Philly Live Fall Classic: Standout 2027 guards

The braintrust behind the annual Philly Live scholastic live period event organized the first ever Philly Live Fall Classic, a one-day showcase event featuring a few dozen high school programs from across the Mid Atlantic. After taking in most of the day's action, we'll continue coverage with a handful of junior guards who impressed with their respective performances.    In a thrilling sudden-death win over Abington (PA), Henighan was effective throughout while showing notable progress overall as he continues to grow more comfortable in his new surroundings after transferring from GFS this summer. With more talent surrounding him than in the past, the lanky wing guard has settled into a nice role as an off-ball scoring threat and secondary playmaking option. On Saturday, Henighan kept his foot on the gas but while showcasing a smooth, measured pace off the bounce that combined with his size to allow him to consistently see and make the proper read. He looked comfortable as a spotup shooter from the arc while also using his length to make plays on D and get out in transition. Henighan looks to be making the proper strides towards the scholarship level if Saturday's game was any indication.     Harken is truly a positionless player at the high school level, with the frame, ball skills and playmaking IQ of a guard but the strength and interior toughness to contend with most forwards and bigs. He showed his versatility in two wins on Saturday, thriving as he typically does by attacking the rim with fervor and scoring opportunistically off cuts and offensive rebounds. Looking to the next level, Harken showed notable progress as a jump shooter in a win over Linden (NJ), knocking down a trio of shots from beyond the arc with increased confidence and fluidity to his stroke. That development will be the key piece to monitor as it makes Harken a cleaner fit as a nominal guard at the D1 level, which his frame is likely to necessitate on the defensive end.     Despite two tough losses on Saturday, including one in sudden-death overtime, Abington still looked the part of a contender in the SOL behind a talented junior class. Pickron led the way with his electric scoring ability, using his quickness and developing ball skills to burst downhill for explosive finishes around the cup. He showed progress as a jump shooter, both on spotups from the arc and midrange pullups, while bringing his typical energy on the defensive end to cause havoc and get out in transition. The Ghosts will go as far as their high-octane backcourt will take them, with Pickron's continued development being a key piece to monitor for District 1 fans and scholarship-level coaches alike.     Malvern looked to be in midseason form while coasting to back-to-back wins on Saturday morning, with Reed running the show and controlling the point of attack as he's done since day one as a freshman starter. Among the fastest end-to-end guards in the region, Reed controlled the pace while putting consistent pressure on the paint whether to score or set up teammates for easy looks after sucking in the defense. Traditionally more of a downhill driver and midrange artist, he showed increased confidence from the perimeter including pulling up for multiple 3s in transition. Reed's quickness, IQ, and two-way leadership should make him a popular target for scholarship-level coaches up to the D1 level, particularly those who favor an uptempo attack.     Among the most notable developments in the SOL and District 1 this offseason has been the development of Grasty into a future bona-fide scholarship-level lead guard. The dynamic floor general showed further signs of that growth on Saturday, manning the controls on both ends and playing an impactful floor game while keeping things honest as a scorer when needed. Grasty played with a bounce in his step while bobbing and weaving to his spots off the bounce and hitting teammates with crisp passes for easy looks. His instincts and athleticism help overcome limitations around his size, with continued progress as a perimeter shooter opening up possibilities at the D1 level as he adds to his resumé as an upperclassman.

The braintrust behind the annual Philly Live scholastic live period event organized the first ever Philly Live Fall Classic, a one-day showcase event featuring a few dozen high school programs from across the Mid Atlantic. After taking in most of the day's action, we'll continue coverage with a handful of junior guards who impressed with their respective performances.