Recruiting Dive: First Five Available Guards

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>While college coaches at all levels of competition have their heads buried in the thousands of players in the transfer portal, we wanted to take some time to highlight some of the top unsigned guards in Southern California. Below we take a deeper dive into the First Five available prospects at the guard position and how they can help a two or four-year college program.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='1630617' first='Brayden' last='Burries'] | Eastvale Roosevelt</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Not only is Burries the No. 1 available prospect in the state, he is also among the top unsigned prospects in the country. The 6-foot-5 guard had a senior season for the ages as he accumulated countless individual awards and led his team to a 35-2 overall record including CIF Southern Section and CIF State Open Division championships. There's not much I write about Burries' game that isn't already known. He's an elite two-way player who is built to play on the perimeter for a high major program. The McDonald's All-American and Gatorade State Player of the Year has Arizona, Alabama, Oregon and Tennessee among his preferred suitors.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='2404084' first='Da'Vian' last='Brooks'] | Knight</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Brooks pulled all the right strings as the Hawks' primary ball handler, playmaker and go-to scoring option. The 6-foot-3 point guard led Knight to a 26-6 record, including a Golden League championship. Brooks turned up his production even more in the postseason as he led the Hawks to a CIF Southern Section Division 3AA title. Brooks remains one of the more savvy playmakers and shot-makers left on the board and possesses positional size and plenty of upside.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='1630660' first='Myles' last='Walker'] | Eastvale Roosevelt</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Walker remains one of the more under-appreciated players on the west coast and a lot of the hesitation from Division 1's to pull the trigger on him has to do with lack of size. But the 5-foot-9 point guard seems to always make up for his smaller stature by making huge plays and stepping up in big moments on both sides of the ball. Walker is one of the more steady decision-makers in the state and his speed and quickness in transition and half-court settings makes him an ideal tempo-pushing guard. Where walker stands out the most is on the defensive end of the floor as his quick hands, feet and instincts allow him to pressure opposing ball-handlers, dig down on post touches and create turnovers in passing lanes.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='2742225' first='Chris' last='Komin'] | St. John Bosco</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Komin proved that he has the ability to impact winning at the highest level of high school hoops while not having to be a ball-dominant main option. The 6-foot-3 shooting guard has a skill that immediately translates to all levels in his smooth perimeter jumper that he can knock down off the catch and off the bounce. Komin also does a lot of the little things that don't show up in the stat sheet like making the extra pass, coming away with a clutch rebound or scoring with a timely off-ball cut.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='1630632' first='EJ' last='Spillman'] | Pacifica Christian/OC</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There are few guards left on the board who play with as much physicality and toughness as Spillman. The 6-foot-3 guard is one of the top isolation creators and scorers in Southern California and his strong frame, combined with his shiftiness and footwork allow him to either out-physical or out-smart his defender en route to a bucket through contact or a crafty finish at the rim. Spillman rounded into a legitimate playmaking/scoring combo guard and it resulted in him leading the Tritons to the CIF-SS Division 2AA championship game where they fell to Fairmont Prep in overtime.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->