5A Bert Borgmann Region: Guards to Watch

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1137808' first='Noah' last='Hellem'] - Air Academy</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1137808' first='Noah' last='Hellem'] has had a big stock-boosting season proving himself to be one of the top shooters in the state. Noah is a shorter, bulky shooting guard who can change games with his scoring abilities. Moving off of the ball, he is hard to keep up with due to his tight screen navigation and the ability to fake out defenders by changing his momentum quickly. He has always been known as a good catch-and-shoot shooter but has improved his scoring variety by attacking closeouts to get downhill or for mid-range jumpers. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1137823' first='Maurice' last='Austin'] - Pueblo South</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1137823' first='Maurice' last='Austin'] has had a great junior season joining the 1,000 point club and leading his team to go undefeated in the South Central League. Maurice has been seeing many teams face-guard him or double-team him, this has forced him to become a better scorer without the ball in his hands as he has to work hard to get open. On the defensive end, he uses active hands to deflect passes and poke away the ball from ballhandlers. Maurice plays perfectly in Pueblo South's push-the-pace style of play as he can drop full-court dimes or run the fastbreak himself where he uses elite quickness to get to the rim.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1284469' first='Finn' last='Horsfall'] - Air Academy</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1284469' first='Finn' last='Horsfall'] is the definition of a team-first player as he does all the little things on the court. He does a great job of affecting the game even when he is not on the court, as he can be seen on the bench celebrating his teammates. Finn is also a player who dives on the floor for loose balls and does not mind chasing down rebounds. He does a good job on the defensive end using his length to disrupt opponents' rhythm. The lefty is a solid spot-up shooter and on the offensive end makes the right passes.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1577932' first='Alante' last='Monroe-Elazier'] - Vista PEAK Prep</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1577932' first='Alante' last='Monroe-Elazier'] is a shooting guard who uses elite balance to finish tough shots around the rim. Alante is a smooth player who uses euro steps to get around help defenders. He has improved his scoring from the post allowing him to make tough turn-around jumpers over smaller guards. Alante has good instincts moving without the ball in his hands and especially on the fastbreak where he does a good job of finding open lanes.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1764311' first='Blake' last='Weslin'] - Green Mountain</strong> </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1764311' first='Blake' last='Weslin'] has been a swiss army knife guard for Green Mountain doing a bit of everything for his squad. Blake has good size for a guard standing at 6'2 and is a good athlete giving him an advantage over many guards. He does a good job of attacking closeouts to get downhill. Around the rim, he has a soft touch on floaters which he often goes to, and can make his floaters from a variety of angles. Blake has also been a very good rebounder from the guard spot. Blake is having a stock-boosting junior season and is one to keep an eye on.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->