Summer's Best: Tough Defending Guards

DJ exerts maximum effort on the ball defensively, which is nice to see from such a good scorer. Derrick never takes a play off defensively and that was shown over both the summer and the regular season preceding AAU. Derrick flies around the perimeter and chases down the ball-handler if he gets beat. Always in tune and disciplined, does a great job of cutting off the drive and stopping up the ball-handler. Doesn't gamble much on the ball and moves his feet to defend.     I feel Jaylin is one of the best defending guards on the public school scene. He covers the length of the floor and maintain his energy through the entire game. Jaylin finds the best opposing guard and makes it his mission to slow his game down. Great footwork defensively that allows him to keep in front of the ball and jump passing lanes. Reads the game well from both sides of the ball.     Armani impressed me because of his activity on both ends of the floor. A scary sight in the backcourt this summer in the trap-press for a lot of opposing guards. Armani plays the passing lane well and scores a lot of points due to his defensive prowess. Armani has very good timing and reads the floor well from the defensive side of the ball.     Mekhi is one of the better defenders in the area. He has no problem picking up the ball early and aggressively beating the opposition to where he's trying to go. Incredible speed and footwork mix that let Makhi wreak havoc on the defensive end. As good as Mekhi is on-the-ball, he is just as good off of it. He can play the passing lanes on the perimeter all game long and shuts down a whole side of the floor at times because of his off-ball prowess. Very heady defensive player that can shut down the opposition with his constant energy and ball pressure.     Jay is another guard who uses the whole floor to defend. He suffocates the offense when defending full-court, and is a nightmare in the trap-press. The guard makes up for his shorter stature by making his presence felt all game long. Never gives the offense a break with his relentlessness on the ball. Jay will force the defense to commit to decisions they do not want to make with the ball jut to get him off them. Jay feasts on errant passes and ball pick-ups to capitalize off of. Great find from Springdale.     Gabe is one of Roosevelt's most crucial pieces thanks to his versatility on the floor. He can pick up any guard no matter the size because of his strong defensive ability. He is a hard-nosed defender that doesn't mind the responsibility of being the defensive pest. Gabe can shoot by on-ball screens and rotates onto the ball from the wing very well. His ability allows for Roosevelt to take some gambles and rely on the backside to slide in rotation. Gabe does well at closing up lanes that were once available to the opposition. Picks off the passing lane all game long, which may be his best defensive attribute. Never sleep while Gabe is on the floor because he will make you pay on both ends.