Section 7: 9 CA Underclass Guard Standouts

<p>MESA, Ariz. — Hundreds of high school basketball teams traveled to Arizona over the weekend to compete in one of the largest live viewing period events in the country. The annual Section 7 event, which has become a must-stop on the recruiting trail for hundreds of college coaches, featured many of California's top teams and prospects. In this piece we break down the class of 2029 and 2030 guards who stood out.</p>   <h4 class="wp-block-heading">Dekoda Ray | 2029 | Harvard-Westlake</h4>   <p>Ray was one of the better freshmen on Harvard-Westlake's JV program last season and should carve out a varsity role in his sophomore season. The 6-foot-3 guard is long, lanky and fluid with some off-bounce attack skill and the ability to shoot the three-ball off the catch. Ray showed flashes of his potential in the first game of the event as he scored 12 points, including three triples in a win over Chaparral of Colorado.</p>   <h4 class="wp-block-heading">Freddie Forbes IV | 2030 | Mater Dei</h4>   <p>Forbes is shaping up to be one of the best shooters among incoming freshmen in the state. The wiry 6-foot-4 shooting guard is a seamless fit into the Mater Dei offensive system as his combination of skill, understanding of spacing and ability to move without the ball will serve as another chess piece of their execution. Forbes averaged 10.3 points per game off the bench for the Monarchs and knocked down 11 three's at a 39 percent clip on the weekend.</p>   <h4 class="wp-block-heading">JoJo Mariles | 2029 | Damien</h4>   <p>On the surface, many see Mariles' role at Damien as one of a dead-eye shooter, but the 6-foot-3 guard is turning himself into a versatile scorer and playmaker heading into his sophomore season. Mariles, of course, can still shoot the lights out and gets plenty of spot-up or off-movement perimeter jumpers up but he was very effective as a cutter and finisher at Section 7. Mariles also rebounded and passed the ball at a high level, finishing with averages of 13.3 points, five rebounds and 4.5 assists per game.</p>   <h4 class="wp-block-heading">Judah Van Ewijk | 2029 | Archbishop Riordan</h4>   <p>Van Ewijk is as smooth as they come at the point guard spot and his combination of pace, feel, vision and ability to assert himself as a scorer or creator boosted his stock. The 6-foot-1 rising sophomore snaked ball-screens with precision, used change of direction to keep defenders off-balance and finished with touch and craftiness around the rim. Van Ewijk averaged 14 points and 3.3 assists per game.</p>   <h4 class="wp-block-heading">Juleeyan Williams | 2029 | Corona Centennial</h4>   <p>Williams' usage on the weekend leaned heavily toward ball screen possessions and he's one of the best scorers in these situations in California's 2029 class. The 6-foot-3, strong-framed combo guard has a variety of ways he can attack ball screens but he's best at attacking a switch, getting into the body of a defender and scoring through that contact. He also has a consistent pull-up jumper going to his left hand. Williams averaged 18.5 points and 5.3 rebounds while leading Centennial to the championship game of its bracket where the Huskies fell to Miami-based Columbus.</p>   <h4 class="wp-block-heading">Nalu Clark | 2029 | Heritage Christian</h4>   <p>Clark has good basketball genetics and it shows in his poise, feel, passing IQ and vision as a primary ball handler. The 6-foot sophomore-to-be is a throwback point guard because of his pass-first, set-up mentality - complete with limited over-handling of the basketball and accuracy and timing of his passing delivery. Clark dished out 20 assists across four games grabbed better than four rebounds per game.</p>   <h4 class="wp-block-heading">Omar Cox-Labomme | 2029 | Bishop Amat</h4>   <p>Cox-Labomme is an under-the-radar 2029 guy out west but won't be for long. The 6-foot combo guard is a wired-to-score prospect who used his physicality to get to the rim in transition and his two-foot finishing ability to stay on balance nad score through contact. Labomme was comfortable in isolation possessions where he knocked down pull-up jumpers or took defenders off the bounce to the rim. The rising sophomore averaged 25.3 points per game on the weekend.</p>   <h4 class="wp-block-heading">Phillip Reed | 2029 | Palisades</h4>   <p>Reed's physical brand of basketball lends to his multi-faceted impact on both ends of the floor. Need a bucket? Reed will use his downhill, bully-ball attack style to score in the paint or get to the free throw line. He'll defend the other team's best perimeter offensive player, rebounds at a high rate, is a willing drive-and-kick passer and his strength is disruptive on the defensive end. Reed put up 18.8 points, 8.5 rebounds and 6.3 assists while helping lead Palisades to its bracket championship and scored 24 points in the title-clinching win over Pinnacle of Arizona.</p>   <h4 class="wp-block-heading">Quali Giran | 2029 | Millikan</h4>   <p>Giran played in two of Millikan's four games and that's all he really needed to show he is among the top underclass guards in the state. The 6-foot combo guard put on a scoring clinic in his two appearances, dropping 44 points on 15-for-26 shooting in a close loss to Liberty of Nevada, then 30 points on 10-for-15 from the field in a win over Highland of Arizona. Giran is a true three-level scorer with impeccable footwork, textbook shooting mechanics, great body control and has the ability to manipulate defenses with his handle and change of speed and direction.</p>

MESA, Ariz. — Hundreds of high school basketball teams traveled to Arizona over the weekend to compete in one of the largest live viewing period events in the country. The annual Section 7 event, which has become a must-stop on the recruiting trail for hundreds of college coaches, featured many of California's top teams and prospects. In this piece we break down the class of 2029 and 2030 guards who stood out.