Hoophall/Nike TOC: 2025 Guard Standouts

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>January 2nd-4th I attended the annual&nbsp;<strong>Hoophall West&nbsp;</strong>located at Highland HS in Gilbert this year and also the&nbsp;<strong>Nike Tournament of Champions</strong>&nbsp;at multiple high school gyms throughout the East Valley. In the three days I viewed seven different brackets (Hoophall West, Saguaro, Sonoran, Coyote, Jackrabbit, Camelback and Sunrise) which included two championship games (Sonoran and Sunrise).</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Here are the 2025 Guard Standouts I viewed</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2717200' first='Aginaldo' last='Neto'] Bella Vista Prep (Pictured)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Angola native is a stronger upper bodied framed lead guard. AG is quick and athletic and will facilitate, defend at a high level and score. He has a high level mid-range pull-up with great elevation and can hit the catch three. He uses his size to get downhill but his defense on the ball truly stands out.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1286023' first='Ryan' last='Burbach'] Brophy Prep</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of the top individual games I viewed was Burbach with an impressive 37 points versus a good Cali team. What stood out is he was driving the ball more as he gets older. He will still let it fly from the three point line and pull-up from mid-range, fall away and has sneaky quick drives, euro step drives and some contact takes. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1336443' first='Uriah' last='Tenette'] Prescott </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Another impressive performance was Tenette with 28 points with five plus assists. He scores from every level with floaters, pull-up threes, step thru with left hand in traffic. mid-range jumpers with high elevation and quick drives. He also collects steals in bunches and finishes it off on the other end with a dunk. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1276753' first='Ayden' last='Madi'] Brophy Prep </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A taller scoring guard is finally back after a long injury from last year. He is not 100% but he is getting closer and closer to getting there. He scores with catch threes and uses his size to score on put backs. He is also a good defender keeping his opponents in front of him.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1876014' first='Tyran' last='Simpson'] Deer Valley</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>An improving guard is long and athletic. He recently committed to <strong>Ottawa University</strong> and you quickly see why. He is shooting the ball better then a year ago and scores multiple ways with back door cuts, euro steps to the basket. blow by drives with long strides and perimeter jumpers. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2280476' first='Josiah' last='Peoples'] Prescott</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Another tournament and another good showing for the defensive scoring guard. He scores with rip thrus to the basket, offensive rebound put backs, threes off the catch and he consistently defends the top player on every opposing team. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1366003' first='Jaden' last='Vance'] AZ Compass Prep</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A bigger scoring guard is long and lean. He is very athletic to throw it down on the break with alley-oop dunks and he will rattle in threes off the catch. He is very good defensively on the perimeter and inside to block shots. He is one of the best guards available in the West. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1150848' first='Nolan' last='Brown'] Perry</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of the toughest player pound per pound. He is top-notch on-ball defender with his stronger upper body, quick feet, strong hands and good overall speed. He scores with speed dribble drives and catch threes.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1351133' first='Dominic' last='Avalos'] Perry </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of the big surprises of the season has been the steady play of Avalos. He will hit catch and shoot threes in rhythm off of feeds from Koa and Co. He can score in transition and brings senior leadership to the court. He actually hit a clutch three in one of their big games, showing big moments are not a big deal for him. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1217315' first='TayVion' last='Wilson'] Sandra Day O'Connor </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A scoring lead guard takes pressure off of their big man Simcoe and Co. He will catch and shoot from the three point line with a quick trigger and gets hot quickly. What he is improving at as he ages is getting to the free throw line when his shot is not falling. He gives hard ball fakes and will burst to the basket and knows how to draw the foul.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1679291' first='Drew' last='Alexander'] Basha </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A long and athletic defensive minded shooting guard. He is a top-tier rebounder for his size and position and will grab a ball off the glass and go up the court with it. He scores with offensive rebound put backs, transition layups and catch threes. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2134321' first='Gabriel' last='Buksh'] Cienega</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The <strong>Lycoming </strong>commit showed off his skills from deep with range on his threes. He shoots it easily and gets the ball out of his hands quickly. He also can burst to the basket and score with the floater game.&nbsp;A valuable senior guard to have moving into the playoffs. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1337025' first='Drew' last='Hall'] Red Mountain</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A strong, highly skilled and cerebral player with size. He has the lead role for the Mountain Lions and has a good feel to make a play for his teammates. He can score from the perimeter but operates well in the mid post and goes to work.  </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1366578' first='Davion' last='Harris'] Hamilton</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A slower start for the sharp shooting combo guard but he got hot quickly in the second half. He plays on or off the ball and makes good reads to teammates but he is a natural scorer. He will catch and shoot from the three point line with a pretty looking stroke. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2717309' first='Anthony' last='Gamba'] Red Mountain</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A cerebral highly skilled combo guard who plays on or off the ball. He shoots it well from mid-range and can catch and shoot from the three point line. He is also a very good passer&nbsp;and brings nice senior leadership. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2717315' first='Pietro' last='Dimuzio'] Red Mountain</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The top standstill shooter on the team for the Mountain Lions is Pietro. He is a true specialist from the three point line off the catch. He has an easy stroke and lets it fly quickly. He can get to the basket but is best shooting it from the perimeter. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1369213' first='Amare' last='King'] Casteel</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A versatile point forward or bigger combo guard is a tough cover. He can score from all three levels with threes off the catch or pull, post ups with counter moves to the basket, highlight dunks and pull-ups. He defends all five positions in high school and leads the way for the new 6A team. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2420182' first='Tate' last='Alberts'] Catalina Foothills</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A highly skilled lead guard can score and he is a good passer. He will throw passes up the court and will throw the lob perfectly. He shoots it with&nbsp;mid-range jumpers off the catch or dribble and he will crossover into a jumper from mid to the three. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->