Top Point Guards Prospects from TJ Ford Academy Fall League

<p>Check out my analysis on some of the top prospects from TJ Ford Basketball Academy Fall League down in Houston! This was an intense and fun event, chock full of highlights! These articles are highlighting the insane point guard play we saw, on the court of one of the best point guards from Houston, Texas!</p>   <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1487344' first='Qasim' last='Boyd'] </strong>2024 5'11 Dickinson High School</p>   <p>Qasim is a crafty guard who is going to easily take the reigns as the dynamic lead point guard from Dickinson after Smurf Millender leaves for South Alabama University next year. He is a silky smooth scorer who can easily get to his spots in the mid-range, or beyond the arc. His willingness to hunt for his shot in the mid range is a real weapon for his team, and those shot opportunities will be there when they get the rest of their roster from the football team! I loved how well he played with the ball in his hands, pushing the tempo and leading his team with his blazing end to end speed.</p>   <p>Boyd showed he did not need the ball in his hands to be effective either, a good showing for him playing alongside Millender this season. He knocked down shots off the catch and used head fakes to attack the rim on hard closeouts. Another aspect that made him stand out was his aggressiveness, hunting for his shots and looking to turn the corner on his on ball defender to slash and attack the rim. His aggressiveness and ability to get a shot off when his team needed it the most will prove to be a dynamic weapon for his Dickinson that made a deep playoff push last season as well! </p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anq8jt9lAxU </div></figure>   <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1456585' first='Gary' last='Brown III'] </strong>2024 5'11 Pasadena Memorial High School</p>   <p>Gary is a skilled guard who has a real connection with [player_tooltip player_id='1352537' first='Robert' last='Miller'], creating a dynamic two headed monster for Pasadena Memorial High School. He is an incredibly dynamic and aware point guard who knows how to pass his teammates open, but also scores off the bounce with the best of them. It is truly a joy to watch him play every time he steps on the court, dazzling his defenders and the audience with his dynamic handle and how quick he is with a live dribble. I have seen him improve his overall basketball IQ and awareness with the ball in his hands every time I watch him play. </p>   <p>Brown is also a good on ball defender already who can move his feet to cut off driving angles. His awareness on the offensive end bleeds into his defensive awareness, seeming to be a step in front of his opponent's mentally, beating them to spots. Gary's real asset is how well he can score from beyond the arc off the bounce. He constantly is able to create enough space with a series of crossovers and behind the backs to get his shot off. Every time I watch him play, I am in awe of how easy he makes it looks from three point range, and is already threatening that coveted fourth level of the floor. I would like to see him improve his intensity on the court, and look to push the tempo every chance he can to lead his team to have success on the break. I am a bit worried about Pasadena Memorial's production within the half court, so Brown should look to push the tempo every opportunity he can. </p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbO9eTPYSMg </div></figure>   <p><strong>Bryce Smith </strong>2023 6'1 Barbers Hill High School</p>   <p>Bryce is a do-it-all guard who can not only effect the game with the ball in his hands, but his versatility defensively, how well he rebounds the ball and affects the game on the interior defensively. He is the most athletic player on his team, but that is not what makes him special. It is his energy, aggressiveness and how well he affects the game defensively. He moves his feet to stay in front of his opponent but also comes over as a help side defender or chase them down and meeting them at the rim. There were multiple instances in which he made elite level plays, both offensively and defensively. He can detonate on his opponent's with explosive dunks or calmly rise up from the mid-range or beyond the arc.</p>   <p>He is a complete point guard prospect with how well he sees the floor, but more importantly his willingness to clean up his teammates mistakes defensively, and how well he knows where everyone should be. He is a creative passer, who can set up his teammates on the short roll or fire accurate passes to his shooters on the back side. He seems to have eyes on the sides of his head with his incredible awareness with the ball. He is already an elite half court creator, who can get to his spots or get his teammates involved. Smith is easily a division one prospect, and will make a coach at the next level extremely happy with his versatility, energy and willingness to do WHATEVER is necessary to help his team succeed.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BaV9SXxAOv0&t=2s </div></figure>   <p><strong>TJ Ford Jr </strong>2023 5'11 Ridgepoint High School</p>   <p>TJ is the definition of a true point guard, who takes pride in setting up his teammates within the half court. He easily creates a connection with his teammates on the court, even the young players who have just been brought up to Varsity. He makes crisp passes right into their shooting pockets, allowing them to get even better looks on the fast break and within a half court set. He routinely created looks out of the pick and roll, making the right pass on the back side but also finding his big man when he made the right pop or roll decision. I was very impressed with his pose and how naturally he carried himself with the ball in his hands, he got downhill to put pressure on the defense, constantly attacking the rim and using his speed and vertical ability to get downhill.</p>   <p>Ford Jr has really improved his shot making ability off the catch since I last saw him, becoming a more consistent spot up shooter while still wreaking havoc off the bounce. He routinely got to his spots across all three levels of the floor to affect the game. He has explosive leaping ability at the guard position which allows him to hang in the air and finish around defender's outstretched arms. He has the ability to contort his body to get away from contact while also adjusting his shot angle to avoid defenders. He made every finish in the book look routine with the ease in which he scores the basketball. One of the best aspects of his game has to be how well he is able to create space with his handle. He used a series of head fakes and crossovers to consistently create separation. His shiftiness is an elite weapon already, and is sure to make a college coach at the next level absolutely ecstatic for bringing him into their gym.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bl9kV1VPHB0 </div></figure>   <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1228214' first='Todd' last='Woods'] </strong>2024 5'11 Fort Bend Elkins High School </p>   <p>Todd is a high level point guard who can score across all three levels off the bounce, but also set up his teammates. He always made good reads with the ball in his hands, especially in the full court. He found his teammates who were leaking out on the fast break with crisp passes, and then controlled the tempo within the half court. His natural instincts to set up his teammates was really fun to watch. He hit his big man ([player_tooltip player_id='1217196' first='Jae'Coby' last='Osborne'] 2024) with great passes to set him up, the two of them have a real connection out of the pick and roll or pop. </p>   <p>Elkins has another high level guard that comes in as the sixth man- Charlie Reado 2024, and I think the two of them could develop together and become a nasty two headed monster in the back court. I would like to see Woods get a bit more aggressive in hunting for his looks, he sees the floor as a true point guard, but will need to pick up his consistency from the mid-range and in the paint. Elkins is going to be a really fun team to watch over these next two years, get out and see them if you can!</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://youtu.be/QsxvmMX3JFw </div></figure>

Check out my analysis on some of the top prospects from TJ Ford Basketball Academy Fall League down in Houston! This was an intense and fun event, chock full of highlights! These articles are highlighting the insane point guard play we saw, on the court of one of the best point guards from Houston, Texas!