Feast Week: 2028 Guard Standouts

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Thanksgiving week I attended five tournaments and one stand alone game for exactly 24 games and 48 different teams. The events I watched were&nbsp;<strong>Phoenix Union Coyote Classic</strong>&nbsp;at Central HS,&nbsp;<strong>Beyond Basketball Thanksgiving Basketball Tournament</strong>&nbsp;at Moon Valley,&nbsp;<strong>Millennium at Sandra Day O'Connor, Fear The Hop Tournament</strong>&nbsp;at Mesa HS,&nbsp;<strong>Sentinel Holiday Classic</strong>&nbsp;at Seton Catholic and Horizon Honors and lastly the&nbsp;<strong>LV8 Invitational</strong>&nbsp;at Chandler-Gilbert CC.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Here were some 2028 Guard Standouts</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1651788' first='Jakyi' last='Miles'] Mesa</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of the top guards in the class has elite pace to his game. You think he is almost coasting but then takes over the game in a blink of an eye with mid-range jumpers, he change speeds to gain separation and has elite court awareness to make players around him better. He can hit step backs from mid to the three and collected five steals and had 10+ assists to go along with his 20 points.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1873639' first='Grant' last='Mattingly'] Central&nbsp;(Pictured)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A good sized combo guard is very calm and poised for a freshman. He made some phenomenal next level passes to his teammates and always plays off of two-feet. He can score with fall aways in the post, euro steps, step thrus, he keeps changing speeds and just gets how to play like his brother John.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2194806' first='Zen' last='London'] Mountain Pointe</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A combo guard who is playing more on the ball recently. He truly plays harder then most in the state from the class with a top of the food chain motor. He has quick hands and feet with a stronger upper body for his class. He uses a quick burst of speed to get to the basket to score and handles the contact well. He is also a sneaky good passer and rebounds well with his physical traits.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2194481' first='Justin' last='Kimbrough'] Mountain Pointe</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A quick on quick pure point guard to collect steals and jump the passing lanes or even get deflections. His speed with the ball is one of the best in the class and creates separation with his tight handle and natural shift. Look for him to have some big games for them over the next four years. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2466075' first='Jayvein' last='Moody'] Mountain Pointe&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A natural combo guard can make plays but is best putting the ball in the basket. He has a nice looking three off the catch with a quick trigger. He will ball fake into a couple dribbles to a sharp pull-up from mid-range to draw a foul or hit the jumper. He is a fluid mover and is a gamer.   </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2628288' first='Lucas' last='Anderson'] Ironwood Ridge&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A long and lean taller guard with high skill level. He can score with pull-ups and off the dribble threes. He rebounds well despite his weight using his size and length plus he is clearly still growing.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2675373' first='Austin' last='Zobell'] Eastmark&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A long and lean scoring guard with some size. He did not play a lot of minutes on the varsity team but enough to see his size and skill for position and moved well from end to end. One to watch and I will most likely catch him later in the season.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->