Ridgewood Live: 2025's Low Profile Guard Talents (Pt.2)

In the second and final part of this series on Ridgewood Live's latest event, we delve further into the 2025 class's talent. Beyond the initial highlights, more promising players emerged, showcasing their unrecognized skills. Join me as we continue to explore the standout athletes poised to make a difference for their respective teams.    Melendez exemplifies senior leadership for his Ridgewood squad, and it was evident during Friday's game against a senior-heavy Brother Rice team. He demonstrated his skill as a slick driver, adept at creating his own shots with floaters, mid-range pull-ups, and three-pointers off the dribble. Beyond his scoring versatility, Melendez also stood out as a solid distributor from the lead guard position, showcasing his well-rounded game and leadership on the court.     Mo Turner, a hidden gem, really showed what he's made of against Niles Notre Dame on Friday afternoon. He was consistent in every part of the game. His drives to the rim were strong, especially one sweet baseline move that ended with a quick reverse layup. Turner's balance and control with his pivot foot were spot on, letting him pull off a nice step-through. On defense, I was really impressed. He had controlled close-outs and great lateral quickness, managing to slow down a top prospect, [player_tooltip player_id='1434463' first='Brady' last='Sehlhorst']. The only small thing to work on is keeping his arms long and active to mess up passing lanes and avoid fouls.     Michaels has a great mix of shot fakes and head fakes that really throw defenders off balance. These slick moves help him create space for his shots or drive into better scoring opportunities. On defense, it was awesome to see Michaels getting right up in ball-handlers' faces, using his body to defend, and not being afraid to hustle and play with some grit.     Despite his size, Dockendorf is a quick and agile guard who seamlessly flows within the offense. He's got a sweet three-point shot with a nice release who can light it up from downtown, and good court vision in the half-court. Dockendorf excels at finding tight passing lanes to teammates under the rim and quickly feeding open shooters.     Markiewicz is another hidden talent that many might not have heard of yet. He's a muscular two-guard and a hard-nosed driver who can attack the rim with power and finish well. Against Brother Rice, he showed great effort and battled constantly on the offensive glass. What surprised me most was his smooth, sweet stroke from three, and the confidence to keep shooting when he was hot. It might be a stretch, but he reminded me of Josh Hart's offensive style: someone who can heat up from three, drive and finish with strength, and battle on the boards.     The wing from R-B is all about tough drives to the rim and acrobatic finishes, which he did well against Niles Notre Dame. Loftus loves to speed up the pace in transition, but I'd like to see him be more in control with his coast-to-coast drives, knowing when to take it himself and when to pass it off. He also used his pivot foot well, and on one occasion, he freed himself for a sweet baseline fadeaway.

In the second and final part of this series on Ridgewood Live's latest event, we delve further into the 2025 class's talent. Beyond the initial highlights, more promising players emerged, showcasing their unrecognized skills. Join me as we continue to explore the standout athletes poised to make a difference for their respective teams.