Hard Work Region Kickoff: Guard Standouts

The Prep Hoops Circuit got kicked off this past weekend, and I was in Iowa to check out the Hard Work Region Kick Off! These are some of the best guard prospects that I saw competing over the weekend. Christopher Davis Jr. (6' 2025 G, Wisconsin Premier)- Playing up at the 16u level, the freshman guard showed no fear for Wisconsin Premier. He came off the bench and immediately went to work getting buckets in a variety of ways. Chris has a shifty handle to maneuver his way to the basket, and he showed excellent body control to hang in the air and score through contact. Davis also has soft touch on his floater to score over size, and his range extends to beyond the arc where he's a dangerous three point shooter. Chris is a high energy player who competes hard on both ends of the floor. [player_tooltip player_id="1288896" first="KJ" last="LaMonte"] (6'2 2024 G, Quad City Shockers)- One of the top 2024 guards in Iowa, KJ impressed with his pace and skillset. He's tough as nails getting to the basket, with some explosive athleticism that allows him to hang in the air and finish against size, or elevate and throw down in transition. KJ never looked rushed with the ball in his hands, allowing him to weave through traffic and get to his spots on the floor. Lamonte is an unselfish player who wasn't forcing anything offensively, and made sure all of his teammates were getting touches when he was on the floor. Defensively he has the ability to pick up and defend the length of the floor, fight over screens, and is an impressive rebounder as a guard. [player_tooltip player_id="1481177" first="Tyler" last="Haney"] (5'11 2025 PG, United Hoops)- Tyler likely had the most impressive game I saw over the weekend, absolutely taking over in a tough matchup against EZ Work Elite. He was shooting the lights out from beyond the arc, knocking down shots off the catch or dribble, and showing the ability to turn defense into offense with ease. Haney was doing a great job of jumping passing lanes to get out in transition, and those steals were resulting in some pull-up threes as well as an open dunk. He's an unselfish player who makes great reads in transition, and even with being one of the smaller players on his team, he's dangerous around the rim because of his strong frame and his patience. [player_tooltip player_id="958725" first="Ty" last="Creger"] (6'1 2022 PG, Real Phenom - Nick)- The unsigned senior out of Minnesota was putting in some quality all-around performances throughout the weekend. Playing on and off the ball, Ty was consistently making smart reads. He stayed active with off-ball cuts, and with the ball in his hands he was extremely efficient with his dribbles. Knows when to attack the basket, when to shoot, and when to keep the ball moving within the offense. Defensively he just never takes a play off and was constantly pressuring the ball which resulted in plenty of steals over four games. Creger has really elevated his game over the past six months. [player_tooltip player_id="1167718" first="Colby" last="Dolphin"] (6' 2023 PG, Iowa Prep)- The pass first point guard was putting on a show with his playmaking abilities on Sunday. Though he's more than capable of scoring on his own, Colby was at his best putting the ball on the floor and drawing the attention of other defenders to free up his teammates. Once someone had an open shot Colby was accurately delivering passes right into their hands to rack up assists. Really like how he immediately picks his head up after a defensive board/outlet pass to see if he can pass the ball ahead to a sprinting teammate for easy points. When looking to score he has a nice looking shot from deep, and uses his strong frame well around the basket to shield off defenders and finish. Demond Laongoen (5'9 2024 PG, Wisconsin Premier)- Demond was one of the quickest players I saw over the weekend, and he utilized that quickness on both ends of the floor. Defensively he's a pest that never stops pressuring the ball. At 5'9 he's able to get right up under opposing ball handlers and apply constant pressure that disrupts the flow of their offense. That quickness helped force turnovers and get Premier out in transition the other way. In the half-court he's able to get into the paint which allows him to make plays finishing at the rim or kicking it out to open shooters. Really liked how unselfish he played getting his teammates involved. [player_tooltip player_id="1345985" first="Leroy" last="Barnes"] (6'1 2023 G, Real Phenom - Silas)- After coming around towards the end of the high school season, Leroy extended that play into the Hard Work Region Kickoff. He's so dangerous attacking the basket, making good use of a hard jab step to get his defender's momentum going one way before he attacks in the opposite direction. Leroy has excellent body control around the basket, and his long arms allow him to extend and finish against taller opponents. High energy player who's going to fight for loose balls, compete for rebounds, and bring 100% on every defensive possession.