Gulf Coast Classic All Star Guards

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In our previous article, we recognized some of the standout forwards that participated in the Barbers Hill Gulf Coast Classic, now let us look at some of the star guards that played a big role in their team's contests.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Corey Thompson- Fort Bend Hightower High School (2023)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Corey has earned this issue's featured image as he continued his all star guard play all throughout Saturday to help his Hurricanes squad take the championship in this elite tournament. Corey displayed an extremely efficient three point ability from long range and was highly skilled at driving to the basket and finishing through contact. Thompson was also great at always being able to find his open teammates for an easy assist and bucket in one possession. Corey will look to be a leader in both statistics and emotional categories for Hightower this season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Alec Belter- Clear Springs High School (2024)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Belter played a critical role for his team in their game against FB Hightower, shooting the lights out of the gym. Alec connected on several shots from deep, even pulling up in the defender's face and showing extreme patience in spotting up on the perimeter. Belter was also a primary playmaker, bringing the ball up the court for CS and also being adept at the pick and roll as the ballhandler. Belter shows a lot of promise as a junior for a team that will be looking for a leader to step up and take charge this season!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Jaden Hughes- Fort Bend Hightower High School (2023)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jaden Hughes was a good backcourt combo with teammate Corey Thompson in two games against Barbers Hill and Clear Springs on Saturday. Hughes showed a great midrange jumper touch and was very effective using dribble moves to skate past his matchup to the rim and get easy layups for his squad. Jaden was also capable of motivating his teammates vocally on the defensive end, never hesitating to correct someone on a switch or shift to hold the offense. Another part of Hughes game I really enjoyed was his willingness to crash the boards on both ends of the court and battle for loose balls as his hustle showed through.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1677136' first='Bryce' last='Smith']- Barbers Hill High School (2023)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This was my third or fourth time getting to watch Bryce this offseason and his play definitely shines through in the brightest of spotlights! Smith is the total package on both offense and defense, sailing over defenders with his athleticism and ability to shoot the three ball at a very high clip. Bryce is also a physical specimen on defense, using his strength to poke the ball free from the offense and average around 4-5 steals a game, often finishing with an easy two points off the fastbreak. Bryce totally controlled the tempo of the offense and was often keen on setting up his teammates at the right times to get them a bucket in the flow of the offense. It is my belief that Bryce and this young Barbers Hill team will surprise some critics this year and will look to make a deep run in 5A playoffs!!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->