17U Guards that caught our eye at the #PHSpringKickoff

<p>The #PHSpringKickoff came to the MileHighCIty and was a successful event for teams not only in-state, but there were also out-of-state teams from Idaho, Oklahoma, Wyoming all the way to Seattle. Guard play was excellent with players who got others involved and ran the show as the primary ballhandler. Here, we take a look at a few guards that caught our eye. </p> <h2><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1168173" first="Henos" last="Fitwi"] -- Colorado Anarchy </strong></h2> <p>Fitwi is a player that played well above his size and held his own. His team’s schedule was a gauntlet against some of the best guards at the event, and we got to see him run the show. Fitwi pushed the pace, challenged opposing guards in the frontcourt with hard-nosed defense, and also got out in the open court and attacked. Fitwi is a downhill runner with a great feel for the game and a competition that scored in creative ways. Solid weekend for him where he showed that he is willing to compete. </p> <h2><strong>Luke Hladky— G Town 2022 </strong></h2> <p>Hladky was one of the best guards at the event with his ability to creatively get his teammates involved as he helped lead his team to a perfect 4-0 record. Hladky is an unselfish guard with excellent court awareness and a bounce to his game. Teammates seem to run harder when he has the ball as they know he will find them in stride; he makes the extra pass and also was under control and posied when opposing guards gave him pressure. Hladky has a tight handle, set of go-to moves to free himself up, and scored when his team needed. He turned heads along the way and competes hard. </p> <h2><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="918903" first="Jeremiah" last="Coleman"] – RoughRidersGive </strong></h2> <p>It was our first time seeing Coleman in quite some time, but it was much of the same from him, a high IQ guard that competes hard on both ends of the court and is willing to make the extra pass. In games that Coleman was the facilitator that got his teammates involved. RRG cruised because he is a speedy guard that is difficult to corral. Coleman gets a full head of steam and either dishes it off to the open man or finishes at the rim. He is a strong guard that plays with aggression, aggressively looks to score, and can create for himself. He did it all event long, and we hope to see more of him. </p> <h2><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1050953" first="Elliott" last="Cravitz"] --  Pro Skills </strong></h2> <p>Cravitz fills a hole for Pro Skills as he is a speedy guard with the ability to open up the floor with his quickness and outside shot. Cravitz plays off the ball a ton with the guards they have around him, but when he is in the facilitating role and setting up teammates, it allows that Pro Skills team to be a bit more dangerous. Cravitz looks to score, makes the smart read also attacks. He excels in iso situations or the PnR as he uses his quick first step to get to his spot and from there creates for himself or teammates. </p> <h2><strong>Jalen Barbee— Emerald City Basketball Academy</strong></h2> <p>Emerald City Basketball Academy came, they saw, they conquered. They went 4-0 on the weekend, and it was not close, and it started with their guard, Jalen Barbee. What separated Barbee from other guards was his size and versatility. Emerald City was a bigger team that got out and pushed the pace, which opened things up for teammates. Barbee has excellent size at 6’5 but puts the ball on the floor and finds the open man as a facilitator. He showcased the ability to do everything this weekend as he finished in transition, broke his man down off the dribble and finished, and got teammates involved for dunks and easy finished. Barbee rebounded well and had a few really balanced games, and when Emerald City needed a big play to happen, they made sure to find him. </p> <h2><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="717063" first="Xavier" last="Harris"] — Give Sports 2022</strong></h2> <p>With Harris, you know what you are going to get, and that is what makes him special. You are going to get a two-way guard that plays hard on every possession, and he is going to kickstart his offense with big plays on the defensive end. Harris was ripping guards in the open court and playing the passing lane, and that turned into countless and-1 finishes and dishes to teammates for open baskets. Harris was an underclassman on the unsigned senior team and fit in seamlessly with the bunch with his ability to facilitate. Harris is a strong guard who is always looking to score, but when he gets others involved, he is a dangerous guard as he makes the defense have to guess on stopping the pass or the drive. Harris is a remarkable finisher around the rim, scored with ease all event long, and challenged opposing guards on both ends. He is a player that we have been high on, and this is an important summer for him—a solid event at the PHSpringKickoff. </p>