The Invite Showcase: Premier Lead Guards

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Fresno, CA - This past Sunday, October 25th, They Got Next and Mike Hill hosted the inaugural The Invite Showcase at the beautiful Sanger West Gym, known as The Hive, featuring some of the top players in Fresno, Visalia, Hanford, Tulare, Madera, and Modesto. The event had a skills portion, weight room portion, discussion about NIL and the near future of the recruiting environment that these young players will be entering over the next few year. The day wrapped up with 5 on 5 play, as players were split up into 5 teams and games went on for about an hour and a half. This article takes a look at 6 of the standout forwards in attendance regardless of class. In this article you will find the following information: the player's name, height, player position, current school they are attending, and the stats I kept from the event. We begin this article with a look at rising freshman [player_tooltip player_id='3548202' first='Jacob' last='Butts']. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["3753818"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":["override_image"],"_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_player_featured_image":3753820,"_player_evaluations_0_player_featured_image":"field_62f141137ead9","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6ae4e66d73416"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Butts is a skilled and poised lead guard that controls the pace of play, has the court awareness to find open teammates, and can space the floor from beyond the arc to score in volume. Butts highlighted the strengths of his game at the Invite Showcase, displaying the court vision to make reads to open teammates off the drive and kick pass, to the diver in stride out of the pick and roll action, cross court to open shooters, and up the court off the defensive glass. Butts moves well off the ball, finds the openings in the defense, gets to his shot spots, is accurate with the 3-ball off the catch with range, and has the moves to attack off the wing when defenders over pursue on the closeout, using the crossover combos, hesitation, spin-move, euro-step, and is a craft scorer around the basket. Butts should have one of the more impactful freshman campaigns in the Section, as he will have his ball in his hands a majority of the time and will run the offense for the Apaches.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["3791010"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":["override_image"],"_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_player_featured_image":3772748,"_player_evaluations_0_player_featured_image":"field_62f141137ead9","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6ae4e66d734c6"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Davis is a shifty and skilled lead guard that can score from 3-levels, makes great reads to open teammates, and can score in volume from beyond the arc with range from deep. Davis was one of the top overall performers at the Invite Showcase, displaying his high-level scoring ability and sharp shooting when he catches fire with the 3-ball. Davis has dynamic handles keeps the ball on a string to probe the defense and find openings to attack, uses his length and long strides to get by his initial defender off the bounce, using the crossover combos, hesitation, step-back, fadeaway, and spin-move to get open looks, with accuracy with the jumper from the mid-range to the 3-point line, and is a creative scorer around the basket with the euro-step, floater, up-an-under, and reverse lay-ups to score over height in the paint. Davis moves fluidly off the ball, weaves through the defense to find openings, gets to his shot spots, and can catch fire with the 3-ball off the catch, as has been evident in his play over the past 4 to 5 months. Davis has elite court vision to find open teammates when attacking with the ball in his hands, has active hands and timing to deflect passes, jump passing lanes, or poke the ball out, and has the length and court awareness to block shots from the weakside in the paint, as well as alter perimeter shots on the close out. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["3792278"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6ae4e66d7353e"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Cano is a more traditional lead guard that controls the pace of play, looks to set up his teammates for quality shots, and is effective with the jumper from beyond the arc. Cano had a strong showing at the Invite Showcase, displaying the control of the flow of the game, making good decisions with the ball in his hands, and confidence in his shot off the bounce or the catch. Cano has a tight handle on the ball, keeps the dribble alive to survey the floor, has the court vision to make great finds off the drive and kick pass, to the diver out of the pick and roll action, cross court to the open shooters, to the players in the dunker spot off the slip pass, and up the court off the defensive rebound. Cano has a variety of moves to create off the dribble, using the crossover, wrap-behind, hesitation, and fadeaway to create space from his defender, is effective with the jumper off the bounce from the mid-range to the 3-point line, and has the moves to score around the basket, as well as the strength to absorb contact down the lane and score through traffic. Solid on-ball defender with active hands and good timing to deflect passes, jump passing lanes, and poke the ball out to get out and run in transition. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["3792292"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":["override_image"],"_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_player_featured_image":3831448,"_player_evaluations_0_player_featured_image":"field_62f141137ead9","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6ae4e66d735c4"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Green is a shifty, skilled, and high IQ lead guard that has great ball skills, controls the pace of play, weaves through the defense to find openings to exploit, and can light it up from beyond the arc. Green has been one of the more intriguing underclass point guards I have seen over the past 3 to 4 months, and he had his versatile guard play on display at the Invite Showcase, where he looked to push the pace of play in the open court, and make quality reads in the half court setting. Green has dynamic handles, keeps the dribble alive to survey the floor, has elite court vision to find teammates off the drive and kick pass, cross court to open shooters, and to his bigs diving to the basket out of the pick and roll action. Green has shifty moves to create off the wing, using the crossover combos, hesitation, fadeaway, spin-move to get space from his defender, moves fluidly off the ball to get to his shot spots, has great body control when on the attack, is accurate with the 3-ball off the catch, has a smooth jumper off the bounce, and uses the euro-step, up-and-under, and reverse lay-ups to score over height in the paint, as well as the floater down the lane. Green has active hands, good lateral footspeed, and gets into his opponents dribbling space to poke the ball out, jump passing lanes, or deflect entry passes to get out and run in the open court. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["3792300"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":["override_image"],"_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_player_featured_image":3772790,"_player_evaluations_0_player_featured_image":"field_62f141137ead9","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6ae4e66d73653"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Muhammad is a highly skilled, crafty, and athletic lead guard that was the focal point of the Invite Showcase, as he has been acknowledged by many as one of the top freshmen on the West Coast and is fresh off a Team US Minicamp Showing in early October. Muhammad was one of the top performers in the 1 v 1 portion of the Showcase, and was in a back and forth match-up with another standout 2030 prospect from NorCal, Dre Mitchell, before having to call it a day with an ankle injury. Muhammad is a crafty scorer with various moves in his bag to create off the dribble, but it has been his passing, court vision, and playmaking that have truly stood out to me, along with his elite on-ball pressure when he locks in on that end of the court. Muhammad has great court vision, keeps the ball on a string to survey the floor, has a quick burst of speed off the bounce to get by his initial defender, makes precise passes to open teammates off the drive and kick pass, the slip pass to players in the dunker spot when the defense collapses on him, finds open shooters with the cross court pass, and connects with the diver in stride coming out of the pick and roll action, as well as in stride to open players up the court in transition for easy buckets. Defensively, Omar has active hands, quick twitch, and timing to deflect passes, jump passing lanes, or swarm the ball to poke it out or rip it out, and alter perimeter shots to turn defense to offense. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["3765541"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":["override_image"],"_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_player_featured_image":3737589,"_player_evaluations_0_player_featured_image":"field_62f141137ead9","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6ae4e66d736f6"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Parks is a physical and skilled lead guard that is nearly unstoppable when attacking to the left, has the court awareness to make plays to open teammates, and can space the floor from beyond the arc. Parks played to his strengths at the Invite Showcase, displaying his elite burst of speed off the bounce, his ability to get to the basket routinely when attacking from the left, and highlighting his versatility on the defensive end, with the size and physical strength to hold up against taller players, and the lateral quickness and agility to stay in front of opposing players and get into their dribbling space to cause disruptions. Parks has a variety of moves to create off the bounce, using the crossover, behind-cross, hesitation, fadeaway, and spin-move to get open looks, is effective with the middy off the bounce with great body control in the air, is a crafty scorer at the basket with the up-and-under, reverse, and euro-step moves to get open around height in the paint, and moves well off the ball, gets to his shot spots, and is effective with the 3-ball off the catch. Parks is at his best when he is able to get back to his left and use his skill and athleticism to keep pressure on his defender. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2613906"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6ae4e66d73775"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Potts is a crafty and skilled lead guard that can create shots off the bounce, space the floor with the 3-ball, and was one of the youngest players in attendance but showed he has the confidence and poise for his grade, as he had the ball in his hands often when he was in the game, while playing alongside some premier lead guards. Potts keeps the ball on a string and the dribble alive to survey the floor, makes good decisions with the ball in his hands, and, while playing with some high-level scorers, played more of the facilitator and true point guard role, which highlights why he is a lead guard to keep an eye on over the next few years before he gets to the high school ranks. Potts uses the crossover combos, hezzy, in-and-out, and fadeaway to get space from his defender, has good body control and accuracy on the jumper off the bounce, moves fluidly off the ball to get to his shot spots, is effective with the 3-ball off the catch, and is a crafty scorer around height with good touch on finishes close to the basket. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2843567"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":["override_image"],"_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_player_featured_image":3831486,"_player_evaluations_0_player_featured_image":"field_62f141137ead9","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6ae4e66d73803"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Smith is an electric and high-skilled lead guard that has been on a tear since the month of June, looking better and more improved every time I see him in person and has been making the case for the top overall prospect in the Section. All Smith did at the Invite Showcase was solidify the take that he is the top player in the Section with his performance, making a variety of next level shots, getting to whatever spot he wanted to on the floor, showcasing his elite bounce to shoot over perimeter defenders, great body control when in the air for the jumper or attacking the basket, is a crafty scorer around the basket, using the euro-step, spin-move, up-and-under, reverse, and floater to get buckets and evade shot blockers. Smith showcases the crossover combos, hezzy, step-back, fadeaway, and jab-step to get space from his defender, is accurate with the jumper from the mid-range to the 3-point line, and is playing above the rim often to display his elite bounce. Smith has active hands, timing, and good lateral quickness to jump passing lanes, deflect passes, poke the ball out, block shots from the weakside, and get the chase down block in the open court. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["3831487"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6ae4e66d73874"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Wharry is a skilled and crafty lead guard that has great court awareness to find open players, plays with good on-court speed, and has the flash to make dazzling plays but the control to limit turnovers and play to his strengths. Wharry highlighted his game at the Invite Showcase, keeping pressure on the defense changing pace and direction with the ball in his hands, the overall court vision to find open teammates in stride off the drive and kick pass, cross court to open shooters, to the diver out of the pick and roll action, and up the court off the defensive rebound to players ahead in transition. Wharry keeps the ball on a string, probes the defense to find openings to attack, has an elite burst of speed off the bounce to get paint touches, uses the crossover combos, hesitation, spin-move, fadeaway, and step-back to get open looks, can knock down the jumper when he is hunting his shot, and is a crafty scorer around the basket with the euro-step, up-and-under, and reverse lay-ups, along with the floater to score over height. Wharry has active hands, lateral quickness, and the timing to poke the ball out, deflect passes, or jump passing lanes to get the ball out into transition to run the floor. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block -->