Proving Grounds: Rising up the Charts- Point Guards 14u

Point guard is the most vital position on a basketball team. These players are the engines who make their offenses go!    Chris was one of the steadiest point guards throughout the tournament. He consistently found his teammates with pin-point passes throughout the games. These assists lead to positive outcomes for his team over the weekend. As it pertains to scoring, Chris showed the ability to beat defenders off the dribble, attack the basket or knock down perimeter shots. There were a couple of moments in the game when he easily blew by his opponents and converted tough lay-ups through contact. Scoring despite being fouled really showed the fearlessness of his drive to compete. On defense, he showed the ability to press opposing guards into mistakes. I believe Chris is an excellent point guard who has the skills to succeed at the high school level next season.     Dennis is a play-making pass first point guard who always looked to get his teammates involved offensively. He's a great ball handler who easily broke down defenses and got into the paint. These strong drives often led to him scoring floaters or dishing off passes to his teammates. He also showed great leadership by staying in constant communication with other players. Dennis showed a skill that's vital to all successful point-guards in basketball. The strong drive to motivate others and lead by example. Defensively, he has very quick hands and great foot speed. These abilities allowed him to force multiple turnovers and pressure opponents into making mistakes off the dribble. Dennis is a promising player who could be a vital part of his team in the upcoming high school season.     He's a play-making point guard who has a strong prowess of scoring the ball. Whether it was setting up teammates, attacking defenders off the dribble, knocking down threes or scoring in transition, the Real Phenom 14u Anderson squad had no answers for him. I was thoroughly impressed with his ability to push the pace on offense. Whenever the Minnesota Falcons had an opportunity to run, they did with Josiah as the catalyst. A bulk of their points were scored in transition with him as the point man. A majority of his flashy passes led to easy conversions by his teammates. He was great at getting into the lane and making something happen, either by scoring or dishing off passes. Josiah can also shoot the ball. He knocked down three shots from well beyond the three-point line during the game. Defensively, he gave maximum effort by applying great on-ball pressure to opposing guards. Josiah is a great scorer and play-maker. I believe he will easily adjust to the speed of high school basketball.     After watching Liam play over the weekend, I viewed him as a tough minded “floor general” who plays hard on both ends of the court. He's an excellent passer who had no problems setting up his teammates with accurate passes. The majority of his assists led to positive plays for the [program_tooltip program_id='2075310' first='Northstar' last='Titans']. Offensively, Liam was great at attacking the paint and knocking down perimeter jump-shots. There was a moment in the game where he made two consecutive shots in a row to give his team the lead. He also showed that he is not afraid of taking three-pointers when there's an opportunity. I watched him confidently knock down two during their matchup against [program_tooltip program_id='2075672' first='Minnesota' last='Fury'] 14u. Liam is one of those gritty point guards every coach loves to have. A player who leads and does whatever's necessary to win games. I believe this young man has what it takes to succeed at the game of basketball.     Wayne is an excellent ball handler and a great facilitator. A majority of his assists were flashy and on the money. His teammates were always in the right place, at the right time to score off his pin-point passes. Wayne was awesome at controlling the pace of the game. He knew just when to speed it up or slow it down. The team was exciting to watch as they pushed the pace. He was the catalyst for it. Whenever MN Chill had opportunities to run, they did with a lot of success. Wayne had a knack for getting around defenders and attacking the paint. These drives often led to him scoring floaters around the rim. When he didn't score, he found teammates for high percentage shots. If he had an open look from beyond the three-point line, he took and knocked them down with no hesitation. Wanye showed great leadership on the basketball court. Staying in constant communication and motivating other players are vital traits a point guard should have. Well, I'm here to say after watching this young man perform, he does.     Jeremiah was the driving force behind the success of the [program_tooltip program_id='2075672' first='Minnesota' last='Fury'] team Sunday morning. In the match-up against the [program_tooltip program_id='2075310' first='Northstar' last='Titans'] 14u-1, he led his team in assists and made a host of big plays throughout the game. Whether it was attacking the paint, assisting other players, knocking down threes or defending, Jeremiah was a hard cover for the opposition. There were moments in the game where he used great moves to clear space off the dribble to either attack the paint or knock down three-pointers. What made these moves so great was Jeremiah's size. He was the smallest player on the court but did not hesitate to go at anyone guarding him. I have always had an appreciation for the smaller players. You have to be fearless when you go against players who are two or three times your size. Jeremiah definitely has the heart and skill to play basketball at a high level. I plan to keep track of his progression throughout high school and beyond.     Magnus plays the game like a true “floor general.” He's the type of player who makes everyone around him better. Every game I watched, he was always making a positive play. Whether it was hitting the open man with a pass, grabbing a rebound, attacking the basket or knocking down a timely three-pointer, Magnus always made an impact on the game. What I really appreciated about his game was the constant communication with his teammates. You always heard Magnus barking out plays, motivating or making sure everyone was in the correct sets offensively or defensively? On defense, he was literally all over the court. He guarded everyone from the opposing guard to the center. Magnus is the type of player who battled every opposing player regardless of size and strength. He's a tough minded point guard who has the heart and skill to succeed in the coming years.

Point guard is the most vital position on a basketball team. These players are the engines who make their offenses go!