Sunday Standouts: PGs

New readers: Use code Proia30 for discounted subscription   I split my Sunday to watch DC Live in the morning and DMV Live in the afternoon and was not disappointed with the talent on display on the last day of our first scholastic live period window. Getting to see talent from 7+ states allowed me to see some new prospects as well as update evals on prospects that I've seen multiple times throughout the season. Let's start with the guards that stood out!    -As an evaluator, you have to own your makes as well as your misses. And Brown has really improved his game and shifted his mentality to really see the floor at a high level, accentuated with a 24-point 13-assist performance in a blowout win over a good Woodside team. Brown threw a beautiful dart of a bounce pass from the opposite free throw line to lead a teammate to the rim perfectly in transition, had a beautiful dime over the shoulder to a cutting big, and a screaming 1-handed push pass from a standstill from the opposite wing to the block. The scoring chops were also fully on display as he picked his spots well throughout the game to create for his teammates and call his own numbers, hitting shots off the bounce from all over the floor. Brown also is finding opportunities to get all the way to the rim to get a few easy layups while also mixing in some free throws for a very well-rounded and efficient performance. He continues a stock-rising summer with 20p 6a, 25p 7a, 24p 13a, 20p 5a performances in a 4-0 weekend at Philly Live.     -One of our potential stockrisers from before the live period began, Lyons put on a show (especially on Sunday) at DMV Live 1 to earn his first offer from Old Dominion. The senior point guard showed great burst in getting to the rims from the wing with regularity, hit perimeter jumpers, and dazzled college coaches on the sideline with his passing ability--both from a standstill and off the bounce. His speed and quickness really sets him apart as a prospect that can play both ends of the floor and impact winning without dominating the ball.     25p 2r (9/13 FG, 6/8 3P) vs John Carroll   -Bailey turned heads with another explosive scoring outburst as a guard that understands the value of combining perimeter shot-making and easy looks at the rim with multiple layups or runners. Unfortunately had a potential game-winning layup attempt called off in a spot of bad officiating but he scored the final 7 points for St. Andrew's down the stretch to bring them all the way back-- the most impressive being a sidestep rainbow three that hit nothing but net. The senior guard is elite at creating space on the perimeter and can really shoot it with great range from all 3 levels of the floor. Love his touch around the basket, his scoring bag, and his understanding of when to stop n pop and when to accelerate to finish just past the outstretched arms of a defender. One of the most productive guards in the area.     25p 6a 3r 3s (8/16 FG, 8/8 FT)   -Impactful performance for the rising floor general in a good win over Landon to close out the first live period. Devonish's play down the stretch was crucial to his team's success-- going a perfect 8/8 from the charity stripe, sticking a pull-up elbow jumper off a screen to tie the game up just under 2 minutes and a beautiful dime off a center drive to his big to put Ireton up 3 with a minute left. Devonish's aggressive POA defense, play-making and scoring ability will make him one of the most crucial players that will heavily impact his team's success as the season unfolds     14p 3a 1r 1b 2s vs John Carroll   -The other half of STA's backcourt also impressed in a narrow loss to John Carroll by showing the full range of his abilities as a play-making point guard that can distribute and has made improvements to his on-ball defense. Nelson plays with great pace at the offensive end of the floor, manipulating defenders with hesi dribble moves while scanning the floor to note where helpers and teammates are before making his move to throw his matchup off-balance. The fluidity in his ball-handling allows him to quickly get into a pull-up or deliver a beautiful pass with either hand to cutting teammates. Those instincts help at the defensive end as he often makes the right guess of where his matchup is going next to cut off their path to force a turnover or a tough shot. Easily one of the most underrated and under-recruited guards in the DMV.     17p 10r 4a 1b 3s vs Theodore Roosevelt   -Came away really impressed in my first viewing of Gaskins as a flashy point guard prospect that can really fill up a stat sheet. A phenomenal passer off a live dribble with either hand, an elite handle allows him to get to his spots with ease to accentuate his quickness. Gaskins showed great touch in the paint, can really get off the ground quickly and explosively to finish above the rim, and can shoot it with range. His IQ allows him to be successful both on or off the ball and he does a good job of getting off it and swinging to a teammate to shift the defense. Really underrated guard for LM schools to track.

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