Trinity-Mission League Challenge: Best PG's

<p>WESTWOOD — Pauley Pavilion on the campus of UCLA played host to the second annual Trinity-Mission League Challenge over the weekend, a seven-game showcase event featuring cross-league matchups of two of the top high school basketball leagues in the country. We were in the building for all seven of the games on the day and below are the top point guards we watched.</p>   <h4 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='2136707' first='Amir' last='Jones'] | 2026 | Harvard-Westlake</h4>   <p>The Georgia State-commit has steadily improved his all-around game throughout his high school career and showed that he's ready to be a crucial component of another Wolverines' team that's expected to compete at the highest levels. Jones controls tempo, organizes offense and is your prototypical extension of the head coach on the floor. HE plays with good pace, is a high IQ decision-maker and takes care of the ball in transition and half-court offense. Jones finished with 12 points, including two 3-pointers, in a loss to St. John Bosco.</p>   <h4 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='2131811' first='Ethan' last='McCoy'] | 2026 | Orange Lutheran</h4>   <p>McCoy didn't have eye-popping numbers in the comeback win over St. Francis but his veteran presence, defensive effort and energy and smart decision-making was key to the Lancers erasing a 17-5 first quarter deficit. The 5-foot-10 senior was a ball-hawking defender and used his quick hands and lateral speed to pressure and contain opposing ball handlers. The importance of that defensive pressure should not be understated as the majority of St. Francis' offense was dependent on getting the ball into its dominant post player and McCoy's presence made that difficult. Offensively, McCoy was unselfish in finding his teammates - King and Zeola - who combined for nine triples.</p>   <h4 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='2131806' first='Gavin' last='Dean-Moss'] | 2026 | St. John Bosco</h4>   <p>Dean-Moss stepped into a bigger role this season and the early returns are promising. The 6-foot-1 senior has always been a high level on-ball defender who thrives on getting stops but he's shown an uptick in confidence on the offensive end. Dean-Moss is an aggressive attacker of the basket who can score at the rim, draw fouls and get to the free throw line and knock down pull-up jumpers going to his left hand. </p>   <h4 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='2435364' first='Nickon' last='Daei'] | 2027 | Crespi</h4>   <p>Daei stepped up big time in the absence of teammate [player_tooltip player_id='1956505' first='Malakai' last='Perrantes'] and was an effective two-way impact player in Crespi's big win over Mater Dei. The 6-foot-3 junior was tasked with stopping Monarchs' high scoring, Kansas-bound shooting guard, [player_tooltip player_id='1956507' first='Luke' last='Barnett'] and did as good a job as anyone we've seen at doing that. Daei was in full face-guard mode, limited Barnett's touches, made him work for every offensive opportunity, and contested shots without fouling. On the offensive end, Daei was a measured and controlled creator on drive-and-kicks which opened up finishing opportunities for him at the rim to the tune of 16 points.</p>   <h4 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='2646501' first='NaVorro' last='Bowman'] | 2027 | Notre Dame</h4>   <p>Bowman is one of the top point guards in the country and was an easy pick for this list after his 34-point performance that saw him pour in buckets from all three levels of the floor. The 6-foot-3 junior used his combination of quickness, change of speed and direction, strength and balance to weave through the Santa Margarita defense for strong buckets at the rim or pull-up jumpers. Bowman has a knack for seeking out contact to get to the free throw line where he knocked down 12 of his 14 attempts. The Top 50 national recruit also knocked down four three-pointers in the four-point loss to the Eagles.</p>   <h4 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='2622343' first='Nick' last='Giarrusso'] | 2026 | Crean Lutheran</h4>   <p>Giarrusso doesn't come from the cookie-cutter archetype of a point guard but he is as effective as one with the ball in his hands. The 6-foot-5 senior, who transferred from Oaks Christian, is a smooth and high IQ decision-maker whose vision and pace allow him to manipulate defenses, create advantages, and make the smart read and timely pass. Giarrusso has great positional size, a high level feel for the game and doesn't need to score to be impactful. He finished with eight points and seven assists in the win over Campbell Hall.</p>   <h4 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='1703073' first='Rodney' last='Westmoreland'] | 2026 | Santa Margarita</h4>   <p>Westmoreland is often the fifth option to get a shot for a loaded Santa Margarita team but it's often his defense, transition push energy and unselfishness that help get his teammates open looks. The 6-foot senior is lightning quick in the open court which allows him to get early paint touches in transition and spray out the ball to open shooters. Westmoreland is also a player who can punch gaps and collapse the defense in half-court offense with his first step. He finished with nine points (7-for-8 from the free throw line) and six assists.</p>   <h4 class="wp-block-heading">Tariq Johnson | 2029 | Servite</h4>   <p>Johnson showed an approach to the game that was confident and wise beyond his years. The 5-foot-10 freshman never looked rattled as he took the floor in his first major high school game and on one of the biggest stages Southern California has to offer. Johnson is a tough-minded, cerebral scorer and playmaker who competes at a high level on both ends of the floor. He finished with 16 points and the game-winning triple with 5.7 seconds on the clock.</p>

WESTWOOD — Pauley Pavilion on the campus of UCLA played host to the second annual Trinity-Mission League Challenge over the weekend, a seven-game showcase event featuring cross-league matchups of two of the top high school basketball leagues in the country. We were in the building for all seven of the games on the day and below are the top point guards we watched.