Underclass 5A/4A combo guards who stood out in January

January was a massive month for some of the state's top young backcourt talent. While upperclass players often lead the headlines, these five underclass combo guards stole the show with their scoring, playmaking, and leadership. From huge scoring nights to lockdown defense, here is a look at the young playmakers who stood out and dominated the court this past month.    Jacobi is a freshman shooting guard out of the Springs who has jumped onto the radar and is putting together a solid season. He's been one of the bright spots for a Sierra squad that is trying to find their way. In January, we got to see the upside to him as he's coming off of his best two-game stretch. He's a freshman who does a bit of everything as a facilitating combo guard who also can stretch the floor. As he gets more varsity time under his belt, I expect him to start picking up what defenses are throwing at him, and it turning into some big scoring games.     As we're getting into league play, Palmer is a team that is starting to see it all come together, and they're getting wins. They're on their longest win streak of the season and finish off January, and a big reason for that is their freshman standout guard, [player_tooltip player_id='2390330' first='Bo' last='Pecic']. Pecic is lighting it up from deep and providing an offensive explosion. In this stretch, we're seeing him knock down the 3-ball, move without the ball, and find holes in the defense, and also score with ease. He's starting to get in a groove and once that consistency kicks in, I think we're looking at a really good player. He's coming along and is a prospect to keep eyes on as we head into the final stretch of the season.     Jamari is a player who jumped on our radar as the start of the year as one of the few freshman in the state who was getting varsity minutes and first forward to now and for January, was one of Aurora Centrals best players. The game has seemed to slow down for him a bit, and he's now looking more confident as a scorer and facilitator. The Trojans are on a 5-game winning streak, and in January, he's put together a couple of double-figure games. He's been the team's most active defender, and he impacts the game on both ends of the floor. He's a 2029 to follow.     Caleb is a sophomore who jumped onto the scene this season and hasn't looked back. To begin the new year he put up games of 25 and 27 points in victories to set the tone. He's a reliable scorer who is an assertive sophomore and is a top 10 scorer in the class. The offense has taken a bit of a dip to close out January, but he's found other ways to impact th game. He's stepped into a facilitator role, as he finds the open man, keeps the ball popping, and feeds teammates. He also has proven to be one of the better rebounding guards in the class. He's a stat sheet stuffer who has his team playing excellent ball right now. Wittler has been a force this season.     Phipps is a young combo guard whose versatility puts him in a great spot to stand out, and now we're seeing it on display. He's strung together a solid patch of games, and Palmer is on their longest winning streak of the season. Phipps is a downhill and aggressive guard who wants to get to his spots. He scores in bunches, applies pressure to the defense and remains on the attack. He's also stepped up as a rebounder and he's been a much better defender in the new year. I want him to continue to push himself on the defensive end of the court and play with energy, as he can be a difference-maker with his physical capabilities. Excited to see it all come together for him, but he's off to a better start of the new year.

January was a massive month for some of the state's top young backcourt talent. While upperclass players often lead the headlines, these five underclass combo guards stole the show with their scoring, playmaking, and leadership. From huge scoring nights to lockdown defense, here is a look at the young playmakers who stood out and dominated the court this past month.