PHI Freshman Showcase: Parham's Top Guards

Here is a look at the top guards' prospects from this weekend's Freshman Showcase in Aurora.   [player_tooltip player_id='2125677' first='Reggie' last='Stevens'] (St. Laurence) 6'2 Stevens is a versatile guard who showed great promise from scoring on the inside and on the perimeter. From deep he has really good shooting mechanics as he was seen knocking down plenty of shots throughout the day. What I like about Reggie is his body control when driving to the rim. He can make difficult shots look routine. Can be a varsity contributor this season. Ryan Hendricks (Audubon WI.) 5'5  Ryan is living proof that size doesn't matter. He's a very quick guard has his eyes up at all times and sees the floor dishing out several assists from the lead guard spot. Off the bounce he is shifty and can get in the lane anytime he wants with his first step. When defenders didn't want to get beat Hendricks shot the ball from three at a very consistent clip. The lefty from Wisconsin will be one to watch down the line. [player_tooltip player_id='2125645' first='Jayden' last='Newell'] (Simeon) 5'11 Jayden caught my eye with his passing mechanics, he gets the ball up the court quick with tight zips on his passes. His eyes are always up and likes to break guys down to set up teammates the way a PG should play in my opinion. Newell is a good lefty shooter with a strong understanding of taking good and bad shots. [player_tooltip player_id='2125615' first='Dion' last='Lane'] (Evanston) 6'0 Dion is fun to watch as a bigger guard as he beat guys with his handle and shifty crossover. Lane can score from all three levels and is tough because he scores with either hand. What makes Dion intriguing is his second gear with his blow-by speed after he beats the on-ball defender. His shot looked good and can be a dependable passer to corner spot shooters. [player_tooltip player_id='2323606' first='Asa' last='Harris'] (Homewood Flossmoor) 5'7 Another player who kept turning heads all day even on a loaded squad. Harris looked the part with a solid shooting stroke. He made shots from three and mid-range. On drives to the rim, Asa looks good getting in the lane hitting floaters over bigger players. An underrated aspect of his game is how tough an on-ball defender he is. His pressure made several guys mishandle the ball. Will be a good one to track in the South Suburbs. [player_tooltip player_id='2125597' first='Christopher' last='Chittaro'] (St. Ignatius) 6'0 Christopher is an excellent spot-up shooter that ran off 4 threes in the game I watched.  Chittaro gets his feet set quickly and has his eyes locked on the rim. Christopher will be a good catch-and-shoot guy for Ignatius in the future. [player_tooltip player_id='2125625' first='Edward' last='Humes IV'] (Fenwick)  5'5 Humes may be the smallest player here but he controls the pace of the game. I caught him scoring back-to-back floaters in the lane mostly off fastbreak plays. Edward moves the ball well between teammates and often made the right decision in the half-court plays. [player_tooltip player_id='1874813' first='Jayden' last='Taylor'] (Perspectives Leadership)  5'10 Jayden is a strong lead guard. He made some sound basketball plays in the first game. Taylor did a good job at distributing the ball to his shooters and hitting guys slashing to the rim. As a scorer he was able to get in the lane and scored off floaters and runners. Jayden is an excellent shooter off the ball and can extend his range as he adds strength. [player_tooltip player_id='2125613' first='Dillon' last='Pompey'] (Evanston)  5'10 Dillon is small but crafty in the lane as he made several tough baskets using a short euro-step move to score in the lane. But what is more appealing is his shooting from three. He gets good spacing to get his shot off. Pompey seems to be in line to be another good guard from Evanston. [player_tooltip player_id='2125619' first='Dshaun' last='Bolden'] (Oswego East) Lanky two-way guard that played the role of a forward at times. Dshaun rebounds well, showed good hands around the rim, and just blocked shots. Nojus Veckus (Lockport) 6'0 One-half of the twin brothers was often seen making play after play. Nojus is a slick scoring guard. When Veckus played defense he did a good job at getting steals from playing the passing lanes. A very skilled player who has a nice-looking shot and isn't afraid to muck it up for a rebound.

Here is a look at the top guards' prospects from this weekend's Freshman Showcase in Aurora.

Reggie Stevens Reggie Stevens 6'1" | PG/CG St. Laurence | 2027 State IL (St. Laurence) 6'2
Stevens is a versatile guard who showed great promise from scoring on the inside and on the perimeter. From deep he has really good shooting mechanics as he was seen knocking down plenty of shots throughout the day. What I like about Reggie is his body control when driving to the rim. He can make difficult shots look routine. Can be a varsity contributor this season.

Ryan Hendricks (Audubon WI.) 5'5
Ryan is living proof that size doesn't matter. He's a very quick guard has his eyes up at all times and sees the floor dishing out several assists from the lead guard spot. Off the bounce he is shifty and can get in the lane anytime he wants with his first step. When defenders didn't want to get beat Hendricks shot the ball from three at a very consistent clip. The lefty from Wisconsin will be one to watch down the line.

Jayden Newell Jayden Newell 5'11" Simeon | 2027 IL (Simeon) 5'11
Jayden caught my eye with his passing mechanics, he gets the ball up the court quick with tight zips on his passes. His eyes are always up and likes to break guys down to set up teammates the way a PG should play in my opinion. Newell is a good lefty shooter with a strong understanding of taking good and bad shots.

Dion Lane Dion Lane 5'10" Evanston Township | 2027 IL (Evanston) 6'0
Dion is fun to watch as a bigger guard as he beat guys with his handle and shifty crossover. Lane can score from all three levels and is tough because he scores with either hand. What makes Dion intriguing is his second gear with his blow-by speed after he beats the on-ball defender. His shot looked good and can be a dependable passer to corner spot shooters.

Asa Harris Asa Harris 5'10" | PG Leo | 2027 State IL (Homewood Flossmoor) 5'7
Another player who kept turning heads all day even on a loaded squad. Harris looked the part with a solid shooting stroke. He made shots from three and mid-range. On drives to the rim, Asa looks good getting in the lane hitting floaters over bigger players. An underrated aspect of his game is how tough an on-ball defender he is. His pressure made several guys mishandle the ball. Will be a good one to track in the South Suburbs.

Christopher Chittaro Christopher Chittaro 6'2" | PG Saint Ignatius | 2027 State IL (St. Ignatius) 6'0
Christopher is an excellent spot-up shooter that ran off 4 threes in the game I watched. Chittaro gets his feet set quickly and has his eyes locked on the rim. Christopher will be a good catch-and-shoot guy for Ignatius in the future.

Edward Humes IV Edward Humes IV 5'2" Fenwick | 2027 IL (Fenwick) 5'5
Humes may be the smallest player here but he controls the pace of the game. I caught him scoring back-to-back floaters in the lane mostly off fastbreak plays. Edward moves the ball well between teammates and often made the right decision in the half-court plays.

Jayden Taylor Jayden Taylor 5'10" | PG Fenger | 2027 State IL (Perspectives Leadership) 5'10
Jayden is a strong lead guard. He made some sound basketball plays in the first game. Taylor did a good job at distributing the ball to his shooters and hitting guys slashing to the rim. As a scorer he was able to get in the lane and scored off floaters and runners. Jayden is an excellent shooter off the ball and can extend his range as he adds strength.

Dillon Pompey Dillon Pompey 5'9" Evanston | 2027 IL (Evanston) 5'10
Dillon is small but crafty in the lane as he made several tough baskets using a short euro-step move to score in the lane. But what is more appealing is his shooting from three. He gets good spacing to get his shot off. Pompey seems to be in line to be another good guard from Evanston.

Dshaun Bolden Dshaun Bolden 6'4" | SF Oswego East | 2027 State IL (Oswego East)
Lanky two-way guard that played the role of a forward at times. Dshaun rebounds well, showed good hands around the rim, and just blocked shots.

Nojus Veckus (Lockport) 6'0
One-half of the twin brothers was often seen making play after play. Nojus is a slick scoring guard. When Veckus played defense he did a good job at getting steals from playing the passing lanes. A very skilled player who has a nice-looking shot and isn't afraid to muck it up for a rebound.