Grind Region Finals: Saturday 16U Guard Standouts

<p>Check out my analysis from a super competitive Saturday at the Prep Hoops Grind Region Finals in Dallas, Texas! This competition brought together some of the best teams in the country for some high level basketball, check out who really stood out to me during day the first full day of competition!</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1369807" first="Tanner" last="Braketa"] </strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">2025 6’2 Ralston Valley High School, CO (B&amp;B Academy 2024 Black)</span></p> <p>Tanner is a high level guard, who is very well deserving of the PrepHoops #1 Ranking of the 2025 Class in Colorado. While he is not the most athletic prospect, he is great at playing with tempo and manipulating the defense with a live dribble. I was very impressed with his complete three level attack of the floor, confidently shooting from beyond the arc off the catch, and pulling up for a soft floater or a quick pull up in the mid-range. He is a real weapon with his mid-range jumper, constantly punishing the defense after making his first man miss with a simple head-fake.</p> <p>His complete offensive arsenal pairs well for his ability to create separation with his drive and kick. He is a smooth operator with the ball in traffic, constantly making good decisions and finding his teammates open on the backside of the defense after drawing the entire defense’s attention. Defensively, he is a very smart on ball defender who knows how to attack his opponents live dribble, timing up steals and running the other way on the fast break. He angled his defenders and forced them off their spots and made them adjust their shot angles. He closed out well on the perimeter and was an active help defender in the paint when necessary.</p> <p><strong>Rico Hernandez</strong> <span style="text-decoration: underline;">2024 6’0 Churchill High School, TX (Arnold Elite National 2024 Rouche)</span></p> <p>Rico is a skilled point guard who controls the tempo of the game, but more importantly scores off the bounce from all three levels with consistency and is threatening to master that coveted fourth level of the floor. He is a fearless shooter who can easily score from the wings and corners. I was very impressed with how well he manipulated the defense with his live dribble, getting into the teeth of the defense and drawing a help defender. He made some high level passes and displayed quick decision making and found the defense lacking time after time. Defensively, I was very impressed with his aggressiveness as an on ball defender, coming up with a few steals and deflections and running the other way for a fast break opportunity.</p> <p><strong>Diego Garcia </strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">2024 6’0 Byron Nelson High School, TX (North Texas Legacy 2024)</span></p> <p>Diego is a sharp shooting guard who thrives at quickly getting his shot up from the corners and wings. He confidently scored off the bounce and was not afraid to take on his opponents off the bounce from all three levels of the court. He is not just a sharp shooter however, he is an impressive athlete with his ability to elevate on his way to the rim. He finishes at a very high level and usually has a clear path to the rim after making the first guy blow by him with a head fake. I was very impressed by his willingness to do the little things, such as clean up the offensive and defensive glass.</p> <p><strong>Narit Chotikavanic </strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">2024 6’1 McMillen High School, TX (F5 Elite 2024)</span></p> <p>Narit is an incredibly skilled combo guard who scored well at all three levels of the floor as well as created looks for his teammates. I was blown away at the ease in which he scored the basketball from every inch of the court. He operates incredibly well out of the corners where he is a threat to catch and shoot, but also put the ball on the floor and blow by his opposition. I loved his touch he displayed from range, and did so off the catch but more impressively off the bounce. He routinely made space beyond the arc and confidently rose above his competition. He puts just the right amount of touch on his 3/4 court passes, that always found his teammates in stride, sometimes even after a made basket. I loved his overall court vision and ability to pass the ball, he truly created a multitude of looks for his teammates. As the defense started to garner more attention to him, he calmly made all of the right reads and set his teammates for effortless buckets.</p>