Nike EYBL DMV City Series: 16U Guard Standouts

This weekend was a special one in the DMV, as the EYBL circuit made its way to town for the first ever 'City Series.' In a four-team pod sort of setting, <a href="https://prephoops.com/program/team-durant-2/"> </a><a href="https://prephoops.com/program/team-durant-2/">[program_tooltip program_id='2078457' first='Team' last='Durant']</a>  , <a href="https://prephoops.com/program/team-final/"> </a><a href="https://prephoops.com/program/team-final/">[program_tooltip program_id='2078709' first='Team' last='Final']</a>  , <a href="https://prephoops.com/program/team-melo/"> </a><a href="https://prephoops.com/program/team-melo/">[program_tooltip program_id='2076999' first='Team' last='Melo']</a>  and <a href="https://prephoops.com/program/team-takeover/"> </a><a href="https://prephoops.com/program/team-takeover/">[program_tooltip program_id='2077004' first='Team' last='Takeover']</a>  (15s, 16s, 17s) gathered for Friday and Saturday games at Suitland High School to play in games that would count in league play.   We'll use this week to highlight observations from different age levels and positional groups.   For the <a href="https://prephoops.com/2026/05/nike-eybl-dmv-city-series-17u-guard-observations/">17U guards, click here.</a>   For <a href="https://prephoops.com/2026/05/nike-eybl-dmv-city-series-17u-wings-bigs-observations/">17U wings/bigs, click here.</a>    Final 16s came to the DMV and made a statement by going 3-0, stacking two double-digit victories and one close one against [program_tooltip program_id='2076999' first='Team' last='Melo'] where they'd win 67-63. The backcourt duo of Carter and [player_tooltip player_id='2450782' first='Rowan' last='Phillips'] is a dynamic one that offers good positional size, athleticism for high-flying finishes in the open floor and for Smith in particular, a dependable outside shooting threat on the catch. He took whatever the defense gave him, but I struggled to find a defender in the gym who could keep him at bay from the point of attack. Is wiry frame allows for a long first step and with improved twitch, playing with a lower center of gravity and an aggression attacking the rim, seeing him go from the top of the key to the bucket in a flash was a common sight.   He was also dialed in defensively as this Final group mixed up their looks with man-to-man, full court traps and even zone for portions of games. Smith was a pest in the passing lanes with good anticipation and ability to generate steals into offense quickly.   He posted an impressive stat line of 17.7PPG, 4.7RPG, 3.3APG and 3.3SPG on shooting splits of 66.7/40.0/73.3.     You can't start a conversation or evaluation on Washington without stating he's one of the most vicious defenders you'll find at the guard position regardless of class. I stand by that statement and did before this weekend and will remain ten toes down after another showing of harassing opposing ball handlers into turnovers with relative ease. In my years of evaluating, I have yet to come across a player who prides himself in the steal column of the box score rather than the scoring one. He keeps track of them and looks to collect at least five steals per outing. He's also an excellent positional rebounder who doesn't hesitate to lunge his body against bigs to fight for 50/50s.   Offensively, touching the paint and putting pressure on the rim will be his calling card. The burst out of crossovers, ability to change speeds and quickly process rotations when the defense scurries to halt penetration can make everyone else's job around him easier. He's a table-setter, but showing his soft touch on floaters or finishing high off the glass amongst the trees will bode well for his long-term value.   A packed stat line for Washington as he averaged 7.7PPG, 8.3RPG, 5APG and 4.3SPG.     Durant will head back to the drawing board after an 0-3 weekend as they look to regain footing in EYBL play. A couple of bright spots came from their backcourt, one of which was Brooks. He takes on the bulk of the primary ball handling duties and as I've stated in recent reports, has improved a great deal on his ability to control the tempo of a game. He's another point guard on this list that plays effectively in a change-of-pace approach and keeps his defender on their toes with his lethal long-range shooting ability that extends a few feet beyond the high school line. He continues to show growth as a playmaker and dynamic passer in ball screen actions where he uses the gravity that his long-ball demands to force his man to fight over screens, which results in him keeping his man on his back hip while he reads the floor.   Brooks averaged 8.3PPG, 4.3RPG and 2.7APG.     Another productive, efficient showing out of Valadez who seems to be poised for a strong junior campaign if this momentum continues. As a team, Melo finished 1-2 overall with their three-point win over Durant was led by the 6-foot lead guard's 19 points and seven assists. His on-ball responsibilities don't dictate his involvement and when he shares the floor with a more dominant ball handler, Valadez can easily slide over to the two where his spot-up shooting prowess shines.   He averaged 12PPG, 5APG, 3.7RPG and 3.3SPG.     The tandem of Phillips and Smith are a couple of reasons why Final should have a strong argument to be mentioned as contenders for the Peach Jam title. Standing 6-foot-6, he brings elite positional size that he uses to his advantage in finishing at or over the rim. He's aggressive in exposing driving lanes, especially on the second-side swings where he meets the ball in flight and covers ground with his first step as the defense rotates. He can get to the cup from the perimeter in 1-to-2 strides with momentum, but also possesses the footwork and body control to finish at difficult angles. His team high 19PPG came on converting 51.4 percent of his looks inside the arc. His length was a factor defensively in passing lanes and both he and Smith were tremendous in quickly generating points off turnovers as the top guys in the zone.     Good weekend for Betz, despite the team's struggles as he could carve out a role for more minutes moving forward. More of a combo than a point guard at this stage, he plays well off the ball and allows guys like Brooks to create kick-out opportunities for him where he can make his defender pay for hesitations on closeouts or, if the closeout is aggressive, can attack off the bounce where he gets to his mid-range with nice pace and balance.   Betz averaged a team-high 10.7PPG and converted on 50 percent of his shots from deep.

This weekend was a special one in the DMV, as the EYBL circuit made its way to town for the first ever 'City Series.' In a four-team pod sort of setting, Team Durant , Team Final , Team Melo and Team Takeover (15s, 16s, 17s) gathered for Friday and Saturday games at Suitland High School to play in games that would count in league play.