Who are Some Underrated Playmakers in the 434/540/276?

Jack Herron February 18, 2026 @ 12:12 PM

Everyone wants to talk about scorers and stars in today's game, but there are still plenty of players out there that make their teammates better with their passing ability. Here's a look at some of the best underrated playmakers in the Central and Western areas of the state.   [player_tooltip player_id='1588114' first='Tristan' last='Isenhour'] | 6'3” PG | New Covenant 2026   Isenhour has been one of the top guards in the Lynchburg area since he was a freshman and has led New Covenant to a ton of success over the years, and he's been one of the best passers even in his younger days. At 6'3” he has great positional size and is able to see and deliver passes over smaller defenders, he plays with great poise and patience to allow plays to develop, he delivers passes crisp and on point consistently, and he sees the game ahead of others with his high IQ.   [player_tooltip player_id='3266337' first='Kenton' last='Sutphin'] | 5'9” PG | Fort Chiswell 2026   Sutphin has been great for the past few years for FC, and has been one of the best floor generals in all of SWVA this season on a very talented team. While he isn't the biggest he is quick and shifty off the bounce with the ability to get in the lane and gets on two feet to deliver kick outs and dump offs, he's great in transition with the ability to make defenders commit and find guys running the floor, and he is great at creating turnovers and pitching ahead for easy buckets.   [player_tooltip player_id='3363664' first='Aiden' last='Carter'] | 6'1” PG | Nelson County 2026   Carter has been fantastic for Nelson County who looks like they're primed for a championship run in Class 2, and his leadership and unselfishness has been a huge part in their success. He's a true floor general who leads by example with his unselfish ways and high motor, he's great at jumping passing lanes and getting easy opportunities for himself and others in transition, he keeps his head up in transition and finds guys running the floor, and he makes great reads in the pick-and-roll too.   Hayden Hall | 5'9” PG | Marion 2027   Hall has been nothing short of fantastic for the Scarlet Hurricanes (great mascot) this season, as he's been a dual threat guard who has both scored it and made plays for his teammates impressively this year. The 5'9” lead guard is a highly skilled passer who passes it well with both hands off the bounce, he has great understanding of how much loft or how hard he needs to deliver passes with, he can probe the defense and is great at making reads in ball screens, and in transition he's always looking for teammates to finish at the rim.   [player_tooltip player_id='2898034' first='Langston' last='Cook'] | 5'11” PG | Parry McCleur 2027   Cook has been one of the best guards in the entire state this season, and his ability to impact the game in so many different ways, including making plays for others, makes him one of the most valuable players in SWVA. He's a prolific scoring guard that can fill it up and he uses that attention he garners to make plays for others when he gets it going, he can push it in transition and get his teammates easy buckets, he throws the skip well when defenses choose to double him, and he can easily blow by defenders and collapse the defense to kick out to shooters.   [player_tooltip player_id='2918943' first='Linney' last='Reed'] | 5'11” PG | Stuart Hall 2028   Reed was a big part of Stuart Hall's run to the VISAA D-IV state championship last year, and this year as their primary ball handler and playmaker he's stepped it up even more. He's a lightning quick guard with the ability to push in transition all the way to the rim and drop it off for easy scores, he makes great reads in ball screens with the ability to hit the pocket or the pitch back, he reads rotations well and makes good decisions, and his ability to put constant pressure on the defense leads to easy kick-outs and dump offs too.

Everyone wants to talk about scorers and stars in today's game, but there are still plenty of players out there that make their teammates better with their passing ability. Here's a look at some of the best underrated playmakers in the Central and Western areas of the state.