Pangos Premier 80: Standout Guards

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>LONG BEACH — The first live viewing period of July kicked off across the country this week and Thursday at McBride high school marked the opening event in Southern California with the Pangos Premier 80 Showcase. The event featured 80-plus prospects from various states - and even internationally from Greece - with many of the players being of the "under-the-radar" variety. Below we break down the standout guards we watched.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='2131801' first='Aiden' last='McIntyre'] | 2026 | Leuzinger</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>McIntyre is one of Southern California's shiftiest point guards and he used his ability to change speeds, direction, and explode in stop-and-go situations to get paint touches and finish around the basket. The lefty was also showing his ability to make players around him better with unselfish drive-and-kick passes and accurate lobs to big men.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">Antonio Bayman | 2027 | SEPA (FL)</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Bayman put on a scoring clinic in the game we saw him play and made it look easy from all three levels of the floor. The 6-foot-1 rising junior was most effective in isolation situations where he used his crafty ball skills, strong first step and ability to stay on balance through contact to get to the rim or to his mid-range spot where he hit pull-up jumpers.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">Bless'ed Thomas | 2027 | Crispus Attucks (IN)</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Thomas brought a controlled feel for the game to a style of event that can lead to sloppy or out of control basketball. The 6-footer used his strong frame to stave off any contact from defenders to get two feet in the lane where he finished through contact and connected with open teammates with timely and accurate passes.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='2646948' first='Darrell' last='Bagsby'] | 2027 | Leuzinger</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Bagsby quickly established himself as one of the savviest point guards in this event. His ball-on-a-string handle and open court speed allowed him to slice through the defense and score at the cup or with a crafty floater over the defense. Bagsby was an automatic paint touch who, despite his smaller 5-foot-10 frame finished efficiently around the rim.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='2779851' first='Jeremiah' last='Hunt'] | 2026 | Millikan</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hunt remains one of SoCal's most under-appreciated guards and whichever program lands him is getting a polished perimeter scorer who also has great playmaking feel. Hunt was at the top of the best shooters in the gym with his smooth and easy mechanics complementing his quick release and deep range. Hunt was knocking in shots from all over both off the catch and off the bounce.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='2750232' first='Luke' last='Paulus'] | 2028 | St. Francis</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Paulus brought a "true" point guard approach to an event that normally breeds a score at all costs mindset. The 6-foot-1 rising sophomore is the nephew of former Duke standout and current head coach at Niagara and it's clear that the basketball IQ gene is a strong one among that family tree. Paulus was a measured decision-maker who really looked to spread the ball around to his teammates.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='2767780' first='Phillip' last='Reed'] | 2029 | Palisades</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Reed is among the best incoming freshmen in the state and the ease in which he operated in this event proved why. The 6-foot point guard brought a polished feel for the game - both as a scorer and creator - and his combination of a strong frame, willingness to be physical and old school toughness led to him scoring efficiently from all areas of the floor.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->