Get In Get Out Classic: Standout 2026 guards

NJ Legacy hosted its 3rd annual Get In Get Out Classic on Saturday at Weequahic HS, bringing in nearly two dozen teams across North Jersey, New York, and PA. After taking in an afternoon's worth of action, we saw several standout performances starting with a handful of unsigned senior guards.    In a narrow win over Patrick School, Brown put together as scintillating an individual performance as we saw all day, pouring in nearly half his team's points and showing notable growth in the process. As he typically does, Brown came out aggressive, showcasing improved strength and athleticism attacking the basket for a number of strong finishes before getting going from the perimeter with his effortlessly compact shooting stroke. In addition to his physical growth, Brown looked to be more advanced as a ballhandler and playmaker for others than we had seen from him in the past. Continuing to trend up, Brown looks to be one of the more under-recruited guards in the Northeast as mid-major programs should be monitoring him closely.     Linden got off to a sluggish start but came roaring back behind their senior transfer floor general, who comes in after the closing of Immaculate Conception (NJ) with three years of starting experience under his belt. A natural leader and elite competitor, Barnett has wasted no time taking the reigns in his new setting, consistently putting his teammates in positions to be successful while scoring himself when needed in big moments. He turned the game around on Saturday with hounding point-of-attack defense, forcing turnovers to ignite transition opportunities the other way. While his size may present some limitations, Barnett is a clearcut scholarship-level lead guard, with D1 programs likely wanting to see further growth as a perimeter shooter over the course of his senior year before potentially pulling the trigger.     Quietly one of the more productive junior guards in the state last year, Kennedy appears to be on a steady upward trajectory and has been rewarded with a handful of D2 offers in recent weeks. On Saturday, he showed his well-rounded scoring ability with 15 points in an imposing win using a blend of shotmaking and downhill driving. Kennedy shoots a clean and confident ball with repeatable mechanics off the catch, setting himself up to attack closeouts with physicality before finishing with touch around the rim. His sturdy frame and tough-nosed mindset make him a versatile piece on the other end as well. He looks the part of a scholarship prospect for sure, and with prep school on the table as a recently-turned-17 senior, could continue to elevate further given his toughness and translatable skillset.     While our main focus was on the adjacent court, it seemed that every time we glanced over during a timeout or break in the action, Solomon was putting the ball in the bucket for his Newark Collegiate group. A lanky guard, he caught the eye first with his swift footwork in the lane getting into soft finishes set up by crafty and improvisational dribble combos. Solomon showed his soft touch could extend out to the perimeter, converting from beyond the arc off the catch and after creating space with his stepback. We'd like to continue evaluating Solomon's floor game as a defender and playmaker for others, but his length and microwave scoring ability should certainly have him on scholarship radars, particularly if he opts for a year of prep school having just turned 17 relatively recently.     Despite a narrow loss to Linden, St. Raymond showed itself to be a contender once again in New York's CHSAA, with Cisse leading the charge while stepping into an enhanced offensive role. He got Ray's out to an early lead with his trademark defensive pressure in the backcourt, forcing turnovers and getting out in transition for easy buckets. With four-year stalwarts Brandon Stores and Tai Turnage off to college, Cisse will be tasked with more scoring and creation, and looked comfortable as a secondary playmaker in the halfcourt. Cisse has the athletic tools and approach to slot into a scholarship-level role and should prove himself even more as an entrenched starter in his senior year.     With established D1 prospect [player_tooltip player_id='2201947' first='Anthony' last='Gonzalez'] returning and multiple new pieces joining him, it was well-known that Seton Hall Prep would be carried by its guard play, but the emergence of Reese looks to be yet another element to the Pirates' multi-pronged backcourt attack. Coming off the bench, the quick-footed combo made a ton of plays on either end, converting shots off the catch while also knifing downhill for swift drives and playing tough-nosed defense at either guard spot. Having played a smaller role as a junior, Reese looks to be on the cusp of a breakout in his final season and could be an intriguing target for small-college programs in search of quality guard depth.

NJ Legacy hosted its 3rd annual Get In Get Out Classic on Saturday at Weequahic HS, bringing in nearly two dozen teams across North Jersey, New York, and PA. After taking in an afternoon's worth of action, we saw several standout performances starting with a handful of unsigned senior guards.