WA Top 250-Expo: Guard Play Standing Out

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This Top 250 event brought together a ton of great players from all over the state of Washington, all into one facility to compete against each other for the day. The 5 players that I will highlight below are all individuals that stood out to me because they do SEVERAL positive things on the floor from the guard position. Each competitor was a difference maker for their perspective team on Sunday and there is just no other way to put it.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Thanks for tuning in and enjoy! </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>#266 - [player_tooltip player_id='1485657' first='Tate' last='Dawson'] - 2025 - 6'1 - PG - Eastwood Catholic High School</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1485657' first='Tate' last='Dawson'] is a strong Willed PG that makes his presence known on each possession because of his physical demeanor when he is coming down the court. Dawson is a fundamental player of the game and that helps him in the majority of situations he comes across out there. I would say the best way to describe his game is simple but consistent. He understands his mismatches to a T and exploits them at every opportunity. If he gets a switch onto a smaller guard near the hoop, it usually ends in a bucket at the rim and if he has a bigger post player step out, he can slice them up for an easy take off the dribble. At this Top 250 Expo, Dawson stood out in a lot of positive ways at the Point position.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>#230 - [player_tooltip player_id='2200784' first='Kevin' last='Richardson Jr.'] - 2024 - 6'1 - PG/SG - Garfield High School</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of the best PG I saw on the entire day was [player_tooltip player_id='2200784' first='Kevin' last='Richardson Jr.'] Richardson was attacking his opponent going both directions, handling the offense at an impressive rate while getting his teammates in the right positions, scoring at all three levels off of his pull-up shooting ability, and he was a major creator each time he drove to the basket. Richardson is a pure scorer and you can tell that but he would choose to assist others and those are the best type of PG's out there. I'm sure he has some college interest and I'm curious to see where he may end up after his high school career but for now, he is locked in on this upcoming season at Garfield High School.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>#227 - [player_tooltip player_id='1450994' first='Dylan' last='Gilderhus'] - 2025 - 6'0 - PG - Rogers High School</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Someone that is going to do what the coach asked, while being skilled in most facets of the game at the PG position is [player_tooltip player_id='1450994' first='Dylan' last='Gilderhus']. Gilderhus is a guard that isn't going to blow you away with crazy moves or flashy highlights but with effiecientcy and fundamentals. He gets his players set up, uses screens to move action around the perimeter, and can handle pressure when someone wants to pick him up in the full court. This is another PG that I would not mind coaching myself. He is good at listening, understands the teams objective and is a good teammate. This is all needed out of someone that is looked on as a leader by the other around him. All in all, good showing for Gilderhus at this event. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>#239 - [player_tooltip player_id='1631549' first='Shale' last='Smith'] - 2025 - 6'1 - SG - Roosevelt High School</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1631549' first='Shale' last='Smith'] is a lefty that can shoot the leather off of the basketball. He is always ready to catch on the perimeter and let it fly from deep in both transition and the half-court game. When a defender over-plays his first pump fake, Smith does a good job of displaying a solid handle. He can get to other spots on the floor that are more comfortable for him to score at and it's pretty impressive to watch. At this event, Smith went nuts from deep in almost every contest he participated in and I expect that to translate to the high school floor this winter at Roosevelt. A shooter with this ability, used in the right system with other guards who can create, can be very dangerous in late game situations. There is no doubt about that. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->