2026 Guards Trending Up After July Live Periods

The July live period of the 2025 NCAA recruiting calendar wrapped up earlier this month and certainly lived up to the hype. Across New Jersey, a number of prospects at the guard position from the class of 2026 delivered standout performances, elevating their stocks and setting themselves apart from their peers. Now that the July live period is in the rearview, let's highlight some of the guards from the 2026 class who made a strong impression during this month's action.    A shifty guard and a crafty finisher, Patrick Sagna put together two strong back to back weekends during the July live periods— showcasing his ability to use his quickness to put pressure on the rim and score at the basket in combination with his improvement as a sharp and decisive playmaker. Also demonstrating his ability to make an impact on the defensive end of the floor, Sagna displayed his ability to be a disruptive POA defender that pressured the ball the length of the floor.   Sagna has since received interest from St. Peter's, Georgia Southern, Citadel, and Maine.     Every bit of the definition of a floor general, [player_tooltip player_id='2628166' first='Santonio' last='Waide'] demonstrated his ability to effectively run offense and create clean and open looks for his teammates while also keeping the defense honest and capitalizing off scoring opportunities when the given the chance to. Despite being undersized, Waide also demonstrated his ability to be a pesky and scrappy defender.   On top of the numerous Division I programs that have already offered throughout the course of the summer, Waide picked up an offer from FGCU after a strong weekend earlier this July.     Starring for the NJ Panthers' 17U HGSL group this summer, [player_tooltip player_id='1953390' first='Matt' last='Mikulka'] demonstrated his ability to be a smooth and efficient shooter while also being a decisive playmaker from the point guard position. Mikulka showcased his ability to be effective off the ball as a perimeter shot maker from three point range while also being a reliable decision maker, facilitating the basketball.   Mikulka has received interest from the likes of Franklin & Marshall, Montclair State, Rowan, Drew, Susquehanna, Dickinson, and Arcadia after strong showings during the July live periods.     Picking up where he left off in the spring putting up consistent strong scoring performances, [player_tooltip player_id='2421359' first='Isaac' last='Shrager'] had a strong month of July that showcased his ability to score the basketball from multiple levels— breaking his defender down off the bounce and finishing with craftiness around the basket and showcasing his ability to be a versatile shot maker from three point range.     Continuing his strong play from the scholastic live period into the month of July, [player_tooltip player_id='2342640' first='Austin' last='Workman'] showcased much of what had a handful of Division II programs start to generate interest and offer. Workman demonstrated his ability to attack off the bounce and finish around the basket with toughness, consistently knock down outside shots, find his in between game utilizing floaters with nice touch and be an emphatic finisher above the rim in transition.     A welcoming addition to the [program_tooltip program_id='2078569' first='Jersey' last='Force']'s 17U group, [player_tooltip player_id='1595676' first='Jalen' last='Maldonado'] enjoyed strong July live periods that saw him showcase more of his offensive skillset outside of his ability to be a dangerous shooter from the perimeter. In combination with his ability to shoot the three ball at a high clip, Maldonado showcased his ability to be a strong downhill driver when defenses ran him off the three point line and finish in the paint with strength and touch around the rim.   Maldonado has continued to see his recruitment pick up a little bit of steam, racking in a handful of Division II offers.     An absolute lights out shooter from three point range, Gunther Neumann not only showcased his ability to be a versatile perimeter shooter, knocking down shots both off the catch and off the bounce from distance but also showcased his ability to attack closeouts off the bounce and finish in different ways around the basket.     Capable of being effective with and without the basketball, Zakariah Bah showcased his ability to effect the game offensively both attacking off the bounce and finishing at the rim while also knocking down outside shots. Bah also demonstrated his ability to be effective finishing plays in transition— running the lanes hard and often times finishing above the rim.     An absolute lethal shooter from three point range that had impressive shooting performances over the course of July, Matt Kennedy demonstrated his ability to be a dangerous threat from the perimeter, as a versatile shot maker. Seen torching the nets over the course of numerous games these July live periods, Kennedy showcased a smooth shooting stroke and a quick release on his jump shot. Kennedy also did a good job of utilizing his strong frame to attack closeouts, get in the paint and finish around the basket.     Continuing his strong play into the month of July, [player_tooltip player_id='1859568' first='Shaan' last='Nayar'] has demonstrated his ability to be a threat from three point range while also being a threat to attack off the bounce and get to the rim. A smooth and confident shooter from three point range, Nayar has been seen knocking down shots from three point range both off the catch and off the bounce while also getting in the paint and finishing with craftiness when ran off the three point line.   Seeing his recruitment pick up a little bit of steam, Nayar had received interest from plenty of high academics after the June live period from the likes of Amherst, Middlebury, Stevens, and Haverford and should continue to see interest from a plethora of additional high academic programs.

The July live period of the 2025 NCAA recruiting calendar wrapped up earlier this month and certainly lived up to the hype. Across New Jersey, a number of prospects at the guard position from the class of 2026 delivered standout performances, elevating their stocks and setting themselves apart from their peers. Now that the July live period is in the rearview, let's highlight some of the guards from the 2026 class who made a strong impression during this month's action.