Puma 2026 SG Standouts

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On July 11th-14th I attended the&nbsp;<strong>Puma circuit</strong>&nbsp;at the big facility of the Arizona Athletic Grounds in Mesa/AZ.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There were 5 local programs I watched with Apex Athletix, AZ Venom, Factory, Jump Athletics and Team Supreme.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Here were some of the standout 2026 SG's</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1482166' first='John' last='Fahrendorf'] St. Mary's (Jump Athletic 2026) (Pictured)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A scoring guard is a catch and shoot three point sniper. He is one of the top standstill shooters in the class. He has a quick release and it looks good every single attempt. He rebounds well with his size and length. He grew a little in the last year and is just rounding back into form from an injury. He should have a big junior year. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2339084' first='Samuel' last='Kalikilwa'] West Point (Factory 16) </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A thicker framed defensive shooting guard scores with threes and dribble drives in traffic. He has a deceptively quick first step and uses his burst and girth to get downhill and will score thru the contact. He defends the 1-3 for his high school and club team and is a better passer than you realize.  </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1571923' first='Koreon' last='Head'] Ironwood (Jump Athletic 2026)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A strong upper bodied guard is quick in the passing lanes and fast on the break to take it to the basket. He loves getting downhill with a quick initial first step. He uses his body to score thru contact and takes very long strides and can handle the bump to score. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1876346' first='Sebastian' last='Vargas'] Eduprize (Jump Athletic 2026)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A growing guard has steadily improved his game. He can dunk it on the break with his size and score. He can rip thru and get to the basket to score or get fouled. He is a catch three point shooter or can pull-up from mid to the three. He rebounds well and even blocks shots.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1680841' first='Mikah' last='Alfonso'] West Point (AZ Venom 16)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A fluid athletic guard is improving his shooting from the three point line. His twitch and length to play the passing lanes allow him to collect steals in bunches. He can pull-up from mid-range and get to the basket. Look for him to breakout and be more of a weapon for the West Side team. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1950116' first='Ethan' last='Hayes'] Horizon (Jump Athletic 16 Black)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Another sniper in the rising junior class is Hayes. He has good size and length for a guard and a pretty looking stroke. He can pull-up off the dribble from mid-range. He can create his own offense with drives and fall aways and get to the free throw line.   </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->