EYBL Vegas: The Best 17u Guards We Watched

LAS VEGAS — EYBL made its lone west coast stop last weekend at the Las Vegas Convention Center. The Nike-based circuit had its teams inside a 20-court facility as some programs sharpened up for Peach Jam and others battled it out to earn a spot in the summer's most prestigious club/travel event. Below are the best 17u guards we watched, including prospects from the Southern California region.    AB Elite went 2-2 on the weekend and Black's impact on a variety of winning categories was the most impressive takeaway from those four games. The 6-foot-3 point guard controls just about every action for his Texas-based club as a ball-in-hand scorer and creator who makes shots from all three levels of the floor and has dynamic open court and half-court feel and vision. Black was at his best when using ball screens where he diagnosed the defense, read tag defenders and made high IQ decisions with accurate passes.     Daughtry is leading EYBL in scoring at 25.6 points per game and while his game is that of a score-first point guard, he showed strides in his balance of creating for himself and for his teammates. The 6-foot-2 senior-to-be is as savvy as they come with the ball in his hands and is one of the best in the country at manipulating defenders with the dribble, his eyes and changes of speed and direction to get to his comfort zones. Daughtry has become well-known as one of the nation's best shooters but he showed in Session IV that his improved physicality and maturation of his frame has led to more at-rim scoring.     Lumpkin averaged 19.3 points per game during this session in leading Jet Academy to a 3-1 record on the weekend. The wiry 6-foot-4 shooting guard is a wired-to-score prospect with a lethal combination of positional size, fluid athleticism and the ability to pour in three-point and mid-range jumpers off the bounce. Lumpkin's ability to create space from defenders, elevate and flow quickly into his jumper separates him as an elite perimeter scorer.     Dixon impressed with his confident and aggressive approach to both ends of the floor. The 6-foot-3 combo guard was effective offensively both on or off the ball where his quick downhill speed allowed him to get paint touches and paint finishes and his ability to knockdown off-catch threes and off-bounce mid-range jumpers rounded out his balanced scoring arsenal. Dixon's energy, length and athleticism made him a pest on the defensive end, as well.     Cleveland stood out with his smooth feel for the game as a scorer and creator in transition and half-court settings. The rising senior was most effective in ball screen action where his controlled pace, ability to explode out of hesitations and cover ground with long strides led to him earning consistent paint touches and putting pressure on the rim. Cleveland dazzled with his finishing ability around the rim - complete with strong and off-hand floaters, explosive dunks and pull-up jumpers. He averaged 20.5 points per game during the session with a signature 26-point effort in a win over Vegas Elite.     Johnson always seems to be a guy who impacts winning with his statistical contributions across the board. The Gonzaga-bound guard led Team Herro to a 4-0 weekend averaging 16.5 points while adding games with nine rebounds, seven assists and three steals which highlights his all-around floor game. Johnson plays on the ball for Herro and was a low turnover guy despite his high usage and amount of time responsible for creating offense for himself and teammates.     Gibson is a do-it-all point guard whose ability to balance setting the table for teammates and taking over a game as a scorer lend to his basketball IQ. The 6-foot-5 rising senior is very patient in transition and picks his attacking spots well where he uses his burst and ability to split defenders to get into the lane. Gibson's controlled and measured pace on paint touches leads to smart decisions on when to create an opportunity for himself or find an open teammate.     Gordon is one of the most explosive and dynamic guards in the country and he had that blurring speed, compact physicality and fearlessness when attacking rim protectors on full display. The 6-foot point guard has elite speed with the ball in the open court and that, combined with his low center of gravity and strength, allow him to stay on his line through bumps. Gordon is really good at creating advantages off the bounce with his ability to get defenders on his hip and keep them there while he probes the defense. Gordon turned in an impressive performance in a highly-anticipated matchup against [player_tooltip player_id='2112009' first='Beckham' last='Black'] and AB Elite where he scored 29 points.     Bowman is California's No. 1 prospect and he continues to prove why as he checks in as a Top 5 scorer on the EYBL Circuit. The 6-foot-4 combo guard has an unmatched combination of size, strength, speed and vertical athleticism and that combination of physical and athletic tools allows him to get to his spots with ease. Bowman lulls defenders to sleep with hesitations only to quickly change speed and attack the smallest of gaps to get into the lane or to the rim where he can score with power or finesse.     Fason averaged 19.7 points and 4.7 assists per game, including a 24-point performance on 10-for-17 shooting against MeanStreets. The 6-foot point guard was one of the more physical downhill scorers that we watched on the weekend and his sturdy, football-like build, combined with his speed with the ball, allowed him to earn at paint touch in any setting imaginable. Fason was effective when seeking out contact and scoring through bumps around the rim.

LAS VEGAS — EYBL made its lone west coast stop last weekend at the Las Vegas Convention Center. The Nike-based circuit had its teams inside a 20-court facility as some programs sharpened up for Peach Jam and others battled it out to earn a spot in the summer's most prestigious club/travel event. Below are the best 17u guards we watched, including prospects from the Southern California region.