Week 1 Scouting: Unsigned Senior Guards

<p>It was the first week of official games for some teams in the area and I was fortunate enough to get out to three matchups early this week. The content for this season on Prep Hoops will be slightly different and based more from a scouting point of view and less on what happened in each individual game. Here are some unsigned guards I caught in my travels from the three following games:</p> <p><em>Loyola vs St. Paul’s</em></p> <p><em>Calvert Hall vs Gerstell</em></p> <p><em>John Carroll vs Annapolis Area Christian</em></p> <p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="837919" first="Tyson" last="Commander"] | 6’4 | John Carroll</strong></span></p> <p>Commander continues to be one of the top unsigned seniors in the DMV. To clear the air, his recruitment is wide open and I would urge programs from the Division I level looking for a sharpshooting guard to inquire immediately. Commander has proven throughout the last 4-5 months that he is much more than a shooter. His game off the dribble has become more effective. He shows more confidence in his drives to the rim and his increased athleticism has helped make for above the rim finishes on a routine basis. He scored 19 points in John Carroll’s win over Annapolis Area and accounted for just one three-pointer. In their strong showing scrimmage against DeMatha, the 6-foot-4 lefty went for 28 and again only hit one three to get there. If I’m a CAA or MAC program in need of a guard, Commander would be high on my list.</p> <p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1159451" first="Terry" last="Long"] | 6’4 | John Carroll</strong></span></p> <p>Long impressed me with his performance against a stacked DeMatha team last week in a scrimmage. He drew the assignment of guarding Xavier bound wing [player_tooltip player_id="777065" first="Tyrell" last="Ward"] and while Ward got the best on him, Long refused to make it easy. Offensively he was aggressive off the dribble and looked much more confident than he was as a junior. He finished with 11 points in their season opening win over AACS and was all over the floor. He set an early tone with his activity on both ends by making hard drives to the rim and creating fouls, crashing the offensive glass and creating deflection in passing lanes as a defender. Long is a willing defender who can guard multiple positions at the high school level. He doesn’t hesitate to dive on the floor or give up his body to draw a charge. Susquehanna is the lone program reaching out to Long at the moment. I would urge other Division III programs to get involved sooner rather than later as his stock will rise with the increased role he plays for this John Carroll squad.</p> <p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="904680" first="TJ" last="Vaughn"] | 5’11 | John Carroll</strong></span></p> <p>Vaughn played much more of a table-setting role in their win on Tuesday. He finished with four points for the game, but was effective in getting in to the paint to force the defense to collapse and locating open teammates. I thought he did a nice job of controlling the pace and giving his team life defensively with his ball pressure. The 5-foot-11 lefty showed me some good things as well against DeMatha last week where he buried multiple triples, made good reads off the live dribble and played respectable defense against highly-talented guards. It’s not clear as to who Vaughn is hearing from at the moment, but I have him as a really solid Division III floor general.</p> <p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Owen Fischer | 6’3 | Loyola</strong></span></p> <p>Fischer was great in the Dons win over St. Paul’s on Monday evening. The senior finished tied for a game-high 18 points and was extremely efficient with his looks. While he won’t blow you away with athleticism, Fischer is fundamentally sound and understands when and where to take his shots. He moved well without the ball and converted on two three’s, one of which came off a pin down where he caught in stride at the top of the key. He’s also good at attacking wild closeouts to find open areas in the mid-range where he rises up with balance. He still needs to tighten up his handle when pressured, so I have him more as an off-ball guard right now, but without a doubt could be an nice addition for a good Division III program.</p> <p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1280966" first="Ryan" last="Johnson"] | 5’10 | Loyola</strong></span></p> <p>Johnson was similar to Vaughn in that he orchestrated a nice game as a floor general. Johnson is really the Dons’ only capable ball-handler when it comes to facing pesky guard and pressure defense, so a lot of weight is placed on his shoulders as a senior. Johnson isn’t one that plays with the ball too much either. He picks a move and goes with it. Against St. Paul’s, his quick twitch crossovers or explosive burst out of hesitations were successful as he found himself in the paint with regularity and made good reads once he got there. He caused multiple deflections to spark transition opportunities for Loyola. Johnson still needs polish on his jumper going forward, but he’s certainly not a player who you can leave open with time. </p>