Last Week's: Exciting Playmakers

New readers: Use code Proia30     I watched several games from different leagues within the area last week and wanted to take the time out to recognize some of the top performers. Point guards control the flow of the game for their team but need to have a well-rounded skillbase to call their own number within the flow of the offense to keep defenses honest. Let's break down a few of the top floor generals that stood out to me!    13p 3a 1r 4s vs PGCA   -Really hard to overstate the impact that our scouts see with Johnson on a consistent basis. A lightning-quick 2-way guard that always plays with a motor, a layup attempt is never a safe bet to get above his opponent's hips-- especially in transition-- as Johnson swiped away 4 steals throughout the game and forced his opponents to commit several TOs along the baseline. Johnson scored at the rim in transition, got to the FT line pretty well throughout the game, and knocked down a big wing 3 to tie the game late in regulation to force OT. He plays well under pressure, is a selfless leader for his team, and can play off of other guards in the halfcourt.     14p vs Woodlawn   -One of the most dynamic athletes in the area at the guard position, Edwards' recruitment is picking up a ton of steam with juco and prep school coaches for good reason. In his first game back from injury Edwards scored 14 points while showing his 2-way impact. Edwards raced back to glass a block in transition, blocked a 3 later in the same quarter on a long closeout, sprinted into the frame to grab a steal from behind in transition, hit a pull-up 3 OTB, came up with a huge one-handed O board in the paint to draw the foul (hit both FTs) to put his team up 2 end of 3Q, missed a 3 but grabbed his own miss to force a shot that sent him to the FT line again, picked a pocket at halfcourt and hit his teammate with the assist, and flew across the paint to block a shot at the rim late in the 4Q. His dynamic athleticism and ability to play either guard spot while playing with a motor and hitting perimeter shots-- would not be surprised to see him reach the D1 level after another year of development.     9p 2r 2a 3b 1 charge drawn vs PGCA   -Earned a few offers last week and showed why, offsetting a slow night at the offensive end of the floor by ramping up the defensive effort to make winning plays for his team. A lot of players will sulk or complain to the referees on a missed shot around the basket, but Green on three separate occasions missed a shot at the rim but raced back defensively to block shots at the rim to preserve his team's lead. His wrap around pass to his big in transition for the easy layup and a massive drawn charge in the second OT frame to put the game away empowered the Lions to stave off late runs from PGCA to score a nice road victory in the MPSC.     -There was a lot to love from the Hereford junior in a league matchup with Catonsville at home. Daw started things off with a live dribble 1-handed dime to the cutter off the back pick set, showed active hands poking out several steals both on and off the ball in transition, executed a nice baseline drive to hit the skip pass to the shooter in the opposite corner for a wide open 3, stole the ball back after a teammate committed a turnover to switch ends quickly and score at the rim, drove the lane to land in the paint on 2 and hit the and1 floater through the contact, ripped an opponent at halfcourt and threw down a 2-handed dunk at the other hand, and had a nice dump off to his big in the short corner after blowing past his matchup to get to the middle of the paint. Love his grit and moxie as a smaller guard that isn't afraid to mix it up in scrums to secure a loose ball or long rebound.     -Saw some nice flashes from the junior guard as a prospect that seems to be gaining confidence by the day as he carves out a bigger role in the Catonsville rotation. Savoy can handle the ball and initiate the offense, has nice burst on his downhill drives, moved the ball well to find open shooters in the halfcourt, knocked down open looks, and flew around defensively for his team. His ability to play 1-3 for this team gives his team some lineup flexibility and he found a way to be impactful with a different cast of characters around him.     J. Costley 15p 11r 6a 2s vs PGCA   -I wrote about his performance a little in our weekly roundup article (found <a href="https://prephoops.com/2026/01/weekly-roundup-1-19-1-26/">here</a>), but came away impressed with Costley's 2-way impact as a young guard prospect with a mature approach to the game. Costley was super active on the glass, flying in to score on putbacks at the offensive end and boxing out hard to snag defensive rebounds that he could initiate the fastbreak with at the defensive end of the floor. He showed good pace on the middle drive and drop off to the cutter, hit a huge C+S corner 3 to stop a PGCA run, hit a 3 from the wing in transition a few possessions later, and drew fouls on putbacks and drives to the rim to slow the pace of the game to get free points at the line. Even though he fouled out on a tough whistle with 3 minutes left in transition to miss the two extra quarters, he still finished with a near triple-double (I missed the second half of the 1Q, stats began in the 2Q) that showed his diverse skillbase and impact for this Springdale Prep team.

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