District Roundup: Guards for the Future

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here are five guards from district play who have great futures ahead of them but are already leaving a lasting impact as their teams chase a state title. Each of these freshmen and sophomores is still alive as we enter the state tournament so check them out soon.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"[player_tooltip player_id='2375339' first='Grant' last='Wardenaar']","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2027","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"6'1u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"77244","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Royal","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"The lefty guard is a really intriguing prospect for the 20-win Royal Knights. In last week's district championship game against Zillah, Wardenaar showed off some quick-thinking on the dribble and not just the ability to use an array of moves but to whip them out in a reactive and instinctual manner. He used them to create space and security on the perimeter, to get separation or driving angles and get to the hoop, and showed he can drive with some toughness and create contact. There was nothing flashy with his passing but the accuracy and pace with each and every pass was impressive nonetheless. He just seems to have a good feel on the ball and sees things pretty well already. Their next game comes in a tough matchup against Annie Wright this Saturday. Both squads racked up 20+ wins this season, two of just five teams in the 1A to do so this year.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["2021598"],"_player_evaluations_1_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"Johnson came off the bench to play critical minutes for the Trojans in a game that was pretty tight for most of the way. He filled a big role handling the ball with [player_tooltip player_id='1984463' first='Carter' last='Hansen'] in foul trouble, and had some really good moments hitting open shots, making plays defensively with quick hands, and generally just being a high-activity player while on the floor. He shot it pretty well from 3-point and was able to not just bring the ball down but use his dribble to get places and create action in the halfcourt.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["2116694"],"_player_evaluations_2_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"Collier's an electric player that had several big plays for Lincoln against Stadium in a close winner-to-state game last Friday. He's a slippery kid with the ball and has great vision for attacking gaps in the half as well as pushing the ball in transition. While he did struggle with some contact finishes at the hoop, he also showed some incredible acrobatics to finish around defenders and stepped up to hit some clutch free throws with the crowd getting loud. Collier also threw a dime underneath with some zip on it to get through the defense with under a minute left as the teams went back and forth. Lincoln ended up losing but won their next game to make the state tournament. They'll play West Seattle Saturday at Bellevue College in a loser-out game to see who gets to play at the Tacoma Dome.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_3_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_3_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_3_player_details_player_name":"[player_tooltip player_id='2375341' first='Cade' last='Rogers']","_player_evaluations_3_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_3_player_details_graduating_class":"2027","_player_evaluations_3_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_3_player_details_height":"6'3u0022","_player_evaluations_3_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_3_player_details_position":"77248","_player_evaluations_3_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_3_player_details_school":"Pullman","_player_evaluations_3_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_3_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_3_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_3_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_3_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"Rogers is a guard with some good size who already starts for one of the top 2A teams. In the district championship against Rogers (Spokane), he showed some good promise as a scorer, taking contact and finishing inside, and also knocking down a catch and shoot 3 with ease. Pullman has plenty of scoring options ahead of Rogers on the ladder, but he did a great job moving off the ball and picking when to attack himself. He also showed some potential on the defensive end as a bigger guard that can make plays around the rim.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["1863247"],"_player_evaluations_4_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"Mentink has been a big floor spacer for Auburn this season as a guy who can consistently knock down the 3-ball. However, in their recent game against Todd Beamer, Mentink started off ice cold from long-range and started to freeze a little on the ball. But he was able to adjust his game after a few possessions and started finding open lanes to drive and suck defenders in, which in turn opened up shots on the perimeter for teammate [player_tooltip player_id='1451033' first='Jaylen' last='Petty']. This helped get one of their top scorers going and also helped spur more movement from other players that eventually led to a big run for Auburn that essentially put the game out of reach. He eventually rediscovered his stroke from 3 and buried a big 3 at the horn as the third quarter ended. While Mentink's been relied on primarily for his shooting, he's also a smart player who moves the ball well and has also been a resilient defender.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":5,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-65d42522c5b12"} /-->