Grassroots Roundup: 2027 Guards

Nikolov is a smooth shooter who normally does his damage from beyond the arc. It was his ability to put the ball on the deck and score that made him tough to stop this week. The shooting guard has good size which allowed him to raise up and knock down shots over defenders.

White was one of the top passers I saw on the weekend. The lefty PG displayed tremendous breakdown ability, using a strong handle and a good wiggle, to free himself from defenders. Once in the lane, he made quick reads, hitting pull up jumpers, or dropping dimes to teammates.

Ewell is going to be a part of a lot of winning wherever he ends up playing high school basketball. The combo guard does all of the little things necessary to win, and some of the big ones as well. Defensively he’s a terror, capable of getting steals by jumping the passing lanes, or on ball thefts. In addition to his effort and energy, he is a good playmaker, with vision and timing on his passes.

Reyes was a problem. The highly skilled guard went to work for his Drive Elite squad in the semifinal game I saw. He has a nifty handle, and he used it to shake free from opponents. His outside shooting was cool, but it was his tough shot making that had the opposing coach pleading with his team to stop him. Reyes, made several in traffic contested layups, and was the best player on the floor in a game his team lost.

I don’t think I saw a faster player with the ball in his hand then Johnson. he was pretty fast without it at well. The PG used his blinding speed on both ends of the floor, jumping passing lanes on the defensive end, and getting to the rack quickly on the offensive end. The PG helped lead Vegas Elite to the 14U title.

Price is a high IQ player that helps his team by not hurting it. His versatility doesn’t hurt either, as he showed that he’s able to play both backcourt spots effectively. The PG was able to knock down his share of threes, and initiated the offense from the one for a good portion of the game.

Caught Roebuck during the Addidas Ultimate Club Championships. The guard is a natural scorer that has all the moves. His ability to create and handle is impressive enough, but when you throw in his size, he’s a problem. He’s efficient with the bounce, displaying the ability to get to the rim using only a handful of dribbles or less.

Alston has the type of game that makes you stop and watch. The PG keeps the ball on a string, with the ability to navigate traffic like an uber driver on a busy New York City street. He’s a willing passer, with the ability to make the fundamental dish as easy as the fancy.

Had to get Williams some love. I always believe you can tell a lot about a player, by how well he plays when it’s not going well. Despite his UH Elite team losing he continued to compete, displaying one of the best shooting strokes I saw during the Las Vegas Junior Big Time.