Summer Standout Series: 2022 Guards

<p><em>Summer basketball season has come and gone. After an eventful summer period of action, I decided to look back through some notes, stats, and videos from throughout the summer and highlight some prospects from Nebraska’s Class of 2022 who had stellar 17U summer campaigns. </em></p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="890589" first="Jayden" last="Dawson"] - Nebraska Supreme </strong></p> <p>There was plenty of talk coming into the summer season that Dawson was one of the players in the state who would benefit the most from a more normal summer season as compared to his 16U campaign last year. Playing for the newly formed Nebraska Supreme organization, Dawson shined on their 17U squad on the UAA circuit. Offensively, Dawson can get going in a hurry, thriving when shooting the three and slashing to the basket. He also doesn’t get nearly enough credit for how good he can be on the defensive end. He capped off a big summer by committing to Loyola-Chicago after receiving a bevy of offers from some quality mid-major programs. Dawson will be very fun to watch this coming winter at Omaha Central. </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="890571" first="Chandler" last="Meeks"] - Nebraska Supreme</strong></p> <p>Dawson’s backcourt mate on a very talented Nebraska Supreme squad, Meeks is a junkyard dog at the guard position. The 6’2 Omaha Westside product is an incredibly tenacious defender and is not afraid to pick up either guard spot. On the offensive end, Meeks plays strong, especially when driving to the basket. His bread and butter offensively is creating space off the bounce and finishing through contact at the rim. I’d also say Chandler is an underappreciated passer. More schools in the region should have Chandler on their radar going into his senior season. </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="890569" first="PJ" last="Davis"] - OSA 3SSB</strong></p> <p>When [player_tooltip player_id="890569" first="PJ" last="Davis"] gets doing from behind the 3 point line it is must watch. His lefty stroke from deep is his signature, but the 6’2 guard can also be an incredibly crafty finisher when he’s willing to put his head down drive to the basket. Davis was one of the top scorers for the Top 17U squad at OSA that competed on the Adidas Gauntlet. I think it’s safe to say that the 1-2 punch of Dawson and Davis will be incredibly fun to watch this winter for Omaha Central. </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1235576" first="Martel" last="Evans"] - PowerHouse Hoops Nebraska Skierka</strong></p> <p>If you don’t know the name [player_tooltip player_id="1235576" first="Martel" last="Evans"], you will very soon. The 6’1 guard is going into his senior season at Creighton Prep and the Junior Jays will have one of the more explosive athletes in the state playing in their backcourt this winter. There are not a lot of guards his size with the bounce Martel has. He is a very strong presence inside, both when finishing at the rim and fighting for rebounds on both ends of the floor. I expect to see multiple highlight-reel appearances from Evans during his senior campaign at Prep. </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="890594" first="Quinn" last="Johnson"] - Lincoln Supreme National I/II </strong></p> <p>You cannot discuss the best shooters in the state of Nebraska without mentioning Loomis’ [player_tooltip player_id="890594" first="Quinn" last="Johnson"]. The 6’2 guard has one of the quickest releases I’ve seen. He’s a very skilled scorer, who can pull up from close to NBA range beyond the arch and hit. Johnson rebounds well above his size and is a tenacious comeptitor. He is one of the best pure scoring guards in the state, regardless of class, and shined in his time with both the National I and National II squads this summer for Lincoln Supreme. </p> <p><em><strong>Stay Tuned for Part 2 coming soon!</strong></em></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>