Top 802/VPA Guards: First Half of the Season

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>802 guard play at its finest! Checkout the VPA's wide array of gamers at the guard position.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Cooper Diego, 6'2 PG - Spaulding High School Class of 2023</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In Cooper you have a smart and versatile hooper. First, he's a savvy PG with great court awareness on both sides of the ball. Diego handles pressure with ease, moves the ball quickly with wise decision making, and reads defenses instinctively. Moreover, he can score at all three-levels but doesn't need to dominate the ball to get going. Defensively he guards 1-3, rotates well off-ball, and communicates constantly with teammates. Plus, Cooper rebounds at a high clip and is a heady open-court playmaker. Diego is a two-way guy with a natural feel for the game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Trevon Bradley, 5'7 PG - Winooski High School Class of 2023</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Bradley is so skilled and so smart that defenses need to throw multiple guys to contain him. First, Trevon can dominate a game with his facilitation. He's a three-level scorer who can shake defenders with ease and get to his spots, and he reads/manipulates defenses so intuitively that he's already seeing the pass as he's gathering for his shot. On the defensive end, he can take ballhandlers completely out of their game with on-ball pressure. Plus, he's a sly off-ball defender and has a knack for getting in passing lanes. Tre is a two-way mastermind.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2313016' first='Sawyer' last='Ramey'], 5'9 PG - Fair Haven Union High School Class of 2023</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I'm calling it, Sawyer is the best passer in the VPA. Ramey absolutely picks teams apart by manipulating the defense with clinical precision. He sees passes moments ahead of time with his impeccable court awareness, and he has the wit to look guys off and open windows for clean looks. And at the same time, he's a crafty scorer. He produces at all three-levels, has nice finishing game with both hands, and his handle + footwork gets him wherever he wants to go. He's a heady defender, both on and off the ball, and rebounds quite well for his size. Ramey is an all-around gamer.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1585138' first='Sharif' last='Sharif'], 6'2 G - Rice Memorial High School Class of 2023</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A natural 2-guard who can handle PG responsibilities, Sharif has been the VPA's most prolific bucket getter. He's a volume scorer who can fill it up at all three-levels with his impressive ability to create space and rise up in isolation or in ball screen actions. Additionally, Sharif also possesses sound passing skills. He has timely advance passes on the break and crisp kick outs/dump passes on drives. Sharif defends 1-3, is a hawk in the passing lanes, and can spark a run in a flash. All in all, he's a handful for defenses and has a high ceiling.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Adam Bilodeau, 6'2 G - Rice Memorial High School Class of 2023</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Bilodeau is someone who can produce in so many ways. He's a rugged on-ball defender with his combination of length, footwork and tenacity. And off the ball he rotates into help in a timely manner but has the quickness and anticipation to close out and challenge shots. Plus, he's a strong rebounder with coast-to-coast playmaking and finishing. Offensively, Adam can play 1 or the 2. He handles ball pressure well, puts pressure on the rim with his strong takes and dishes, and he can get hot in a hurry from three. Bilodeau is a gritty two-way player.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Alex Provost, 6'0 PG - Champlain Valley Union High School Class of 2023</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>An innate floor-general, Alex knows how to quarterback a unit. He's a fundamental PG with sound footwork, passing abilities, and ball security. Provost knows just how and when to get guys the rock in their spots, plus he can get buckets on his own. With crafty slashing, Alex can get to the rim and finish with an array of moves, or he'll hit jumpers off the catch. On the defensive end, Alex communicates often, works through screens with crisp footwork, and rotates well in presses and halfcourt sets. Provost is rock solid and smart. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->