Freshman Showcase: High Motor Guards

The Freshman Showcase that took place at Park School on Saturday gave us a great glimpse of the upcoming talent to hit the high school scene this season. We've broken down the MVP, First Team and Second Team Selections already. Now, it's time to move on to the high motor guards that made an impact with their efforts.    Forbes stood out with the effort he gave on both ends of the court. In 5v5 play the tempo was chaotic at times and among the 10 players on the floor at any given moment, you could bet on Forbes being one of the few consistently putting his head down sprinting to the other end in hopes of making a play. He boasts a strong frame that allowed him to absorb contact and create space in getting to his spots inside the arc. He knocked down a few mid-range jumpers with good pace and balance. Another thing I liked about Forbes was his willingness to get off the ball in transition with advance passes that led to scores for teammates. He was vocal throughout the event, even if he was on the bench during a spurt of the 5v5 portion.     There was no denying Mitchell's motor. The small, quick point guard is a blur in the open floor with or without the ball. He used that speed to put pressure on the rim as a ballhandler while processing the floor depending on how the scattering defense recovered. If nobody stopped him at the three-point line, Mitchell weaved his way to the cup for layups, but if the defense had a wall built out in the paint, he sprayed to open shooters on the wing. Defensively he was hounding the ball above the half court line, trapping others as they turned their back to him and digging in on post touches trying to create deflections. There wasn't a portion of the event where I thought Mitchell was taking a possession off.     McKoy is going to be a name to track moving forward not only because of how hard he plays, but the budding skillset and athleticism are definitely present and should only improve. He was a handful for defenders at the point of attack, especially if he had momentum in transition in getting downhill. On a few occasions, he beat his man off the dribble and tried to slam it home. After missing a dunk attempt in 5v5, he played the remainder of his drives safe, converting with either hand around the cup. He has a strong base that can withstand contact as a defender walling up to keep his man out of the paint, quick hands that resulted in multiple deflections and never hesitates to put himself in the mix for rebounds or 50/50s.     Abrams is a high-IQ lead guard who understands how to play at a pace that best benefits his game. In a setting where a lot of players (especially guards) are looking to score by any means, Abrams was priding himself on getting an edge on drives to set up kick-outs to shooters in the corners. Defensively he was closing out with control and funneling his man to the baseline when possible. He's a capable shot maker when he has space off the bounce or off the catch, but does a nice job of processing the defense on drives and making sound reads while delivering passes to others in shooting pockets or spot where they can be a threat.     Enjoyed watching the command that Hendricks Jr. brought as an on-ball presence to go with his hardworking approach. His 5v5 team had no shortage of playmakers and he was a reason for their two dominant wins on the day as he navigated through traffic effectively with a tight handle, vision and ability to quickly process whether he was going to finish the job himself as a scorer or zip a skip pass after establishing two feet in the paint. He hustled to fill a lane in transition, crashed the glass with purpose and sat down defensively guarding his yard with pride.

The Freshman Showcase that took place at Park School on Saturday gave us a great glimpse of the upcoming talent to hit the high school scene this season. We've broken down the MVP, First Team and Second Team Selections already. Now, it's time to move on to the high motor guards that made an impact with their efforts.