Section 7: Nine CA Guards who Raised Their Stock

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <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 nine guards we saw who boosted their stock with their play.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='2436300' first='AJ' last='Okoh'] | 2027 | Brentwood</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Okoh was dynamic in a variety of ways as he led Brentwood to its bracket championship, capping off a strong weekend with 29 points in the championship win over San Joaquin Memorial. The 6-foot point guard was a tough cover in transition where he used his speed, shiftiness and vertical athleticism to get paint touches, elevate to the rim and finish through contact or acrobatically. Okoh showed improved touch from the three-point line - finished 9-for-20 from three - and impacted the defensive end with his lightning quick hands.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='2750214' first='Jacob' last='Coleman'] | 2028 | Etiwanda</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Coleman looks to have bounced back well from a knee injury that cut into his sophomore high school season and didn't lose any of the burst or explosiveness that made him an intriguing prospect during his freshman campaign. The 6-foot-4 combo guard has good positional size and used his blow-by speed to attack the rim with confidence where he sought out contact and finished through it or got to the free throw line. Coleman is an instinctual and live-bodied defender with disruptive length and lateral speed which led to deflections, steals and good on-ball pressure.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='3638360' first='Jaylin' last='Conard'] | 2027 | St. Francis</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Conard missed his entire junior season due to CIF transfer rules and he has come out this spring and summer on a torrid pace to earn recognition. The 6-foot-2 point guard was one of the most physical and determined downhill players we watched in Arizona and it resulted in him powering his way through contact and scoring efficiently with strong finishes or trips to the charity stripe. Conard averaged 15.5 points in four games played for St. Francis and picked up a handful of offers in the process.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='2435372' first='Josiah' last='Nance'] | 2027 | Notre Dame</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It's been a big spring and summer for the 6-foot-5 point guard who, finally healthy after battling through a handful of injuries, has been producing big numbers on the club, camp and high school scene. Nance, a smooth left-handed rising senior, stepped into the leadership and primary scorer role for Notre Dame with his teammate, [player_tooltip player_id='2646501' first='NaVorro' last='Bowman, Jr.'], at USA Basketball U17 tryouts. In the two games he played at Section 7, Nance averaged 20 points and 6.5 rebounds per game and used his positional size, physicality and strong and explosive athleticism to score around the rim.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='2948304' first='Juliayn' last='Patterson'] | 2028 | Redondo Union</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Patterson made the move to Redondo after a coaching change at St. Monica and early returns are showing that it his game fits perfectly with coach Reggie Morris, Jr.'s style of play. The 6-foot-1 rising junior is a blurringly quick attacker of the rim who thrived in fast-paced, open court settings where he used his speed to get defenses retreating and attacked the body of rim protectors for layups and trips to the free throw line. Patterson is also a menace of a defender in Redondo's full-court pressure which led to plenty of defense to offense opportunities off of steals.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='2436275' first='Maxwell' last='Scott'] | 2027 | Corona del Mar</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Scott was one of the top scorers at Section 7 as he finished with a 32.5 points per game average over the course of his four games in Arizona. The 6-foot-3 rising senior is one of the most prolific three-point shooters on the west coast and continued to show that in addition to improved skill and confidence attacking the rim and finishing around the basket. Scott hit 20 threes at a 43.5% clip, shot 53% from the field and grabbed better than seven rebounds per game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='2435364' first='Nickon' last='Daei'] | 2027 | Crespi</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Daei is a steadying force at the point guard position for Crespi and is a player who makes the right decision more often than not. The 6-foot-3 rising senior wasn't the quickest, fastest or most explosive athlete on the floor but his passing, physical on-ball defense and knack for making shots in big moments helped the Celts win an overtime battle against Miami-based Columbus, a team littered with high major prospects, to take the SLAM Grafix Division championship. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='2932601' first='Ty' last='Schalk'] | 2027 | San Joaquin Memorial</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We got another close look at Schalk after not seeing him since last summer and he has elevated his game from two-guard who operated as a secondary playmaker to a full-time, on-the-ball playmaker and scorer. Listed at 6-feet-3, the rising senior showed smooth pace, smart decision-making and off-bounce shot-making ability when navigating the high ball screen. Schalk averaged 22.8 points per game, shot 41% from three-point range and made all 23 of his free throw attempts. Schalk is a prospect who should be tracked closely by Low Major programs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='2436259' first='Zaire' last='Rasshan'] | 2027 | Damien</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Rasshan is one of the fastest rising 2027 prospects in California and it has to do with his most translatable skill to the Division 1 level: three-point shooting. The 6-foot-1 two-guard is a lethal off-catch and off-movement shooter who sprints off of screens and flows quickly into his fluid shooting mechanics and deep range. Rasshan is one of the best players in the region at setting up and coming off of screens and the quick trigger on his jumper allows him to get his shot off cleanly under durress. Rasshan is taking on a bigger playmaking and ball handling and knocked down 20 threes and competed at a high level.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->