Charlie Hughes Shootout: 2023 Standout Guards

Landon Bundy

July 2, 2021 @ 10:56 AM

It was a live period, and college coaches were out in full force at Carmel and Westfield for the Charlie Hughes Shootout. 101 high school teams competed with one another in a preview for the upcoming season. Several teams and players looked very impressive and caught the eye of scouts and coaches. Here are the 2023 guards that caught my attention during the weekend.   Israel Hines - 5'9" PG - Gary West Hines is a very small guard who had a nearly impossible matchup with the Cathedral ball club that is full of Division 1 talent. He struggled at times, but he also showed a few bright spots in his game. Hines sees the floor well and he can knock down shots, but he has the tendency to get way too out of control at times. Hines should continue to improve with experience and may be a player to watch in the future.   Luke Adams - 5'10" SG - Sullivan Adams is a smaller guard who seemed to always be in the right place at the right time. He is a good defender, both on-ball and help side. He is an outstanding role player for this Sullivan squad and does all of the little things well. He hustles and always makes good cuts. If Adams can play like this for Sullivan, they will be very hard to beat as that would give them four guys that can play extremely well for Golden Arrows.   Marcus Ankney - 6'3" SG - Center Grove Ankney is a solid lead guard who was had some solid moments against Lafayette Jeff. He is strong with the basketball in his hands and made some nice passes. He also had a nice little floater in the lane to avoid the shot blockers. He still has some developing to do, but the rising junior looked good on Friday.   [player_tooltip player_id="1049187" first="Marcus" last="Becher"] - 6'2" SG - Heritage Hills Becher is a smaller shooting guard who can do a little bit of everything on the offensive end. He can knock it down from the outside, and he's not going to hesitate to drive it to the hole. Heritage Hills is in a rebuild after the talent they have lost over the last two years, but Becher is going to be a big part of their success over the next two years.   [player_tooltip player_id="868251" first="Jake" last="Davis"] - 6'5" SG - Cathedral Davis is a bigger shooting guard who is one of the more fearless players that I have seen. He has a thick frame and uses his physicality in the lane. Davis never hesitated to make a move to the rim, and he has a good-looking outside stroke. Davis going to be a key player for Cathedral this season, and he is going to have a major chance to impress some coaches thanks to the number of eyes that will be on this Cathedral ball club this year.   [player_tooltip player_id="1160678" first="Ki" last="Dyer"] - 6'2" SG - Greensburg Dyer is a good-sized guard who uses his athleticism well. He's still lacking some experience which caused a couple of mistakes for him, but these will be worked out as he continues to gain that varsity experience. He can handle the ball well and likes to attack the rim. He just needs to avoid dribbling too far into traffic which happened a couple of times. Overall, it was a good game for Dyer, and he should be a fun player to watch develop. The next step in his game is definitely his outside shot.   Robert Jackson - 5'11" SG - Cardinal Ritter Jackson is a smaller guard whose athleticism really allows him to do a little bit of everything. He really attacks the class and came up with a couple of really good blocks in the paint. Jackson can also see the floor well and never hesitates to push it up the floor. He can score it from deep. Overall, he still has some developing to do, but it was a solid performance.   Ethan McComb - 6'1" SG - Center Grove McComb has grown a little bit since the last time I saw him, and his shooting has improved in a major way. He may have been the best shooter that I saw all weekend. He has a smooth stroke, unlimited range, and he never once hesitated to shoot the ball. McComb also had a couple of nice moves to the hole and finishes inside. He has improved so much over the summer, and he is going to be a crucial part of this Center Grove team. He is definitely a player to watch for Division 3 schools.   Mikail Miller - 5'11" PG - Cardinal Ritter Miller is a smaller guard who uses his quickness to excel. He is always looking to push the tempo and take advantage of a slower defense. However, this can get him into trouble as it can force him into some poor decisions. Miller's shooting was very good as well for him, knocking down both threes and a mid-range pull-up. Ritter is looking for a second option behind [player_tooltip player_id="1168147" first="Jordan" last="Turner"], and Miller may be it.   [player_tooltip player_id="935727" first="Jaylen" last="Mullen"] - 5'11" PG - North Daviess Mullen is a smaller, quick guard who just seems to get better and better every time he is on the court. In a battle of top-level point guards with [player_tooltip player_id="870219" first="Jalen" last="Jackson"], Mullen just seemed to do everything right. He has very good ball-handling and always seems to make the right decision with the ball in his hands. He is an excellent scorer from anywhere. He's silky smooth around the rim and can stroke it from deep. This kid is going to be playing at the high NAIA or mid-major level, and coaches need to get on him before it is too late.   [player_tooltip player_id="1049159" first="Jayden" last="Pinkston"] - 6'3" SG - Tindley Pinkston is a big wing who put on quite a bit more muscle and can know out-physical some guys around the rim. He goes strong to the hole and threw down a monster dunk on the fast break. Pinkston can also knock it down consistently from the outside. He has had a lot of attention from college coaches, and that is going to continue as he continues to improve. Watch out for Pinkston and Tindley this year as they will come in as one of the favorites in 1A.