Breakout Junior Combo Guards to Know (1/2)

Divine Ugochukwu Divine Ugochukwu 6'3" | CG Fort Bend Clements | 2024 State #153 Nation TX chukwu 2024 6’2 Fort Bend Clements High School (Houston Hoops EYBL)

Divine is the ideal combo guard with a blend of size, athleticism, basketball IQ, and is a silky smooth scorer on top of it. He is absolutely fantastic across all three levels of the floor. He is a willing hunter of his mid-range shot, and is willing to get to his spot every time down if the team is in trouble. That confidence and the ability to be clutch down the stretch of games is special. He is ready and willing to take over at a moment’s notice when his team is in trouble. His team knows they can rely on him as a scorer in late game situations and his ability to get to his spots in the paint and the mid-range allows him to hunt easy looks for himself all night. He is also a scrappy defender, coming up with steals and never backing down from a defensive match-up. He is an intelligent passer who loves setting up his teammates. He plays the game with a very positive energy which bleeds through into each of his teammates. He does all of the little things right on the court, such as spacing when running the fast break or hustling over to protect the backside of the defense after a skip pass. He has some inexperienced big men on his team now at Clement’s, and as they improve and continue to develop chemistry with Divine, Clements has a real shot to take down some big names in the playoffs this year.

Jared Harris Jared Harris 6'3" | SG Silsbee | 2024 State #275 Nation TX 2024 6’4 Silsbee High School

Jared is a special combo guard who can easily get to the rim off the bounce, and use his length to finish over most guards. I was very impressed with his versatility on the offensive end of the court, confidently getting to his spots across all three levels of the floor. He has a consistent jumper and can space the floor from the perimeter. His ability to get his shot off the dribble was a valuable weapon, and can punish you from the mid-range or beyond the arc. He is a high level rebounder for his size and position on both ends of the floor, he makes the right outlet passes to jump start his team on the fast break and taps out rebounds to his shooters on the offensive end. He is willing to do all of the dirty work necessary for his team to have success. He willingly defending bigger opponents and taking on defensive match-ups whenever they come up. He is not afraid of the big moment and is ready for anything a defense throws at him.

Jarin Hall 2024 6’2 Harlan High School

Jarin is a high level scorer from the guard position, scoring at will off the bounce from all three levels of the floor, but also showed off his versatility and ability to create shot opportunities for his teammates. He is the ideal combo guard that any coach would love to get their hands on with his ability to create an array of shots, not just for himself but for his team as well. I was very impressed by the ease in which the game seemed to come to him, scoring effortlessly from beyond the arc and in the mid-range. He is a natural scorer off the catch, making him a valuable weapon for any team. His ability to consistently space the floor and knock down shots will make himself an asset at the next level as well. He confidently knocked down shot opportunities when given him and showed a special ability to beat his opponent off the bounce and get to his spots.

Jermauri Blake 2024 6’0 Humble High School

Jermauri is a confident and versatile guard who has the athleticism to dominate and get up and down the court with a live dribble. I was very impressed with how well he was able to knife through the defense, both within the half court and the full court. He confidently breaks down the man in front of him and is able to wiggle past him and get to the rim. He confidently plays through contact and can adjust his shot angle, allowing him to easily finish in the paint, even over bigger competition. He showed off an incredibly high basketball IQ through his ability to play in the passing lanes but also use his active hands to create turnovers. He calmly creates opportunities for his teammates, and can do so with flair to keep the defense off balance.

Kaiden Myers Kaiden Myers 6'3" | CG Allen | 2024 State TX 2024 6’2 Allen High School (Crab5 16U)

Kaiden is a skilled guard who can punish the defense from all three levels of the floor, but also see over the defense and make the right read and create for his teammates every time down the court. He is a smart passer both in the full court and the half court, creating opportunities with his vision and unselfish play. I was very impressed with his shooting prowess off the bounce, constantly taking what the defense gave him in the mid-range and beyond the arc. If he gets a chance to catch and shoot, he is a consistent and knock down shooter from the corners and the wings. He is a smooth attacker of the rim, slowing down and keeping his opponent on his back, and then quickly exploding around the big with a euro-step. Myers has all of the tools to develop into a special guard at the next level with how easily he is able to score across all three levels of the floor.

Rico Hernandez 2024 6’0 Churchill High School

Rico is an aggressive two way guard who can operate as the point guard, or get to his spots and score at will off the bounce. He is already a skilled scorer from beyond the arc, and is threatening to unlocking the fourth level of the floor with consistency. He is a fearless shooter who can easily score from the wings and corners. I love watching him manipulate the defense with his handle, consistently getting around his primary defender and forcing a second to come up, allowing him to fire a pinpoint pass to punish the helping 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.