Two-Way Guards from Mayhem in the Plex

<p>[player_tooltip player_id="1459586" first="Joshua" last="Hollis"] - Just Play Elite - God Vision Academy - 2023<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/05/IMG-4594-rotated-e1653512810497.jpg"><img class="wp-image-1465655 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/05/IMG-4594-rotated-e1653512810497-300x298.jpg" alt="" width="220" height="219" /></a></p> <p>The big bodied guard stands right around 6’ tall, 180 pounds, often times muscling his way into the paint where he made the most of his vision. His drive and kick game was the most dependable against size since his ballhandling proficiency and easy size advantage made his ability to playmake second nature. On defense, he has room to grow with his foot speed against quicker guys, however his big frame allowed him to matchup well in the post when switching. Another strength of Hollis was his shooting off the catch, when given space he was knockdown. Continuing to improve his mid-range and fadeaway game will unlock another level of his offensive game, keep an eye out for this young guard.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1229539" first="Kendal" last="White"] - Pro Skills Austin Red - Connally - 2023<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/05/IMG-4715-rotated-e1653512872893.jpg"><img class="wp-image-1465656 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/05/IMG-4715-rotated-e1653512872893-204x300.jpg" alt="" width="166" height="244" /></a></p> <p>White was a well rounded guard capable scoring and playmaking in a variety of ways while putting up consistent energy on the defensive end. Quite a few times, White tipped or ripped the ball away from opposing ballhandlers, a testament to his uncommon reaction speed and wiry strength. Another key has been his off-ball awareness, rarely allowing a backdoor cutter get the best of him. On offense, White does great snaking through the middle, where he did well positioning himself in harms way, allowing his teammates to get a bit more space on looks.</p> <p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/05/IMG-4719-rotated-e1653512945815.jpg"><img class="wp-image-1465657 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/05/IMG-4719-rotated-e1653512945815-204x300.jpg" alt="" width="168" height="247" /></a>Tony Ganther - Oklahoma Irish - Carl Albert - 2023</p> <p>Ganther may be undersized at 5’8, however he makes up for it with his crafty finishing and kickout passing vision. Given his lower center of gravity, Ganther zips around the half-court while changing directions on a dime. Crafty is the first word coming to mind with Ganther, who displayed a creative rim scoring package against bigger opponents. His euro-step is one of the best in the building, particularly due to his quick reactions when help defense arrives. Although, Ganther is hardly just a driver, he was dependable hitting shots off the catch, both in the mid-range and three point distance.</p> <p>Tysen Key - RBC - Central - 2023<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/05/IMG-4677-rotated.jpg"><img class="wp-image-1465660 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/05/IMG-4677-rotated-e1653513016638-160x300.jpg" alt="" width="125" height="234" /></a></p> <p>The six-foot combo guard was consistently a pest on defense in large part from his off-ball awareness and desire to quickly attack the opposing ball-hander. Key’s defensive intensity truly stood out, notably from his quick hands which created deflections and fast break opportunities. Key was consistently pushing the break, similar to the goals of RBC, being a small yet fast team. While I did not get to see his full offensive repertoire, he did well contributing as a slasher and high efficiency off-ball guard.</p> <p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/04/IMG-4262-rotated-e1650396171679.jpg"><img class=" wp-image-1433932 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/04/IMG-4262-rotated-e1650396171679-300x266.jpg" alt="" width="192" height="170" /></a>[player_tooltip player_id="1354705" first="Cam" last="Mennsfield"] - Victory Academy Gold - Hebron - 2024 </p> <p>Mennsfield may only stand at 5’8, but the guard does everything right from a coach’s perspective. Showing poise when pushing the break, Mennsfield is fearless against bigger bodied rim protectors. On the ball, he can create out of pick and roll or one on one. Mennsfield could benefit heavily from an on-ball screen given his size, however when thrown onto a slower matchup he is perfectly capable taking it to the rack. Arguably Mennsfield’s biggest strength has been his on-ball defense. Given his lateral quickness and ability to be handsy without fouling, the young guard is quite possibly the best guard defender in the building. Continuing to add weight along with expanding the jump shot range should aid him as an uber efficient scorer or two-way playmaker.</p>