Don't Be Surprised When These 3A Guards Break Out

This list is a little different than most. We're in the middle of the summer, and while these aren't necessarily players I've seen every weekend throughout the spring or guys that have been all over the camp circuit. In fact, part of what makes this group interesting is that there are still some unanswered questions. The evaluation here is based on flashes during the high school season, select viewings, and traits that I believe translate to bigger opportunities moving forward. These are a handful of 3A guards that I'm expecting to hear a lot more about once the season tips off.   Use code dev30 for 30% off and secure access as we're going through rankings and got you covered for the grassroots season. You don't want to miss any of our scouting.     Osei is a 5'9 PG at William Smith that not many have heard of, but those who have gone up against him have quickly learned about. Jordan had a breakout junior year where he put up 19.7 points a game. Jordan is a score-first guard who is not afraid to take shots in a game. He's a creative scorer from all three-levels, he gets to the FT line and grabs the board, and starts the break. Osei is a downhill attacker who had a solid junior year and will have high expectations come Senior season. We hope to see him before the summer ends.     Eschmann is not underrated in the sense of our coverage, as he's made it a point to get out to our camps and show that he can not only hang but stand out against the top players in the state, no matter the class, but he's a player who I truly believe will burst onto the scene even more in his Senior season. As a junior, he made one of the biggest leaps in the state as he put up 18.4 points a game and showed that he's a complete player. He had 4.8 assists and 3.6 rebounds to go along with it. Andrew is the team's go-to scoring option, and he has to find ways to score while seeing different looks from opposing teams on a given night. He had to use the screen, score in iso situations, and also find the open man, and things started to click for him in the second half of the season. He was having monster games where he was scoring in double figures, he had a game where he finished with a career high 43 points, even outscoring the opposing team himself, which you do not see too often and had one of his best games of the year in the final game, where he put up 27 points in the closeout game against a very talented Banning Lewis Academy team. He's one of the players I feel has a breakout year and is an underrated player who I'm sure has a big year. Mark my words on this one.     Pensado is one of 3A's top PG's, and in his junior year, he put his name in as one of the best two-way guards in the class as well. Pensado was a stat sheet stuffer as he had some big games. He averaged 13.9 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and had 3.3 steals a game to go along with it. He's a player who plays within the flow of the offense, keeps the ball popping, and is an unselfish leader. Pensado slows the game down, handles pressure, and keeps his teammates involved, and that's what you need from a leader. This should be a year where he elevates his game as a two-way guy who opposing teams will certainly keep an eye on.     Trejo has been a player we've written about before, with the season he had a year ago, and now he steps into a spot where Wray will need him even more. Wray had an underwhelming season and has some pieces that will have them start to turn things around, but Trejo will be the centerpiece. As a junior, he averaged 13.2 points and had 4.8 rebounds to go along with it despite being a small guard. Wray out the ball in his hands and let him operate. He made the right decisions, had teammates running faster as they knew they'd be rewarded, and averaged 4 assists a game. He's going to have to be a better perimeter scorer if he wants to make the best of his gam,e but has found ways to be one of the most effective players in 3A last year. Excited to see his growth as an underrated guard who deserves more attention.     Manuel is heading into a junior year where I feel that he has some momentum, and people are starting to take notice of the type of guard he is. He's a score-first guard who is the team's primary ball handler; they look for him to score, and he can get going at a moment's notice. He led Arrupe Jesuit to a 17-7 record a season ago as he put up 13.8 points a game. He's a two-way standout who used his defensive creativity to get steals in the open court for easy baskets. He had 5 or more steals in 5 games, and he took care of the ball. Loya handled pressure and read double teams and still got the offense going. He's a player who we have in the rankings and hope we get to see a bit more of him before the season begins.

This list is a little different than most. We're in the middle of the summer, and while these aren't necessarily players I've seen every weekend throughout the spring or guys that have been all over the camp circuit. In fact, part of what makes this group interesting is that there are still some unanswered questions. The evaluation here is based on flashes during the high school season, select viewings, and traits that I believe translate to bigger opportunities moving forward. These are a handful of 3A guards that I'm expecting to hear a lot more about once the season tips off.