Hustle Region Classic – 17U Top Combo Guards (Part II)

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Hustle Region Classic featured plenty of competition in the 17U division. There was a deep group of combo guards in the house, some of whom really put up some impressive numbers over the weekend. Here's part 2 of 2 of the top ones we watched on Saturday and Sunday.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1219802' first='Andre'' last='Austin'], Pack 2024 (2025 Bismarck) </strong>- Austin had a mission practically every time he had the basketball - get to the hoop. The rising junior guard not only was successful most of the time, he was able to either get a bucket or get fouled and go to the line. Austin didn't just hog the ball either as he also looked for open teammates, oftentimes kicking it out for open threes. Defensively, Austin was engaged as well. One coach in attendance made the comment that it wouldn't be surprising to see the combo guard eventually end up at the Division I level.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1110570' first='Chance' last='White'], More Than Hoop 2024 (2024 Roosevelt) </strong>- In a couple of games, White was unstoppable offensively and seemingly did whatever he wanted to when he had the ball, whether it was nail step-back jumpers all the way out past the three-point line or get to the hoop for a score, get fouled, or do both. The rising senior had one of the quickest first steps in the event and even when defenders knew he would go right, White would still get past them.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1612207' first='Amari' last='Harris'], BDH Elite 2024 (2024 Franklin)</strong> - Well-build physically, Harris certainly used that to his advantage during the Hustle Region Classic. The 6-foot-1 rising senior powerfully got past defenders off the dribble and got buckets in acrobatic ways around the hoop. He shot the ball well from the perimeter and was on the lookout for when to get teammates involved.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1379047' first='Keenan' last='Reckamp'], Players Only 16U (2025 Southridge) </strong>- Solid and steady was perhaps the best way to describe Reckamp. He showed a good feel for the game and constantly made good decisions with his ball-handling and passing. He hit open shots and when he was fouled, was absolute money from the free throw line.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Islam Muzaffarov, Team Progress 2024 (2025 Century)</strong> - Muzaffarov had one of the higher motors in the entire event. He was constantly on the attack offensively and fearlessly drove into the lane and absorbed a ton of contact from bigger players. Defensively, he was constantly moving and trying to make a play.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1577954' first='Braydon' last='Jacob'], CP Magic 2024 (2024 Lutheran) </strong>- We were quite impressed with Jacob's toughness as a lead guard. He made good decisions on when to move the ball or make his own move offensively, whether that was bombing away from the outside or getting into the lane and finishing with the floater. Jacob was a solid ball-handler and kept mistakes to a minimum.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1511340' first='Will' last='Susak'], ProTech (2024 Cleveland)</strong> - Susak is one of those players that consistently plays bigger than his size and he didn't back down from anyone at the event. He consistently battled bigger players down low for rebounds and got some tough buckets over them as well. The lefty wasn't afraid to get fouled and converted opportunities at the free throw line.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1450943' first='Julian' last='Ibarra'], BDH Elite 2024 (2024 Quincy)</strong> - Ibarra had a solid weekend, not only shooting and scoring the ball but also passed the rock well and made an impression with his motor. He was aggressive on the defensive end and wasn't afraid to take the charge down low.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Trent Boothby, Team RIZE 2024 Elite (2024 Whitney)</strong> - A big guard - not just in height at 6-foot-4 but also with his strength - Boothby was tough for defenders to handle getting to the hoop where the lefty made some hard-earned buckets or found teammates on the pass. He was a physical defender as well.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Jorrdyn Evens, Starts With U (2023 Centennial)</strong> - During the one game we watched of his team, seemingly every couple of possessions Evens was making a play. The unsigned senior guard was a crafty scorer, whether it was hitting an open shot or dribbling around defenders to get an easy bucket.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Deshawn Gaston, Team Progress 2024 (2023 Jesuit)</strong> - Known as a defensive specialist in high school, Gaston certainly played lockdown D but also showed some offensive punch over the weekend by using his quickness and athleticism to get to the hoop for some scores.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->