Puma 2026 PG/CG Standouts

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On July 11th-14th I attended the&nbsp;<strong>Puma circuit</strong>&nbsp;at the big facility of the Arizona Athletic Grounds in Mesa/AZ.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There were 5 local programs I watched with Apex Athletix, AZ Venom, Factory, Jump Athletics and Team Supreme.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Here were some of the standout 2026 CG and PG's</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1956214' first='Brandon' last='Nickels'] Mica Mountain (Apex Athletix 16) (Pictured)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A combo guard is a three point shooter who can pull-up from mid-range. He has a nice floater game and runs the floor well. He has a very quick release on his three and can go on his own personal runs. He is quickly turning into one of the better spot up shooters in the class. He may of hit 7 or 8 threes in a game I viewed.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1875718' first='Melvin' last='Stubbs'] Catalina Foothills (Apex Athletix 16)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A bigger combo guard with a high feel for the game. He rebounds, blocks shots and runs the floor for transition buckets. He scores with catch threes, pull-ups from mid-range, floaters and tip-ins with his long arms. He has an incredible feel to make plays and he has turned into a true bigger combo guard. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1591734' first='TJ' last='Harris'] Liberty (Factory 16)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A quicker point guard than most on the court. He has the knack of getting to his spots. He rises up quickly off the dribble and will score with speed dribbles and his first step is dynamic with his left or right hand that is tough to contain.&nbsp;He has the ability to make teammates around him better with needle threaders. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1676631' first='Niko' last='Velez'] Desert Vista&nbsp;(Jump Athletic 2026)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A very fast, quick on quick pure point guard. He can be a ball hawk with his quick feet and hands and rip some pockets. He makes smart reads to his teammates and scores it in transition out racing his opponents and will hit perimeter jumpers.  </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1875434' first='George' last='Mihilli'] ALA-Queen Creek (Jump Athletic 2026)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>An athletic combo guard will rebound unusually well, play the passing lanes and finish above the crowd. He is very cerebral and always seems to make the correct read. He plays like a point guard and plays aggressively on both ends of the court.  </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2297776' first='Michael' last='Atabala'] Brophy Prep (Jump Athletic 2026)&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A pure point guard with up the court dimes perfectly in stride to his teammates. He rebounds well for a guard. He can hit the three but is always looking to make a play. He has a tight handle in close spaces and his three point shot always seems to look dead-eye. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1446109' first='Isaiah' last='Tippit'] Bella Vista Prep <strong>(Apex Athletix 16)</strong></strong> </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>An undersized scoring point guard is a bucket. He goes thru stretches making it look easy. He has a tighter handle and uses the floater game. He makes his game go with deep threes with real range and a quick trigger. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->