The Valley Jam: 2022 lead guards

<p>July 16-18 I attended the <em>HoopSeen</em> <strong>The Valley Jam </strong>at the beautiful nearly brand new Ottawa University in Surprise/AZ. </p> <p>43 teams from the 15 to 17U played four showcase games over the weekend. College coaches were on hand to take in the action for the second of the three July live periods.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Here were some 2022 lead guards that stood out:</p> <p><b>[player_tooltip player_id="701265" first="Ahamed" last="Mohamed"] Apollo (Factory)</b></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">-One of the top AIA PG’s defends his position and makes plays. He consistently has his head on a swivel finding teammates and throwing dimes. He had his usual pull-up per usual off the dribble and his stock continues to soar. </span></p> <p><b>[player_tooltip player_id="933538" first="Jake" last="Lifgren"] Centennial (Factory) </b></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">-One of the top scorers in the AIA has a pure stroke. He can shoot it it off the catch or rises high on his pull-up from mid-range and can create his own shot. He gives hard ball fakes and then can either rise up or burst by his defender. He makes good decisions off ball screens and he has had a consistent off season.  </span></p> <p><b>[player_tooltip player_id="701269" first="Raydon" last="Thorson"] Queen Creek (AZ Junior Ballers)</b></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">-One of the more entertaining guards in the AIA. You will probably see videographers often at his games. He gets the ball out of his hands with full court passes and he plays his style like [player_tooltip player_id="885820" first="Jalen" last="Scott"] did last year for PHHS. He can score it with deep shots and floaters in the lane. The ball is on a string for him and he is in full control. Queen Creek may be a sneaky pick for a playoff run this year.  </span></p> <p><b>[player_tooltip player_id="827006" first="Lareon" last="Ginnis"] South Mountain (Team RHJ)</b></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">-One of the top on-ball defenders in the class was firing away from deep at this event showing his strides he is making as a player. His natural quickness is obvious as he hounds ball handlers the full length of the court. He can change speeds and blow by defenders and float it in or dissect the defense for an assist.  </span></p> <p><b>[player_tooltip player_id="809729" first="Demetrus" last="Johnson II"] Bella Vista Prep (DBR) (Pictured) </b></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">-The 3A stud PG will be taking a post grad year to BVP and seems to be peaking with his talents. He is a late bloomer and has grown in height and his game. He has a tight yo-yo handle and makes it look easy threading the needle for scores. He can step back and shoot it from mid to the 3pt line off the dribble. He has a stronger upper body and his stock is up. </span></p> <p><b>[player_tooltip player_id="1054334" first="Eli" last="Johnson"] Gilbert (Prime Basketball)</b></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">-A cerebral and tough guard with deep range on his 3pt shot. He got hot in a couple of games and can pull-up off the dribble from mid-range. He has a strong frame with quickness laterally to defend.    </span></p>