Memorial Weekend: AZ Standouts: PG/CG’s

Gregg Rosenberg June 8, 2022 @ 11:40 PM

Over Memorial Weekend I headed to Las Vegas to watch the Marquee Hoops Memorial Day Classic/WCL: Session-4 at Las Vegas Basketball Center and the WestCoast Smoke event held at Eldorado HS.   Here were some of the standout point and combo guards I viewed: Memorial Weekend: AZ Standouts: PG/CG’s 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="827045" first="Nathan" last="Young"] Bradshaw Mountain (Southwest Rebels) A lead guard with good strength and a tighter handle. It has been a while since I have seen him play and he has definitely improved. He is good off the pick and roll game. He seems to find his teammates with drive and kicks or smart reads to the cutters. He can pull-up off the dribble from mid-range and uses hesitations to get the defender off of him. He looks to be a nice late walk-on for a local Juco.   2023 [player_tooltip player_id="1275428" first="Zander" last="Kamai"] Paradise Honors (AZ Firestorm Hunter) Another event, another weekend Zander impressed. His stroke looked compact and clean as he hit from the three point line off the catch. He also created his own shot off the bounce or stepped back on his defender. His floor game with his court vision and decision making has been one of the main reason people are noticing him besides myself. From drive and kicks to pocket passes and full court passes in stride.   2024 [player_tooltip player_id="992829" first="Gabe" last="Pickens"] Millennium (AZ Unity 16 EYBL) A true leader of the EYBL team. Anyone who gets the rebound immediately gives him the ball and then they run! He pushes the pace better then most in the West Coast. He slices defenses apart with his precision on his passes. He is a stud downhill, but when the defense backed off, he made them pay by hitting the three. He is a physical defender and has a nice blend of speed and power. [player_tooltip player_id="1286159" first="Kent" last="Barnes"] North Canyon (Southwest Rebels) (Pictured) A fast combo guard who is a quick ball handler. He is tough on the ball defensively and is transforming into a more of a lead guard. He has supreme shift to his handle and creates separation or will burst right by his defender to the rim. He shoots the ball well from mid to the 3pt line and has speed for days in the open court. His defense and speed standout immediately. [player_tooltip player_id="996810" first="Preston" last="Lee"] CDS (AZ Unity 16 EYBL) A physical guard who was a big reason they got a win versus the talented Paul George Elite EYBL team. He makes you feel his presence on defense with good quicks and strength. He also is sturdy ball handler and he can hit the catch-3 plus spin move off his defender and lay it in.   2025 [player_tooltip player_id="1193887" first="Rhys" last="Walcott"] Eastmark (UH Elite 15 UAA Rise) A natural bucket makes scoring look easy. He is a three level scorer with a pull-up from mid-range, the deep 3 off the catch and burst by for a lay up. He is a a physical on-ball defender and when he is rolling, his teams usually do well. [player_tooltip player_id="1287030" first="Jordan" last="Lee"] CDS (UH Elite 15 UAA Rise) Lee is the engine that makes UH go. He is a pure PG and on-ball defender. He throws players dimes in stride. He is very disruptive in the passing lanes with quick hands and feet. He is really strong off the pick and roll game and his speed and burst allow him to get to the rim.