Week 7 Scouting Notebook: Tony’s Top Guards

<p><strong>Jaron Crews (Centennial, 2021)</strong></p> <p>Crews had an off shooting night in the Jaguars win over Hoover last week, but he was still sensational, finishing with 26 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals. A strong, compact guard, he does a great job getting to the rim and using his strength to finish through contact. He's excellent going to his left, showing great body control and finishing ability with either hand around the rim. He's a good, not great, shooter with good form and range out to the arc, but he really excels when he's playing downhill and getting to the rim. He was 12-16 from the free-throw line. He does a great job playing and reading passing lanes on the defensive end, and he gets others involved offensively. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Caden Kelling (Centennial, 2022)</strong></p> <p>Kelling really stood out for his defensive prowess. He didn't do much that showed up in the box score (1 point, 2 rebounds, 1 assist), but I thought he was exceptional on the defensive end as part of the crew that forced Henderson into a poor shooting night. He's an athletic, 5-10 guard who does a great job moving his feet on the defensive end. He showed the ability to defend both on and off the ball.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> [caption id="attachment_1066742" align="alignright" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/10/Chase-Henderson.jpeg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1066742" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/10/Chase-Henderson-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> Henderson[/caption] <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="956876" first="Chase" last="Henderson"] (Hoover, 2023)</strong></p> <p>Henderson led Hoover with 17 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists, but struggled from the field, going just 6-19. He's lightning-quick with the ball in his hands and is strong in the pick-and-roll, with the ability to shoot it from 3, turn the corner and get to the rim or find the roll man. He's a confident shooter from the arc with a green light that he took advantage of. If he can become more efficient, he'll be one of the best scoring threats in the state. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="727866" first="Manny" last="Austin"] (Hoover, 2021)</strong></p> <p>Austin had a quiet game, scoring just 11 points, but he showed his all-around scoring ability, flashing why he's among the 4A leaders in scoring. He's a good athlete who can get to the rim and he has good footwork that he uses to create space for his jumper. He's got a smooth release on his jump shot and can stop on a dime to elevate into his shot. He handles the ball well and has the ability to score from all three levels, at times making it look effortless. He has good length and can be a solid defender when he's engaged. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> [caption id="attachment_1040525" align="alignright" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/08/Alex-Koppes.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1040525" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/08/Alex-Koppes-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> Koppes[/caption] <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="964829" first="Alex" last="Koppes"] (Springville, 2021)</strong></p> <p>Koppes had a huge game in the Orioles win over Alburnett, finishing with 25 points on 11-16 shooting. He's a 6-0 senior guard with active hands on the defensive end and excellent body control around the rim. He excels playing downhill and getting to the bucket, playing with good pace and using long strides to get to the rim. He has good recovery speed on the defensive end and has a good feel for the game. He'll make a very nice Division III or NAIA player.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="962643" first="Luke" last="Menster"] (Springville, 2022)</strong></p> <p>Menster is a really good ball-handler who sees the floor at a high-level and love to get others involved. He's a pest on the defensive end who flies all over the floor, jumping passing lanes and using active hands when defending on-ball to make life difficult. The lefty finished with 9 points, 5 assists and 3 steals.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="796131" first="Hunter" last="Caves"] (Alburnett, 2021)</strong></p> <p>Caves had a rough shooting night for the Pirates in their loss, going just 4-15 from the floor, but he showed a lot of different pieces of his game. He's a big, physical guard who crashes the offensive glass hard, finishing with 9 rebounds total (7 offensive). He finishes with either hand around the bucket, and he sees the floor really well, finishing with 6 assists to go with his 15 points. His ability to get to the rim and the free-throw line is valuable, and he's not going to back down from anyone.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="964847" first="Creed" last="Welch"] (Waukon, 2021)</strong></p> <p>The 6-4 senior guard is an eye-popping athlete with a future on the gridiron somewhere, but he stuffs the stat-sheet on the hardwood as well. He finished with 11 points, 9 rebounds, 8 assists, 4 steals and a block in the Indians loss to Beckman. He has excellent court vision and is a confident ball-handler who doesn't get rattled by pressure. He's an explosive leaper who had a really impressive follow-up dunk off a teammate's miss and he moves his feet well on the defensive end with quick hands. He'll play football in college, but he could be an impact college basketball player at a lower-level if he wanted to go that direction.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Logan Goedken (Beckman Catholic, 2022)</strong></p> <p>A 6-0 junior guard, Goedken is a solid ball-handler who flashed good court vision and a nice mid-range game in the Blazers comeback win over Waukon. He gets the ball into his shooting pocket quickly and gets others involved at a high-level, dishing out 6 assists.</p>