Hoop Life: 2026 PG/CG Standouts

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On July 29th I attended the&nbsp;<em>Hoopers On1y</em>&nbsp;<strong>Hoop Life</strong>&nbsp;tournament located at the Phhacility and the Kroc Center in Phx, AZ.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I focused most of my attention on the younger groups of 15 and 16U but saw a couple 17U games.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Here were the sophomore PG and CG standouts that caught my eye:</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2108812' first='Isaiah' last='Ballard'] Sunrise Mountain (AZ AIR)&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A newcomer for me can score, defend and make plays. He will hit the catch three in bunches, get to the basket with some toughness and is a very good passer. He plays the passing lanes on defense to collect steals and plays a good brand of ball. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1323293' first='Tory' last='Gholston'] Coolidge (ODG Elite)</strong> <strong>(Pictured)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A very fast scoring point guard missed all of last year and is back looking to make a name for himself. I last saw him in 8th grade and he is quick and skilled. He is very fast on defense with quick hands. He can shoot the three off the catch and blow past his defenders to get to the rim.  </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1754265' first='Kaleb' last='Seow'] Basha (AZ Pelicans 16)&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A high IQ combo guard has a good feel for the game with decent size. He will throw up the court passes to teammates and often drive and kick it. He can hit the catch three with huge confidence and will score on driving layups.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1951728' first='Zachary' last='Jiggens'] EVAC (Hunters Elite 16) </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Another newcomer for me is a strong upper bodied, pure point guard. He is a dimer up the court, drive and kicks and moves the ball to make it very easy for his teammates to play with him. He makes passes with either hand looking normal.&nbsp;He uses his sturdy frame and a burst of speed to get downhill. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2107253' first='Seth' last='McKnight'] Chandler (AZ Gremlins Grey 16)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>An undersized pure point guard with a high feel for the game. He is constantly looking up and trying to facilitate. He sees the game quickly and will throw the pass to a teammate. He can shoot perimeter jumpers, get to the paint and is quick on the ball defensively. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1768200' first='Alex' last='Brown'] Hamilton (AZ Gremlins Green 16)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A true combo guard can score and pass it. He will hit teammates in stride and move the ball when needed but he is a natural scorer. He can rise up from mid-range with high elevation, hit the catch three and then throw a live dribble pass to a teammate. He will rebound and block a shot occasionally with his recent growth spurt of about two inches. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1768201' first='Paxton' last='Tamylin'] Hamilton (AZ Gremlins Green 16)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A scoring point guard seems to be improving quickly. He is improving as a shooter and can hesitate and get to the basket and use his left or right hand. He will hit the corner three and his a nice pull-up and is not afraid to finish versus taller players on the break. The ball gets out of his hands quickly and he passes it ahead in stride. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1776603' first='Diego' last='Gonzales'] Hamilton (AZ Gremlins Green 16)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A long combo guard with good size runs the court and will change speeds. He is a good passer and plays the right way. He will constantly make the extra pass but definitely can score. He has a polished floater game, he is competitive to rebound and will hit jumpers from the outside. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2107122' first='Sami' last='Sibai'] Notre Dame Prep (Mission Athletics 16)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A pure point guard with good speed and has a super tight handle with a burst. He uses his left and right hand to throw a pass and will often drive and kick it to a shooter. He has the floater game and is a crafty scorer in the paint. He uses a shifty handle to create separation and has quick hands and feet to pick some pockets of the opposing defenses. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Jayden Perez PG 5'5 2026 Chandler&nbsp;(AZ Gremlins Grey 16)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>An undersized very quick true facilitator. His eyes are up literally all game long. He is a pick and roll wizard and throws the pass perfectly in stride seemingly every time down the court. He may have had close to 10 assists in the game I viewed and plays the game with confidence despite his size. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->