Ultimate Club Championship: Top Guards (Pt. 2)

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>LAS VEGAS — The second live viewing period of July was the resurgence of grassroots events in Las Vegas. There were four NCAA certified events on the weekend and we spent some time at each of them. While we weren't able to take in every team at each of these events, we made sure to spend as much time in the gym evaluating as possible. In this piece we take a look at more of the top guards we saw at the Ultimate Club Championship.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='1177252' first='RJ' last='Nance'], Las Vegas Punishers</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Nance is a smooth, smart and poised playmaker for others and creator for himself in transition and half-court offense. The 6-foot-2 lefty used his explosive first step to get defenders off-balance and showed his multi-level scoring ability with a drive and crafty finish at the rim or a step-back jumper.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='1116063' first='Robert' last='Wright III'], Team Final</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>All eyes - and ball handling duties - were on Wright whose backcourt partner Ahmad Nowell didn't make the trip to Vegas. The 6-footer held down the fort just fine. Wright, who is committed to Baylor, is one of the highest IQ point guards in the country and was making the right decisions, reads and passes each time down the floor for Team Final.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='1382858' first='Ryan' last='Pettis'], Team Lillard </h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Pettis is a super crafty creator off the dribble. His ability to make reads out of ball screen action is a key component to his impact on the offensive end. Pettis is great at snaking the middle ball screen to get into his pull-up jumper or kick to an open teammate. One of the best attributes the 6-foot-4 guard brings to the floor is his high energy on the defensive end when pressuring the ball and making ball handlers uncomfortable.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='1057050' first='Tiger' last='Cuff'], Utah Gold</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Cuff is your prototypical point guard in that he's an instinctual playmaker who brings an unselfishness to the floor that helps to empower teammates. The 6-foot-3 rising senior uses his change of speed and direction to get paint touches and consistently sprays the ball out to open shooters. What stood about about Cuff is the fact that he never gets sped up and delivers passes on-time and on-target.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='1091949' first='Ty' last='Davis'], Pro One </h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It's easy to tell from the opening tip that Davis is the guy who makes everything go for Pro One. The 6-foot-5 Creighton-commit pulls all the right strings for his team and though he has elite scoring ability he makes sure to share the ball and allow the offensive side of things to come to him. Davis is a knockdown three-point shooter who has great positional size, elite court vision and an impressive all-around feel for the game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='1450483' first='Zoom' last='Diallo'], Beauchamp Elite</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Diallo had a number of high major programs following his every move and rightfully so. The 6-foot-4 point guard has elite command for the position first and foremost and everything seems to come easily to him on the floor. Diallo is best when he's using his strength and change of speed to get into the lane and finish through contact or kick to open shooters.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->