2024 Rankings: Game Changing Guards

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em><strong>Get 25% off your subscription by entering Knight25 in the coupon code area. Enjoy!</strong></em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On Monday, our ranking updates continued with the 2024 class. You can check out the <strong><a href="https://prephoops.com/2023/02/updated-2024-oklahoma-rankings-4/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Top 75 juniors in Oklahoma RIGHT HERE</a></strong>. Throughout the week, we're taking more of a look at the 2024 class with breakdowns on various prospects throughout the rankings. In this post, we're taking a look at some of the top guards in the 2024 class. All ten of these guys are continuing to improve and some of them are knocking on the door of being top five overall prospects. Keep it locked in to Prep Hoops Oklahoma throughout the week for more 2024 prospect breakdowns and stay tuned for next week when we put a spotlight on the 2023 class. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1295751"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"Our first prospect is one that still needs attention moving forward but he's had to sit the majority of his junior season with an injury. McAlester standout guard [player_tooltip player_id='1295751' first='Adonis' last='Holiman'] was primed for a big junior season after a great offseason last spring and summer. But he's had to sit for almost his entire junior season. The Buffaloes have missed him and they could have been one of the dark horses to watch in the 5A playoffs with him and 2023 forward [player_tooltip player_id='1421754' first='Cole' last='Allen'] leading the way. But nevertheless, Holiman is still one of the better guards from this 2024 class. We're looking forward to seeing him get back on the court and showing why he's in that discussion.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["1482826"],"_player_evaluations_1_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"Mount Saint Mary junior standout [player_tooltip player_id='1482826' first='Braeden' last='Lloyd'] is one of the more underrated guards in the state this season. And that term gets thrown around so often in this sport but we feel like it fits Lloyd when you look at what he's done this season. He's been one of the top scorers in Class 5A throughout this season. Not just for the guard position. It seems like he's had multiple games where he has put up 30 to 40 points and made it look easy. He has Mount Saint Mary as a team to take very seriously as the Class 5A playoffs open up this week. They are in the El Reno regional and it's not crazy to suggest that Lloyd could lead Mount Saint Mary to a regional title this week.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["1343196"],"_player_evaluations_2_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"We've written about Union sharpshooter [player_tooltip player_id='1343196' first='Cedric' last='Dixon'] a few times this season and it's usually been about his growth as an overall playmaker on the offensive end of the floor. But when it comes down to it, Dixon has to be considered one of the best prospects in the state because of his ability to absolutely fill it up from beyond the arc. He's one of the best shooters in this class and the fact that the other elements of his game are beginning to take shape, makes him even more valuable as a prospect. We've seen moments where Dixon has acted like the leader of this Union team and we definitely want to see more of that moving forward. Dixon has improved quite a bit in the last 12 months.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["1367215"],"_player_evaluations_3_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"[player_tooltip player_id='1367215' first='Chiante' last='Tramble'] became a breakout star last season when he helped lead Moore all the way to the state championship game. He moved to Putnam City West in the offseason and he has the Patriots once again in a position where they are contenders heading into the playoffs. Despite a low seed because of a tough schedule, Tramble and the Patriots are one of the toughest teams in Class 6A and are going to be a tough out. Tramble is a big and physical guard that is continuing to improve in all aspects of his game. We're looking forward to seeing if Tramble can reach new heights once again now that the playoffs begin as he looks to shine bright for the second straight year in March.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["1482827"],"_player_evaluations_4_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"Caddo superstar [player_tooltip player_id='1482827' first='DJ' last='Dill'] came into this season looking to lead the Bruins back to the state tournament and to go after the gold ball. They've essentially been the favorites all season because of what he can do on the basketball court and we're looking forward to what he can do in the first weekend in March. Dill is a special talent that doesn't get talked about enough when you talk about top guards in the state's 2024 class. Dill can absolutely fill it up but what makes him special is his ability to drive to the basket. While watching him last spring and summer, Dill had multiple instances where he found angles that not many could find to get from Point A to Point B and finish at the basket.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_5_player":["1493576"],"_player_evaluations_5_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_5_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_5_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"Pocola two-sport star [player_tooltip player_id='1493578' first='Garrett' last='Scott'] might be getting the benefit of us recently seeing him in person earlier this month as he's made a big jump up the rankings and is knocking on the door of the top ten. But it's really hard to ignore what we saw with the very athletic playmaker that has an incredibly long wingspan. In the game that we watched, Scott could not miss from beyond the arc and if he starts shooting at a consistent clip from three point range, he's going to continue climbing up the rankings. Athletically, Scott reminds us a lot of Mustang standout [player_tooltip player_id='967377' first='Jacobe' last='Johnson'] and like Johnson, he might have a higher ceiling playing football but he has been really impressive on the court this year.","_player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_6_player":["1367216"],"_player_evaluations_6_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_6_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_6_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_6_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_6_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_6_evaluation":"Choctaw continues to be that dark horse in Class 6A that is just knocking on the door and we're waiting for them to kick it in. We can definitely see a path for the Yellowjackets to make a surprising run in March but the health of junior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1367216' first='Ja'Mon' last='Valentine'] will be a huge part of that. About a month ago, Valentine had to sit out during the Shawnee tournament with a lower leg injury. When Valentine is on the court, Choctaw has a very dangerous backcourt that can absolutely light it up from beyond the arc. We think that his athleticism is pretty underrated as well. But with a pretty young core, we think that Choctaw is going to be in the conversation in Class 6A again next year.","_player_evaluations_6_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_7_player":["1482825"],"_player_evaluations_7_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_7_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_7_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_7_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_7_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_7_evaluation":"Southeast is looking to make it back to the Class 5A state tournament and they are hungry for more this time around after falling in the semifinals last year. Junior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1482825' first='Ladainian' last='Fields'] is one of the best overall athletes in the state's 2024 class. In addition to being one of the top rated prospects in basketball, he's also one of the top rated prospects in football as well. The thing that has really stood out to us about Fields this season when we've seen him in person is his speed with the basketball. There are few players in the state that are faster than Fields with the ball in his hand and stay in control. Fields continues to be an intriguing prospect but he's not alone.","_player_evaluations_7_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_8_player":["1482833"],"_player_evaluations_8_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_8_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_8_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_8_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_8_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_8_evaluation":"The second part of that two-headed monster is junior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1482833' first='Micheal' last='Graham'] and just like with Fields, Graham is also a standout on the football field. And just like in football, that Graham-Fields duo has been a dangerous combination and opponents haven't found a way to slow them down quite yet. While Fields is a little more flashy with some of the things he can do on the court, Graham is a methodical point guard that seems to always make the correct play Whether it's finding the open man or setting himself up to score, Graham has been able to do it at a very high level. Graham is a fun quarterback to watch on the football field and he's been quarterbacking this Southeast basketball team as well.","_player_evaluations_8_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_9_player":["1367219"],"_player_evaluations_9_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_9_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_9_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_9_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_9_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_9_evaluation":"Carl Albert is once again in the state championship mix and we can't help but point to the emergence of their junior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1367219' first='Quincy' last='Hopkins']. Most know about senior standout [player_tooltip player_id='1211255' first='Jordan' last='England'] and he's in a lot of ways the u0022heart and soulu0022 of this Carl Albert team. But Hopkins is a terrific athlete that has taken the next step as a basketball prospect. That 1-2 punch of Hopkins and fellow 2024 standout [player_tooltip player_id='1367218' first='Jayden' last='Mott'] is going to have the Titans in contention once again next season. Hopkins has always been a terrific athlete who could jump out of the gym. But this season, his defense has really gone to the next level and his overall play on the offensive end has as well.","_player_evaluations_9_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":10,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-63f7d40dc1bdf"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->