WPIAL Guards Set For A Big Senior Year

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The guard crop in the WPIAL for the class of 2023 is a fairly deep one in terms of scholarship level talent and much of it is flying under the radar. [player_tooltip player_id='991332' first='Daemar' last='Kelly'] of Penn Hills has made his commitment to Quinnipiac and others will be in the near future. Today we look at a handful of guards to watch this season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='991346' first='Vinnie' last='Cugini']</strong>| 6'1” | G | Aquinas Academy 2023</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A small school scoring phenom who has been largely neglected on the recruiting front, Cugini made the most of his final summer run with Mason Elite and recently made his commitment to Bob Rukavina at Pitt-Johnstown. One of the biggest questions about Cugini wasn't his game--He can handle the ball, he can shoot, he can facilitate---it was how would he do against top shelf competition, as Aquinas is a small Class A school...He spent his final year of AAU showing he can finish against elite talent and is far more than just a “big fish in a little pond”… </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1116023' first='Connor' last='Spratt']</strong><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/connor-spratt/"><strong></strong><strong></strong><strong></strong></a><a></a>&nbsp;| 6'2” | G | Seton LaSalle 2023</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Spratt is one of the top returning guards in the WPIAL and will carry Seton in his senior year. Spratt is an excellent ball handler(Check out his social media) and facilitator. He's got a quick first step, beats defenders to the rim and is a lethal shooter.  Lightning quick release on his shot. Lots of scholarship interest. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='991365' first='Dante' last='DePante']</strong>| 6'3” | G | Pittsburgh Central Catholic 2023</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>DePante is one of the top available guards in the entire Northeast, much less Pittsburgh. He's a ballhandler with a high basketball IQ who has exploded as a scorer over the AAU season. DePante has been getting expanded coverage on social media and colleges should be taking notice of him. He'll be back to lead the Vikings push towards a WPIAL title. They'll be the 6A favorites and DePante will drive the bus. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1395834' first='Makhai' last='Valentine'] </strong>| 6'3” | G | Steel Valley</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Valentine is a prolific scorer who was a first team all state selection in 3A this past season. He's got great dribbling skills, can attack the bucket and can hit shots from deep. He may be the best player along the Monongahela this coming year. Scholarship level guard.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='991376' first='Tasso' last='Sfanos']<a href="https://prephoops.com/player/tasso-sfanos/"><strong></strong><strong></strong><strong></strong></a><a></a>&nbsp;</strong>| 6'1” | G |Mars</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sfanos is a crafty backcourt leader who we saw play a few times this past winter. He's got good ballhandling skills and a nice mid range game. He's got quality court vision and basketball IQ and played for Joe Lewandowski's PK Flash AAU team. He led Mars to a fantastic record last year and with graduation losses, he's "The Man" for the Planets this year. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->