Senior Sensations: Top 2023 Guards from Winter – Guard Play Pt. 2

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Second batch! The guys know how to cook. Get a read on VT's best 2023 guards from the winter season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Tavarius Vance, 6'2 G/W - Spaulding High School</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In Tavarius you have someone who plays with a great sense of pace. Vance plays with control and timing, able to create space and get to his spots with smart changes of speed and direction, both on the ball and off. In doing so, he has the ability to knock down jumpers or explode and get to the cup. Plus, he's a timely passer who sees cuts + screens developing. And defensively, he's all there. Tavarius has a strong frame, good anticipation, and the athleticism to stick to guys' hips. The swingman glues everything together and has scoring outbursts to go with.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1578570' first='Noah' last='Earl'], 6'2 G/W - BFA St. Albans </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of the first things that jumps out at me with Noah is his athleticism and slashing. Earl has the quickness to pressure guards and wings and disrupt passing lanes without taking himself out of the play. Plus, he has verticality to rebound amongst the trees, and when he comes down with it, he's an explosive playmaker in transition. Then in the offensive halfcourt, he gets to the rim quickly off of 1-2 dribbles and makes plays in the second layer. Plus, his 3-point shooting is the perfect complement to that slashing. Earl can play.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Adam Bilodeau, 6'2 G/W - Rice Memorial High School</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I really like Adam's versatility on both sides of the ball. Offensively, he's comfortable occupying numerous spots on the floor. He posts up smaller guards and finishes strongly at the rim. Plus, he has good off-ball movement on the perimeter, moving into slots for 3s or catching and ripping to get inside the paint. He also facilitates and can serve as a PG. And on the defensive end, he's just as versatile. Adam hounds ballhandlers with his length and agility and defends 2s and 3s with strength and physicality. Bilodeau's game is well-rounded and his work ethic top tier. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Evan Dennis, 6'3 G/W - Blue Mountain School</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Evan completely embodies the point forward position. With his height and physical nature, he's fully capable of banging down low defensively and reeling in boards, plus he's comfortable defending guys on the wing as well. Yet once he rebounds the rock, he's a playmaker. Dennis has the vision, strength, and skill to spray passes all over the floor, both in the halfcourt and transition setting. Moreover, Evan can fill it up with his smooth stroke and strong slashing. Intrinsically, Evan is a point forward who makes everyone around him better. So solid. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Ryan Sweet, 6'1 G - South Burlington High School</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hyper-efficient and aware, Ryan has a feel that's hard to teach. The combo-guard is strong at both the point and the 2 slot with his court vision and high-IQ. A natural facilitator, Sweet creates offense with his savvy passing and slashing, plus he can knock down the 3 off the catch. And defensively, he guards 1-3 and disrupts offenses with his keen anticipation and quickness. Moreover, he plays bigger than he is, reeling in boards and tracking down loose balls. Ryan glues teams together and does the dirty work; his game is easy to like. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Eli Pockette, 6'1 PG - Rutland High School</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Even with defenses locked in against him, Eli found a way to consistently make plays. The southpaw is a certified 3-level scorer with his savvy slashing, pogo-stick pull-ups in the mid-range, and crisp 3 shooting. Moreover, he draws a ton of attention, and he does a nice job balancing his scoring with facilitation. Eli threads passes out of ball screens, feeds the post, hits guys crosscourt with skip passes, the list goes on. Then defensively, he brings the energy and pressure required of Rutland guards. Pockette does it all. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Owen Pinaud, 5'11 PG - Mount Mansfield Union High School</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Gritty and clinical, Pinaud does the dirty work and all the little things as a PG. Owen wears ballhandlers down with his constant ball pressure; his footwork + agility allow him to hang with basically everyone at the 1. Moreover, he's a coach on the floor with his communication on both ends. Offensively, Owen orchestrates the offense to a tee. He reads defenses well, sets guys up, and goes to work. He's is a crisp passer who works mismatches, plus he can score it himself with strong slashing and 3s off the catch. Simply put, Pinaud grinds and makes the basketball play. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Cooper Brueck, 6'1 G/W - North Country Union High School</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Cooper is known for his two-way talent and tenacity. First and foremost, his defensive chops stand out. The kid is a hawk; Cooper is always affecting plays with his timely help defense, his disruption of passing lanes, and his toughness on the ball. Moreover, he rebounds the rock at a high clip and knows how to make plays in transition. Then in the halfcourt offensively, Brueck plays well off ball. Off the catch he makes quick drives for finishes, dump passes, and paint touches to collapse the defense and work it. And if a defender sags off, he can hit the three. Brueck's hustle and competitiveness shine through. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->