em>Overall ranking: No. 16</em></p> <p><em>Positional ranking: No. 5</em></p> <p>Valentine left a great impression on myself and Adam Ayalew after we saw him in action with Team Durant this summer. Valentine is a three-level scorer who can operate in a number of ways. He's deceptive enough to get by his matchup consistently, can make proper reads in ball screens and has craft when it comes to attacking and finishing around the rim. He's more than a scorer. Valentine has solid basketball IQ and understands the right basketball play to make especially on paint touches. He's a dependable defender who can guard either backcourt slot and is a willing rebounder for his position.</p> <p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="957034" first="Tjay" last="Beckles"] | 5'10 | Overlea</strong></span></p> <p><em>Overall ranking: No. 17</em></p> <p><em>Positional ranking: No. 6</em></p> <p>We've raved about Beckles and he gave even more reason this summer. Yet, he's still no where near as known as he should be. The 5-foot-10 point guard is an absolute sniper from three who can shoot it comfortably from way beyond the high school three-point line. I want to preface this with *I'M NOT SAYING HE'S AS GOOD AS,* but his playing style reminds me of Trae Young. A small, quick and shifty guard who creates space to get his shot off. He's also effective at drawing contact on drives and is automatic from the free-throw line. Beckles still has to improve his decision-making and become a little more polished defensively, but in a game that values three-point shooting, he's your guy to watch.</p> <p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="957023" first="Mathani" last="Paul-Swinson"] | 5'11 | McDonogh</strong></span></p> <p><em>Overall ranking: No. 18</em></p> <p><em>Positional ranking: No. 7</em></p> <p>Paul-Swinson had moments in spurts this summer for a loaded Team Durant 15U squad who was arguably the best team nationally in their respective age bracket. Equipped with countless scorers, his responsibility was to set the table offensively and really get after his man on the defensive end to spark turnovers. We've seen Paul-Swinson in action with McDonogh where he needed to act more as a scorer and showed off a soft touch on floaters and ability to make plays in the open floor. It's safe to say that had their been a season this winter, Paul-Swinson would've been a critical piece to McDonogh's puzzle.</p> <p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="957039" first="Samartine" last="Bogues"] | 5'6 | Calvert Hall</strong></span></p> <p><em>Overall ranking: No. 38</em></p> <p><em>Positional ranking: No. 10</em></p> <p>Bogues shadows the play of his grandfather 'Mugsy' in the way that he harasses the ball handler defensively and generates turnovers on a routine basis. The 5-foot-6 floor general is lighting quick with the basketball and prefers getting downhill, attacking the basket to draw defenders and setting up his teammate for open looks. This fall he did show ability to stop on a dime in the mid-range area and knock down shots with regularity. Calvert Hall is a team that has a plethora of young, intriguing talent and Bogues is one of the players who sets the tone from the opening tip.</p>