Updated 2024 Rankings: Guards (5-1)

We recently updated our 2024 class rankings for Virginia heading into the season, and we have a lot of new faces and movement in the class. Heading into their senior year, we have a good understanding of this class and the depth of talent. However, there will always be omissions and debates regarding placement among the rankings.   Here's a look at the top 5 point and combo guards in the rankings.   5) [player_tooltip player_id='1759699' first='Kamren' last='Martin'] | 6'4” CG | Blue Ridge (#14 Overall)   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/02/Martin-Kamren.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/02/Martin-Kamren.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-1777527" /></a></figure>   Martin, who recently committed to Long Beach State in California, emerged last season as one of the top guards in the state helping lead Blue Ridge to a spot in the VISAA D1 Final Four. Martin has a lot of qualities that will translate well to the next level, as he has fantastic size and is a good athlete at the guard position and he is an all-around guard who can impact the game on both ends of the floor. He is a fluid athlete with good size and explosion, he plays very hard on both ends of the floor and uses his size to get deflections and he is a talented shot maker from multiple levels off the bounce.   4) [player_tooltip player_id='1489063' first='Brandon' last='Jennings'] | 6'4” PG | St. Chris (#13 Overall)   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/Jennings-Brandon-Loaded.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/Jennings-Brandon-Loaded.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-1978328" /></a></figure>   Jennings emerged over the past few years as the best prospect in the Richmond area in the 2024 class, as he is a winning style floor general who can run the show and impact the game across the board, and recently chose to stay home and attend VCU. At 6'4” he has great length with a 7'2” wingspan and a high IQ with great instincts defensively to get deflections and pick the pocket of ball handlers when guarding the ball. He plays with great pace and sees the floor well, with the ability to deliver passes on the money to shooters and cutters. He changes speeds well to get in the lane where he's a good finisher, he's able to drill it from deep off the catch when he's left open and he's a good rebounder for his position as well.   3) [player_tooltip player_id='1259542' first='Ben' last='Hammond'] | 5'10” PG | Paul VI (#10 Overall)   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/12/Screen-Shot-2022-12-12-at-5.48.45-PM.png"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/12/Screen-Shot-2022-12-12-at-5.48.45-PM.png?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-1692760" /></a></figure>   Hammond has been an integral part of this PVI team that has been one of the best in the country, and really took the reigns as their floor general over the past few years, earning him quite a few offers before choosing to attend Rhode Island in the A10. While he isn't the biggest player on the floor, he follows a long line of talented guards from the DMV and particularly PVI, who have shown that they can impact the game at the highest level despite being on the smaller side. Hammond has blazing speed in transition and a great burst to be able to get in the lane and put pressure on the defense, and he is particularly good in pick-and-roll and dribble hand offs with his ability to turn the corner. He's an absolute pest defensively who can get under ball handlers and make them uncomfortable, he has great vision and makes the right play consistently and he's improved in his ability to make shots off the bounce to keep defenses honest and not play him for the pass.   2) [player_tooltip player_id='1131770' first='Christian' last='Anderson'] | 6'0” PG | Oak Hill Academy (#6 Overall)   Anderson is one of a number of impressive additions to Oak Hill this year that will make them a national contender yet again in Coach Yerrick Stoneman's second season, as the Georgia native and Michigan commit will be one of the top guards in the NIBC this year. Anderson was one of the best guards in the loaded Atlanta public school leagues over the past few years, with his ability to impact the game as a dual threat who can both score it and make others better around him. He's the type of floor general who is always under control and never gets sped up, and he has the IQ and savvy to get his team in the right sets and coach his teammates up to make the right decision and be in the right place. He's a talented scorer off the bounce with deep range and a great middle game, he consistently makes the right decision with the ball in his hands, he knows when to take over as a scorer and he's a heady defender who makes big plays defensively when his team needs him to   1) [player_tooltip player_id='2232329' first='Bryson' last='Tucker'] | 6'6” CG | Bishop O'Connell (#1 Overall)   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/Tucker-Bryson.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/Tucker-Bryson.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-2243769" /></a></figure>   Tucker transfers into the WCAC at Bishop O'Connell as one of the best prospects in the country, and he's already on 2025 draft boards as a potential first round pick depending on the route he decides when he graduates. Tucker's the type of player whose game is more tailor made for the professional level than it is for the high school level, as he has a mix of size, athleticism and savvy that makes him so impressive as a pro prospect. He's deadly in the midrange and knows how to work against mismatches, whether it's getting to spots to rise over smaller defenders off the bounce or posting other guards and being able to hit fall-aways consistently. He has great size and is a good athlete when he gets out in transition or when he gets downhill, he has great instincts on the defensive end, he's a talented playmaker who can make others better and he thinks the game in ways that many of even the best players at this level don't have the capacity to do.

We recently updated our 2024 class rankings for Virginia heading into the season, and we have a lot of new faces and movement in the class. Heading into their senior year, we have a good understanding of this class and the depth of talent. However, there will always be omissions and debates regarding placement among the rankings.