PHN Nationals: Standout Guards

All roads led to the lovely Hyvee Arena in Kansas City. Programs from across the country showed up and showed out. It is safe to say teams that were cooking and competing at a high level in every bracket. The energy on the sideline and in the stands were second to none in an electric environment, teams fought tooth and nail for Championship honors. It was hard to highlight only a handful out of so many impressive prospects competing this weekend but here is my “Standout Guards” who competed in Prep Hoops Next Nationals.    There were only a handful of lead guards I saw who were an extension of their coach while on the floor, and [player_tooltip player_id='2419994' first='Carter' last='Cupito'] was one of them. Directing teammates and dictating the pace of the game. His possession management was highly graded In my eyes, and his shot selection followed suit. The JSizzle guard is adept at shot fakes and pass fakes, which kept his opponent off balance. His discipline to play off of two feet allowed him to have a lot of options after picking the ball up. His attacks off the catch were quick and concise, and he shined his brightest pulling up in the mid-range area. His extended range was on display in spurts when he was off the ball. Carter was a threat offensively mostly to do with the various ways he sustainably affected the game.     Langdeau is one of the most surprising top performers of the Prep Hoops Next Nationals as he is playing with 2029's as a 2030 prospect. RC Select is a talented group who plays together on both ends, but Jackson stood out as a lights-out shooter and high IQ player. Rhythm and pace is an easy way to characterize his approach on the offensive end of the floor. He covered a lot of ground when driving the paint and completed his attacks with euro-steps and floaters even among much taller players. His bread and butter was his ability to stretch defenses and shoot the lights out from beyond the three-point line. The games seemed to slow down for him a great deal in moments when he got hot, as on day 3 he scored 17 points in one half of play. I am intrigued to see this kid improve in the coming years.     Hood is a well aware guard who saw the game one step ahead at Prep Hoop Next Nationals. Running with a stacked team in Arnold Elite, Cameron starred in his role as an off-guard and secondary playmaker. Arnold Elite (Nationals) benefited greatly from his ability to catch and fire shots with great arc and balance when teams showed zone coverage. His off-ball movement complimented the playmakers around him on the floor, he found himself open and hit shots well beyond the three point line with ease. The sniper from range served his team as a decoy at times, as a marked shooter his opposition could not leave and help on drives. His activity flowed over to the defensive end as he showed quick feet when defending ball handlers. His pursuit of the ball really stood out and his discipline when contesting shots caused long misses that resulted in leak out layups in transition.     Mains is a high IQ prospect who showed consistent performances for Arnold Elite (National) at the Prep Hoops Next Nationals. Playing alongside a number of solid guards, he proved to be a standout in my eyes for various reasons. Finding a weakness in his game was a tough thing to do as he made the most of each possession I saw him be a part of. As a ball handler, he proved to be an accurate passer who always had his eyes up to see the entire floor. He also kept his dribble alive and rarely put himself in disadvantaged positioning on the floor. When off the ball, his movement was prolific, he drifted and lifted in a timely manner which resulted in advantage drives to the rim and rhythm jump shots. As a shooter, he has a flush release that allows him to be efficient from beyond the arc. Mains has a well balanced approach to the game that will help him a lot during his development.

All roads led to the lovely Hyvee Arena in Kansas City. Programs from across the country showed up and showed out. It is safe to say teams that were cooking and competing at a high level in every bracket. The energy on the sideline and in the stands were second to none in an electric environment, teams fought tooth and nail for Championship honors. It was hard to highlight only a handful out of so many impressive prospects competing this weekend but here is my “Standout Guards” who competed in Prep Hoops Next Nationals.