Big Shots Richmond: 17U Guard Standouts

Big Shots came to Richmond with Paul Biancardi at the Henrico Sports Complex, bringing with them some of the top teams from across VA and the entire east coast. With so much talent in the building, we'll take a look over the next few days of some of the best players from the event. Here's a look at some of the 17U guard standouts from VA.   [player_tooltip player_id='1963392' first='Keon' last='Mitchell'] | 6'3” PG | Team Loaded South   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/Mitchell-Keon.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/Mitchell-Keon.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-2853962" /></a></figure>   Mitchell is one of the newest members of this Loaded South team, and he was big for them as he helped lead them to a big win over their sister program Loaded VA in the championship. The Norview guard has shown time and time again how good he is in the 757, and he was huge for them on both ends of the floor. The 6'3” lead guard showed his ability to get downhill and touch the paint to make plays for others, he made tough shots from all over the floor, he set the tone defensively and he showed his ability to make plays when everything else broke down.   [player_tooltip player_id='2347779' first='Nick' last='Byrd'] | 6'0” PG | Team Loaded South   Byrd is the other guard in the backcourt for this Loaded South team, and he is perfect for this team that's chock full of shot makers and athletes with his floor general style of play. Coming off a huge junior season where he helped Hopewell to a state championship appearance, he was matched up with some very talented guards and showed he can not only hold his own but lead his team to victory in doing so. He handled pressure extremely well and controlled the tempo, he put pressure on the defense and made plays for others and he picked his spots and scored it efficiently too.   [player_tooltip player_id='1782684' first='Isaiah' last='Brown'] | 6'2” CG | VA Elite   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/Brown-Isaiah.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/05/Brown-Isaiah.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-2853964" /></a></figure>   Brown has been one of the top scorers and shot makers in the NOVA area since he was a freshman, and he showed all of that for VA Elite this weekend against some very good competition. The 6'2” combo has a strong upper body and was able to take bumps and contact when putting it on the deck, and he also worked well off the ball when others were creating. He made shots from deep off the catch and showed he didn't need a lot of space to get his shot off, he got downhill and finished with both hands around the rim and he showed great instincts defensively jumping passing lanes and getting easy buckets in transition.   [player_tooltip player_id='1782687' first='Phenix' last='Card'] | 6'2” PG | Team Breakdown DMV   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/01/eZy-Watermark_13-01-2025_04-43-15-5370AM.jpeg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/01/eZy-Watermark_13-01-2025_04-43-15-5370AM.jpeg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-2728989" /></a></figure>   Card was extremely impressive throughout the weekend, as he's gone through a recent growth spurt and showed a lot of growth in his game over the past few years too. The 6'2” lead guard showed his ability to handle pressure and get his team into sets, he made shots off the catch and off the bounce from multiple levels, he was fantastic setting the tone on the defensive end and he was great getting downhill and making plays for himself and others as well.   [player_tooltip player_id='2252287' first='Darius' last='Bivins'] | 6'0” PG | Washington Warriors   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/eZy-Watermark_13-07-2023_10-32-29-7080PM.jpeg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/eZy-Watermark_13-07-2023_10-32-29-7080PM.jpeg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-2083600" /></a></figure>   Bivins has been a staple for the Warriors team since they got their 3SSB sponsorship a few years ago, and has become a nationally ranked guard since starting for the 17U group the past two seasons. He was one of the best guards in the event, making everything look very easy with his ability to control the tempo and break down defenders off the bounce and make plays. He is a maestro running the offense as he controls the tempo and makes great reads in transition, he put on a clinic running the pick-and-roll making defenders pay for going under and setting up rollers and shooters, he showed good hands defensively and his IQ is second to none on both ends.   [player_tooltip player_id='2618835' first='Carter' last='Bullock'] | 6'2” CG | Washington Warriors   Bullock is a player I have been intrigued by in the few times I've seen him play, but he showed a lot in his first event with the Warriors as a spark off the bench, showing he can play with the best of them. The 6'2” lefty played both on and off the ball, showing the ability to create off the bounce and work off the ball to get open as well. He showed good burst and the ability to get downhill and use his explosiveness to finish at the rim, he made shots from multiple levels off the bounce and off the catch, and he was good defensively both putting pressure on the ball and making good rotations in help.   [player_tooltip player_id='2618871' first='Jackson' last='Wallace'] | 6'1” PG | FABO Runnin Rebels   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/01/tempImageMdoiHq-rotated.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/01/tempImageMdoiHq-rotated.jpg?w=768" alt="" class="wp-image-2716538" /></a></figure>   Wallace was a breakout performer at Stafford this past season, and while he's already considered one of the top guards in the Fredericksburg area he confirmed it this weekend with a big weekend with multiple high scoring games. The lanky 6'1” guard showed a mix of fundamentals and flash as he used step backs and spins to create space and make tough shots, he worked well off the ball to get open looks and knock it down and he was great in transition pushing the tempo and making plays for himself and others.   Leron Lipford | 6'0” CG | Team540   Lipford was impressive throughout the event, as one of the top scoring guards who put up big numbers with his ability to fill it up in a number of different ways. The 6'0” combo was dynamic off the bounce as he pushed the ball in transition, showed shiftiness to get by defenders, made a lot of shots from deep off the bounce and got to the line quite a bit as well.

Big Shots came to Richmond with Paul Biancardi at the Henrico Sports Complex, bringing with them some of the top teams from across VA and the entire east coast. With so much talent in the building, we'll take a look over the next few days of some of the best players from the event. Here's a look at some of the 17U guard standouts from VA.