Underclass guards who stepped up 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.    Lucas is also a freshman prospect who is starting to see things come together for him. He's been impressive for all of his freshman year as a guard who the game slows down for. He plays at his own pace, attacks off the dribble, and is a prospect who gets downhill. He's an aggressive scoring guard, and we saw that as he put up double digits in half of the games in January. He is a very good rebounder for a guard who gets the board and starts the break. He pushes the break, gets out in transition, and finds the open man or finishes. He's seeing the game a bit differently right now and will only get better. Solid month for him that we're going to keep taking a look at.     Powell's season didn't begin the season until the new year, but once he got back on the court, he picked up right where he left off in his freshman season and this summer. Powell was on a mission all summer to prove that he belongs as one of the top guards in the class, and he's been delivering. He's putting up 18.1 ppg as a confident lead guard who excels with the ball in his hands and has also been finding teammates as well. Severance is on a 6-game winning streak and playing their best ball. They look like they will be a team that could win their conference behind their leading scorer, who has been on a tear this season. Trending back up for him as he's finally returned.     I did not want to write about Noah as we have plenty of articles on him, but with the way that he's playing right now, there are not many underclassmen, better yet, players, in the state that's doing it at this level. Adkins is the No.1 scoring sophomore in the state right now at 21.6 points a game, and in January, he went on a tear. He finished in double figures in all 8 games and averaged 24 points a game for the month, including an explosion of 37 points and 31 points in both games he played against George Washington. He's also looked elite as a playmaker who is trusting in teammates more, looks like a floor general, as well as the top defender in the state. January was a big month for him, and we noticed.     Alphonso is a guard in the 2028 class who looks better every time we've seen him, and right now, he looks very comfortable. That's led to some very solid games, especially since the new year has started. McDonald has elevated his game in January as he was named a starter, and from that moment, Denver South has been rolling. He offers versatility and reliability. He's a two-way player who forces opposing guards to speed up; he plays the passing lanes and turns defense into offense. He averaged 2.1 steals in January, is running the offense, and finding the open man. He looks like a consistent scorer as well. South is a team to keep an eye on as we continue in league play. They are playing their best ball, and I feel as if his play is a big reason for the shift.     Collier is putting up 20.3 points a game for Denver East as the No.2 option and makes up for one of the better backcourt duos in the state. He's a microwave scorer who gets scorching hot; he can heat up at any time, and when he's on, he's on. We saw that a few times in January like in their win against Vista Peak, where he finished with 39 points, or 27 points against Northfield. The 3-ball has been the igniter for him, but he also uses a deceptively quick first step to get to the rim and finish as well as floaters. He averaged 19.5 for the month and comes in as a top-5 scorer in the class to begin February.

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.