Grind Session Standouts: Guards

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On November 18th-19th I attended the local Grind Session with <strong>All the Smoke Classic</strong> at the Phhacility in Phx, AZ. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There were 15+ teams from around the country and Canada including the #1 and #2 ranked teams in Prolific Prep/CA and SoCal Academy/CA. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Locally three teams are ranked in their Top-9 with <strong>Bella Vista Prep</strong> (4), <strong>Dream City </strong>(5) &amp; <strong>Phhoenix Prep </strong>(8).</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>Here were some of the standout guards:</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='831119' first='Jason' last='Fontenet Jr'] Bella Vista Prep</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jason is slowly rounding into his old form. His shooting from the perimeter has definitely come back as his legs are getting into shape. He shot the ball well in both games, made plays where he drove and kicked it but he was more aggressive then just two weeks ago. Stock up! </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1366003' first='Jaden' last='Vance'] AZ Compass Prep Black</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A long and young scoring guard can score from the 3pt line plus get inside to score. His catch three is coming around more and more as he he shot the ball well from the stripe. He is still best at getting to the rim with long strides and euro steps. His length on defense bothers his opponents and plays the passing lanes about as well as you could. He also has good speed on the break.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1517384' first='Cooper' last='Campbell'] Phhoenix Prep</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A known shooter with deep three point range. He changes speeds often with a nice handle and gets separation to get his shot off. He hit a few step back threes off the dribble that were impressive and surveys the scene well. He is way tougher then he appears and he is sneaky quick to burst passed his defenders. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='992829' first='Gabe' last='Pickens'] Dream City Christian</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A strong pure point guard plays with good pace to his game and is tough on the ball defensively, but he shot the ball well. He started the game versus Minnesota Prep with three straight triples. He drove and kicked it plus slipped in a few to his post players.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1216716' first='Harrison' last='Reede'] Phhoenix Prep</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A deadly shooter with NBA range. He has arguably the quickest shooting release in the entire state. He is best off the catch and will relocate to an open spot but he can give a hard shot fake and take one or two dribbles and rise up from mid-range. He is tough and clearly not afraid of big moments.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='973813' first='Jayson' last='Petty'] Phhoenix Prep</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Petty has improved his game a little every season. He can pull-up off dribble from mid-range and hit the catch three. He rises very high off the dribble to create separation and will make it with defenders draped all over him. He does little things with rebounding, boxing out, defending inside and out with real toughness. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1571917' first='Lucas' last='Prolla'] AZ Compass Prep Black&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A physical scoring lead guard is a very good passer who can spray the ball around, but he shot the ball well versus <em>Our Saviour Lutheran </em>and drove the lane with his thicker body. He makes smart reads to teammates, he plays hard each possession and sets the tone.  </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='814507' first='Davion' last='Butler'] AZ Compass Prep Black&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>An undersized guard is truly fearless. He shot the ball well, per usual, with range and confidence. He has a quick shooting release and will defend his position. He found open shooters and he can float it in once he touches the paint. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1673468' first='Vernon' last='Henry'] Phhoenix Prep</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>An undersized two-way pure point guard is a physical on-ball defender. He has a tight handle and a strong upper body with toughness. He attacks the basket with his running back like build and can make an open perimeter jumper. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->