Southern Arizona Showcase: Guard Standouts

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On October 27th I attended the&nbsp;<strong>Southern Arizona Showcase</strong>&nbsp;at Immaculate Heart Gym in Tucson, AZ hosted by&nbsp;<strong><em>John Millyard.&nbsp;</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Here were some of the Guard Standouts I viewed:</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2133624' first='Cyree' last='Jenkins'] Cholla (Pictured)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Top-20 <strong>MVP</strong> of the showcase was Cyree. He plays so hard on every possession. He uses his left hand&nbsp;and burst to drive the lane and shows good body control in the paint. He will grab a rebound out of his area, he uses the floater game and can rattle in threes. Defensively he digs in with blocks and steals.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1542272' first='Michael' last='Payne'] Cholla</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Another top guard in Tucson is Payne. He just missed being MVP with 5+ assists spraying the ball over the yard with his big IQ and his defense stood out with 3+ steals in the Top-20 game. He scores with speed dribble drives, floaters and always has his deep ball clicking with range beyond the three point line. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2134381' first='Daniel' last='Ortiz'] Palo Verde</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A natural scoring guard can fill it up and he is always one of the most competitive players in attendance regardless of the competition. He is a good passer up the court and is tough on defense to collect steals and even block shots. He will score it with his sweet spot mid-range jumper and hit the three.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2249638' first='Carter' last='Brown'] Ironwood Ridge</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of my personal stock risers of the showcase was Carter. The lefty is tough in traffic to get downhill with a shifty handle to go with it. He also showed that he can catch and shoot or even step back from the three point line. He takes contact well in the paint with a sturdy frame. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2134454' first='Kameron' last='Pippen'] Palo Verde</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A strong shifty point guard who can make plays and throws the alley-oop perfectly in stride. He can score with downhill tough takes with his thicker framed and tight handle. He will hit the catch three and is a physical on-ball defender.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2620718' first='Dovantae' last='Powell'] Casa Grande</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A natural scoring combo guard can fill up the scoreboard. He will make plays for his teammates with drive and kicks or skipping it to a shooter but he will score. He can get to the basket and score with either hand and rattle in off the dribble and catch threes. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2386958' first='Isaiah' last='Gill'] Canyon del Oro </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A pure point guard with good open court speed. He has quick feet and hands to pester his opponents on defense. He is a true needle threader and loves to suck in a defense and find a teammate. He has a nice layup package and scores it easily in transition. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2533601' first='Xavier' last='Ledet'] Cactus</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A quick southpaw is somewhat of a volume scorer but he goes in stretches where he is a tough cover. He has a tighter handle in close spaces mixed in with some shift to create separation to get his shot off. He uses the floater game well and will drive and kick it to a shooter. He will score with deep threes and quickly get to the basket. He should have a big season in the West Valley. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1540144' first='Quintin' last='Ragland'] Premier Prep Tucson</strong>&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A strong built scoring guard is a two-way player. He keeps his opponents in front of him and using lateral quickness, strength and length. He scores using the floater game and will hit the three off the catch or pull. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2149096' first='Camden' last='Jenkins'] Cholla</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The younger brother of MVP Cyree is one of the top two-way players in the sophomore class. He has a man's build and frame and comes with some length, toughness and skill. He is very physical to get downhill to score in traffic and has a polished pull-up from mid-range and can hit the three.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2280207' first='Jackson' last='Moore'] Cienega</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A physical pure point guard who can score. He will throw the dime for the assist up the court and slither a ball into the lane. He scores with bursts to the basket, strong takes to the rim, catch threes and mid-range pull-ups. His pull-up is steadily improving as he ages. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2147242' first='Isaac' last='McNair'] Premier Prep Tucson</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A bigger scoring guard is talented to score from all three levels. He is a volume scorer but can shoot it off the dribble from mid to the three and he is extremely athletic to throw it down and has quick drives to the rim. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2396138' first='Rashad' last='Ortiz'] Palo Verde</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A young sophomore is deceptively athletic and he will score and defend. His athleticism and quickness with the ball allows him to get a step on his defender but can also change speeds. He will pull-up from mid-range and hit the catch three. In a year, you can possibly see his stock starting to ascend.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->