Freshman Showcase: Top Guards

Over 80 freshmen made the trip to Louisville on Saturday to compete with many of the best players from across the state in this 2028 class. There were several names that have been known for a while coming into the event but plenty more who made names for themselves at camp on Saturday afternoon. Here's a look at some guards who stood out at camp on Saturday. This is not including players who have already been featured in other articles about Saturday.    Mac continues to improve with each viewing. When I first saw Mac about 18 months ago, he looked good in a workout setting but needed more game experience so he didn't look nervous at times. It appears Aaron has turned the corner in that regard. The way Mac pushes the ball and excels in the midrange reminds me of former UK point guard Cliff Hawkins from the Tubby Smith era. Obviously, Mac is nowhere near that level of player at this time but his game reminds me of Hawkins in a lot of ways.     Zachery had one of the smoothest jump shots in the gym on Saturday and was comfortable on and off the ball. His team was really good and thrived on ball movement in the 5 on 5 games. In 3 on 3, Preston was more aggressive in hunting his shot and showed he is capable of playing defense when needed. Pineville will need Preston to play a decent role this season and be "the man" as a Sophomore and he looks like he's tracking to be comfortable in that role.     Slaughter was a name I've heard but never seen before Saturday and he left a very good impression. He's one of the most ready players to contribute at the varsity level this winter and will probably be the best freshman in Lexington. AJ is quick and very crafty as a finisher. I didn't see him take a bunch of jump shots but he didn't have to. The next time I see Slaughter, I'd be interested to see him take and make more threes.     Cooper would not have drawn your eye if you were just wandering around the gym but he played really well in both the 3 on 3 and 5 on 5 portions of the day while knocking down shots and making the smart play repeatedly. Stark looks like the kind of kid who will be 6'1 or taller and a top player in the 8th region by his Junior year. He already has many of the intangibles, just waiting on a growth spurt and some varsity experience after he gets thrown into the fire this winter.     Chase is a player that I didn't get to see a ton of during game play because he didn't come to the court I was on most of the day but going back and looking at the BallerTV film left me with a better impression. Harmon is a facilitator first and capable of scoring when he needs to. Camps are notorious for bad offense and terrible shots but Chase did his part to change that perception with his play on Saturday.     Jesiah was another prospect that I knew next to nothing about before Saturday but he impressed with his ball handling and speed with the ball in his hands. "Flip" was probably the shortest player at camp but that didn't slow him down from making a ton of plays in the open court when he had the ball in his hands. Instead of forcing shots, Flippins racked up assists in games when others may have forced their own offense for the sake of highlights.

Over 80 freshmen made the trip to Louisville on Saturday to compete with many of the best players from across the state in this 2028 class. There were several names that have been known for a while coming into the event but plenty more who made names for themselves at camp on Saturday afternoon. Here's a look at some guards who stood out at camp on Saturday. This is not including players who have already been featured in other articles about Saturday.