Crossroads of The South: Standout Point Guards
With this article, I will take a look at a few of the standout PGs that I saw at the Crossroads of the South Middle School camp. Antoine Harris – 5’7 / Point Guard / AAU: MCE 2026 /…
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Continue ReadingWith this article, I will take a look at a few of the standout PGs that I saw at the Crossroads of the South Middle School camp.
Antoine Harris – 5’7 / Point Guard / AAU: MCE 2026 / Northwest Rankin Middleschool (Brandon MS)
Instagram: mainslime3._twon
Twitter: N/A
Antoine was one of the best PGs in camp when it came to getting downhill and attacking the paint. He pushed the rock constantly, putting pressure on defenders keeping them on their heels. He was a tough guard off the bounce and stayed attacking.
He was one of the more physical guards at camp, and his PG IQ is developing.
Opportunities for Growth: Antoine was not a threat from the perimeter with his outside shooting, unlike being a threat off the bounce. He is going to have to work on improving his perimeter J. Also, as easy and as often as he gets to the paint, he has to be more consistent with finishing at the rim and adding finishing moves in the paint to his toolbox.
Deontae Hopper – 5’6 / Point Guard / AAU: Mebo Team Hood 2027 / Carver Middle School (Meridian MS)
Instagram: Pg.Deontae
Twitter: N/A
Deontae was solid at the PG spot throughout camp. He showed some nice attributes as he played the lead guard spot. Deontae is still developing both physically as a PG and as well as with his PG IQ. I did like D’s vision and his commitment to kick the ball ahead in transition.
He brought a lot of effort and energy to the court.
Opportunities for Growth: Deontae’s shot selection was questionable more than you would like from your PG. He also struggled from the perimeter and needs to continue working on improving his perimeter J.
Ashton Manuel – 5’9 / Point Guard / AAU: N/A 2026 / HillCrest Christian (Jackson MS)
Instagram: imasho3x_
Twitter: @asho3x1
Ashton was at times phenomenal. He has a plethora of tools in his toolbox and is a big-time playmaker. He created scoring opportunities for himself and his teammates as he was aggressive off the bounce and had one of the quickest first steps I saw throughout the camp. He has advanced ball-handling skills and converted on some tough scoring attempts off the bounce. Ashton was a player that was extremely difficult to overlook as he took advantage of the platform and showed that he was one of the top PGs in the class of 2026 in the state of MS. His ability as a one-on-one creator kept defenders in a state of guessing and yielded efficient isolation offense. He generated offense in p&r, was a knock-down shooter from beyond the arc, has a nice floater game, and was an excellent finisher at the rim.
He showed that he was a score-first PG in camp, but don’t get me wrong, he can facilitate an offense.
Opportunities for Growth: He started off slow but eventually got going. What appeared to be a turning point for Ashton was when he began using his dribble to get somewhere on the court. Early in camp, he was showing off his handles but still just staying in one place. When he began using his handles to get by defenders, things started changing for him.
Lazabian Banks – 5’6 / Point Guard / AAU: Mississippi Bulldogs 2026 / Chastain Middle School (Jackson MS)
Instagram: iamzayyy._
Twitter: N/A
LB was one of the smaller PGs at camp and got off to a slow start, but he got it going early on the defensive end of the court. His on-ball D made it very difficult for ball-handlers to get comfortable. He showed extremely quick hands and got several steals in early action. Once he started getting it done on the defensive end of the court, it ignited him on the offensive end of the court. He settled in and showed the vast amount of tools that he had in the toolbox.
He was extremely quick with the ball in his hands, got to the rack, and had some great finishes at the rim.
When things weren’t going well early in camp, he did not allow it to hinder the camp altogether. Opportunities for Growth: Even though LB got it going during the 2nd half of the camp, he must continue being more consistent and efficient with his perimeter J. He has to get stronger, definitely as high school looms in the near future. Because he is small in stature, continuing to work on finishing thru contact and showing the floater game more is parts of his game that can be improved upon.
Zavian Carr – 5’0 / Point Guard / AAU: Madison Landsharks 2027 / Northwest Rankin Middle School (Flowood MS)
Instagram: zavian_09
Twitter: zavian_carr
Zavian has some crafty handles and had them on display throughout the camp. He was able to attack his defender and force help and out of that, made good decisions that led to scoring opportunities. He had a nasty hesitation moved that left defenders standing still. He has a well-developed floater that accompanies his game and is beneficial for his game being a small PG. He is a two-way guard that was tough on the defensive end of the floor.
His on-ball defense created a lot of problems and forced a lot of turnovers.
Opportunities for Growth: Zavian struggled with his perimeter shooting, but he has good technique and seems to have the ability to knock it down from beyond the arc. I encourage Zavian to continue to work on being more consistent with the trey ball.
Stay connected because more standouts from this fantastic camp are coming your way.