Summer Recap: Stock-Rising Guards in ’27

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With the summer club and high school seasons coming to a close, we wanted to take a look back at which class of 2027 guards raised their stock over the last few months. We were in countless gyms across the west coast watching games and prospects and the list of names below are the prospects we saw who upped their resumes.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='2435366' first='Cole' last='Holden'] | Harvard-Westlake</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There are some available minutes at the guard spot for the Wolverines and Holden looked to be the guy who could get the majority of those with his performance at Section 7. The 6-foot-2 rising sophomore made some big plays in key moments of big games over the summer and his ability to knock down the catch and shoot jumper will allow him to get varsity minutes early on.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='2435386' first='Hunter' last='Caplan'] | Crean Lutheran</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Caplan transferred from Brentwood to Crean Lutheran and will immediately become one of the top scoring guards in the Orange County area. The 6-foot-2 combo guard is an elite level shooter both off the catch and off the bounce and he is also an extremely crafty finisher around the basket who uses his fluidity with the ball to get into the lane with ease.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='2436274' first='Jordan' last='Hampton'] | Windward</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hampton began to come into his own at the end of last season as a key reserve for Windward. The 6-foot-2 point guard is a steady ball handler and heady decision-maker who did a nice job this summer of running his team and being and extension of the coach on the floor. With the recent news of three-year starting point guard [player_tooltip player_id='1630623' first='Gavin' last='Hightower'] potentially on the transfer market, the rise of Hampton couldn't have come at a better time.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='2436278' first='Malcolm' last='Price'] | St. Joseph</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Price showed plenty of flashes of his potential as a back-up to his older brother last season but his performance at Cali Live in late June showed that he has a chance to be more than a complimentary piece in his sophomore season. The 6-footer is more of a true point guard type than his brother and is really the perfect complement for the scoring-minded [player_tooltip player_id='1956462' first='Julius' last='Price'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1630616' first='Tounde' last='Yessoufou'].</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='2436287' first='Richie' last='Ramirez'] | San Marcos</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ramirez is likely the least-known name on this list but one to get familiar with nonetheless. The 6-foot-2 combo guard is a tough, physical and high motor prospect who we saw dominate the 15u level with his Gamepoint team in Las Vegas. Ramirez is an automatic paint touch who has a balance pull-up jumper and the ability to finish through contact around the basket.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='2435361' first='Tavid' last='Johnson'] | Francis Parker</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Johnson put together an impressive freshman season, highlighted by his smooth scoring ability from multiple levels of the floor. The 6-foot-2 combo guard is a shot creator and shot-maker off the dribble who uses footwork and changes of speed to create space from defenders on the perimeter. Johnson is also a very efficient slasher and finisher whose patience around the basket allows him to find scoring seams in the lane.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->