MHSAA Regionals: Point Guard Paradise

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The stacked Division I regional at Hudsonville's sparkling new Fieldhouse was as good of as an environment as you will get for high school basketball. It also produced plenty of high level play. Particularly from a deep stable of point guards who showed out. Following are five from all four participants that caught my attention. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1587845' first='Keane' last='Hinkle'] 5-11 2025 Byron Center </strong>Continues to cap off what has been a huge senior campaign. In the first half played more on the ball. Got the Bulldogs into their sets efficiently and quickly. Began to score more when BC's star center went out with foul trouble. Hit a buzzer beating three at the half because— that's just what Hinkle does. However the light really came on in the second half as he moved off the ball. When I say moved off the ball I mean “MOVED”. Was in seemingly constant motion running the baseline and coming off of pin down screens. Got hot from beyond the arc with his trigger quick left handed release point. Finished the third quarter with 22 points… Finished the game with 22 points. That makes it sound like he wasn't a factor in the fourth quarter. The exact opposite would be true. His shooting forced the gravity of Northview's defense out to the perimeter. Opening the driving lanes and post opportunities that helped the Bulldogs seal the game. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1444929' first='Cassius' last='Bont'] 6-2 2026 Byron Center (pictured) </strong>I mentioned Hinkle moving off the ball above. That meant someone had to step into the point guard role. Enter Bont, who played as well as I have seen him. Not your typical image of a small water bug point guard. The opposite to to be more exact. Is tall with a thick upper body and broad shoulders. Used his frame to simply bully his way to the basket on multiple instances. Handled late heavy pressure from Northview well and was big in crunch time. Shot the ball better than I had seen before. This kept defenses honest and allowed him to penetrate easier. Finished with 17 points in the Bulldogs dramatic victory.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2140468' first='Anthony' last='Willis'] 6-1 2027 Grand Rapids Northview </strong>Willis' standout stretch was the opening quarter. As Northview's star college bound duo got off to a slow sluggish start. Willis added scoring to his playmaking duties and scored six first quarter points. These were important and much needed points. Remained a factor all night. Even as Northview's duo began to heat up. Is a very good ball handler for his size. Plays straight up and has the ability to see over most defenses. After solid grassroots campaign with the [program_tooltip program_id='2077017' first='Grand' last='Rapids Storm'] last year. Interested to see how he develops as an upperclassman. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1799040' first='Jovaan' last='Daniels'] 5-9 2026 Hudsonville </strong>In terms of height, smallest player on this list. That is about all you can ding him for. Finished with a night high 23 points. However it could have easily been more as the point guard played a very unselfish floor game. Got to a his spots all night easily with his handle and short burst quickness. Shot the ball confidently with quick yet smooth release. Really controlled the game from the tip. An injury kept him out of grassroots basketball last season. Now seemingly at full health, I will be curious to see how looks in the coming year. Has the ability to be one of the best guards statewide in the 2026 class. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2140516' first='Makai' last='Campos']</strong> <strong>5-11 2027 Holland West Ottawa </strong>The extremely young Panthers had a rough night against the home squad. There will be better days ahead. One of the reasons for that was the play of this point guard. Took him a while to get get going. When he did showed the penetration skills that are at the crux of his upside. Good at driving hard to a spot, stopping on a dime, and hitting a fade away. The fade is needed due to the lack of vertical size. Handled heavy pressure well despite his team's many turnovers. Good passer who operates well in pick and roll situations. A standout on a good [program_tooltip program_id='2166963' first='NorthCoast' last='Premier'] AAU squad. Campos has a bright future and is a point guard to watch in Michigan's still emerging 2027 class. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->