Skills Summit: Top Guard Performers (Pt. 2)

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>IRVINE — The 5th annual Hoops By Ugland Skills Summit took place Sunday at Beckman high school and featured more than 80 class players from the classes of 2025-2028 from throughout the state of California. Below we take a look at more of the top guard performers from the event.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='1956505' first='Malakai' last='Perrantes'] | 2026 | Crespi</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Perrantes has that true feel and mindset that you look for in a point guard, and while he definitely showed flashes of that playmaking IQ, it was good to see him be a little bit more aggressive offensively. Perrantes was knocking down off-catch and off-dribble three-point shots and getting into the lane where he finished with high-arcing floaters.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='2131789' first='Noa' last='Edwards'] | 2026 | Arcadia</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>What I've always liked about Edwards - and what he did so well at this event - is the fact that he always played with great effort and energy. Edwards is a dynamic open-court playmaker who uses his speed and strength to blow by defenders and get into the lane where he can finish through contact or find an open teammate with a timely pass.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='2436287' first='Richie' last='Ramirez'] | 2027 | San Marcos</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ramirez is a versatile, tough-minded, physical and skilled sophomore who impacts the game in a variety of ways. The 6-foot-2 San Diego-based guard impressed with his ability to recognize mismatches and take smaller defenders into the post where he created for himself and teammates. Ramirez also flashed a consistent jump shot from three-point and mid-range levels of the floor.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='1979226' first='Rocco' last='Gaffoglio'] | 2025 | Yorba Linda</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Gaffoglio embodied the definition of a "scoring guard" in this event. While official stats weren't kept, it was reported that he neared the 40-point mark in his second game of the day and did so in a variety of ways. The 5-foot-11 combo guard was hitting baseline jumpers off the bounce, three's off the catch and off the bounce and got into the lane for crafty finishes around the basket.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='1903780' first='Sam' last='Seiden'] | 2025 | St. Bonaventure</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I liked Seiden's approach during this event because he made it a point to be a disruptive on-ball defender. The 5-foot-11 senior guarded the ball with physicality and made it difficult for ball-handlers to the spots they wanted to get to. Offensively, Seiden was poised with the ball in his hands and made sure to get teammates involved while also finding efficient scoring opportunities for himself.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->