Who is the Best Point Guard in Philly?: 2023 Front-runners

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Philadelphia area is always loaded with lead guards and the 2023 class is no different. Other than the letter B, these five candidates for best PGs in the area have one thing in common: they absolutely run their teams. Here are there cases for the top spot:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='991339' first='Rahmir' last='Barno'] | 6'0 Imhotep</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Battled tested and running the show for one of the most well regarded programs in the country, Rah is excelling on a national stage. He won tournament MVP at City of Palms in December as the Panthers beat teams that featured guard prospects ranked ahead of him. He averaged 15.5 points, 4 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 2.8 steals with his game-breaking speed. Headed to Florida Gulf Coast in the fall, Barno still has the chance to add to his trophy case with public league, district 5A, and state titles to contend for.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1116019' first='Dylan' last='Blair'] | 5'10 Downingtown West</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Blair is the prodigal hometown hero and coach's son leading the Whippets. Averaging over 20 points as a senior, he already surpassed the 1000 career points marker as a junior and is the school's all-time leading scorer. Equally as important, DWest was first place in the 21-22 Ches-Mont regular season and they're in first place again this year. Dylan is pound-for-pound one of the strongest and most athletic players in the area. Don't be surprised if/when the Army-signee captains DWest to the Ches-Mont title and make a run in 6A playoffs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='991334' first='Xzayvier' last='Brown'] | 6'2 G [player_tooltip player_id='991334' first='Xzayvier' last='Brown']</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Starting at Roman for 4 straight years is no small feat. Neither is making it to three straight PCL final fours with two title appearances, plus 6A state chip in 2022. X has proven that he can excel no matter what role he's asked to fulfill. As a junior, he had to set the table for everyone else. Now, as a senior, Brown facilitates and leads the Cahilites in scoring with 16.8 points, 5.5 assists, and 1.6 steals in league-play. He's the consummate winner who gives Roman the potential to get over the hump and bring the PCL title back to N. Broad St, before taking his talents to SJU.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1121735' first='Adam' last='“Budd” Clark'] | 5'10 West Catholic</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Budd isn't the flashy scorer or wizard passer that some of his peers are. But he is the point guard you go to war with (not against) when facing those guys. The future Coppin State Eagle put up 17.2 points, 5.6 rebounds, 4.4 assists, and 4 steals in the Burrs first 8 PCL games this season. His team needed more shooting this year, so, having improved tremendously since arriving at West Catholic as a sophomore, Budd is up to 40% on threes. After steering his team to a PCL final four in 2022, the floor general hopes to take them the distance this time around.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='991383' first='Mark' last='Butler'] | 6'0 Penn Charter</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In recent memory, you couldn't talk about Quakers hoops without mentioning Lafayette-signee [player_tooltip player_id='991383' first='Mark' last='Butler']. That's because he's been a pillar in that program since he was in 8th grade. He went from taking his lumps against players 4 years older than him to virtually not having a sophomore season due to COVID to winning Inter-Ac MVP as a junior. Mark eclipsed 1000 career points back in December and has PC tied for first in the league with several big non-league wins. This could be the season they win the Inter-Ac outright and he earns back-to-back MVPs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I love all of these guys and there are others who you could make the case for. Follow me on IG/Twitter @ CGraham_Sports for more hoops coverage.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->