MD Live's Best: Scoring Guards

New readers: Use code Proia30   I attended three different events during the first scholastic live period session to try and see as many of the local teams play as possible in a big weekend for college recruitment. In this article we will focus on the top scoring prospects that I saw at Maryland Live at the Severn School in Severna Park, MD. Prospects that are able to create their own shot against different types of defenders are exceedingly valuable in today's game. Let's dive in on a few names that fit that bill!    25p 5r 3a 3s vs St. Paul's   -Hawkins is an absolute rocket with the ball in his hands, love how he used a strong frame to bully his way to his spots and to the free throw line while staying on-balance for shot attempts. Hawkins hit a beautiful step-back 3 off a snatch-back crossover dribble, knocked down multiple 3s off the catch, got downhill and pitched well-placed shovel passes to cutters for easy buckets in the paint, and can turn some sharp shin angles to get a step and downhill to the rim. The combinations of 3s and FTs turned a 12-point game into a blowout to effectively close out a 2-game slate at MD Live. Hawkins effectively used his brawn and physicality to blow up ball screens and disrupt offensive flow at the defensive end of the floor for a well-rounded 2-way performance.     17p 6r 3a 2s vs NC GBB   -First time seeing Germain and came away impressed by how easily he puts the ball in the hole while also showcasing a diverse shot diet. The lefty guard gets to his spots in the halfcourt for paint floaters and elbow pull-ups but is also a confident off-ball shooter that doesn't need much airspace to get off a clean look. Germain scored off a BLOB face cut to earn FTs, secured a rebound and threw a baseball pass over the top for an assist, and hit a huge contested 3 to go up 4 late in the game to give Pallotti a lead that they would not surrender down the stretch. Loved his moxie and tenacity when face-guarded or double-teamed by opponents on ball screens, as he did not surrender an inch and delivered the correct passing read to a teammate.     23p 4r 1s 9/15 FG vs Sandy Springs   -One of the smoothest play-making point guards in the area that gets to his spots quickly and decisively in the halfcourt. Lee overcame a slow 1H by getting to the free throw line to get his jumper heated up then proceeded to knock down shots from all 3 levels off the dribble. Lee's teammates missed a few open looks that he created for them but he continued to find them off the dribble and utilized pass-fakes off the catch to instead bury a shot of his own on a few occasions. Lee has an argument for best guard in MIAA's B Conference as he enters a senior year looking to avenge a title loss from this past season.     23p vs Loyola    -Came away impressed with the shiftiness of Deveaux's game as a guard the utilizes stop n start tempo to throw his defender off-balance before cruising to open pockets in the defense to raise up for a jumper. Deveaux got it going with a euro step lay through contact in transition, ripped a ballhandler at halfcourt for the steal and AND1 lay, hit a pair of 3s off of pindowns in the 1H, and served as the overall head of the snake in Gilman's full court ball pressure schemes. I wish I had the stats from this one to show the well-rounded impact that he had on the game as he showed a high IQ for well-timed stunts or reaches for steals or simply to disrupt tempo without being whistled for personal fouls.     23p vs Gillion   -The first step and speed of Johnson in the open court is one of the best in the area as he put on a pretty dominant performance for the Cardinals in Maryland Live play. Johnson's hesi crossover combo was a lethal combination with a euro step to first get past his man then maneuver past the help to score at the rim throughout the game. Johnson threw some beautiful live dribble dimes with his left hand, stepped up from the low block to punch a layup attempt in front of the rim, pinned another shot off the glass in transition, and showed a good understanding of when to push the pace in transition and when to bring the ball out to set up the offense.     17p 5a 3r 1b 2s vs Landon   -Friday's win was the most well-rounded performance that I've seen from Moore up to this point in his career. Moore got off to a slow shooting start but began impacting the game in other areas to get both himself and his team going in comeback run that fell just short. Moore made up for a missed 3 with a steal then a 45 cut for an AND1 floater off window, hit his matchup with a hesi crossover then showed the back foot burst to get another AND1 lay off the window with the right, and hit a smooth spin move fader in the middle of the paint. But most importantly, Moore got below the mid-post to drop it off to his bigs for easy layups and did a good job of getting two feet in the paint to kick out to his shooters. If he can guard at a high level and continue to use his scoring gravity to distribute to teammates off the bounce-- he can earn himself a scholarship spot at the next level.

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