NEPSAC Class AA, A, and B: 5 True Point Guards

Last weekend, I attended the NEPSAC Showcase at Babson College in Wellesley, MA. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to attend this weekend's Avon NEPSAC Showcase.   The NEPSAC is filled with talent across the board. Here are some true point guards who should be floor generals for their squads this season.    Adamson is only 5-foot-10 but his heart is 7-feet. He plays with so much toughness, passion and aggression -- you love to have him on your team but hate to go up against him. He guards for all 94 feet and pesters opposing ball-handlers by beating them to the spot and using his hands. Offensively, he's incredibly shifty with the ball and makes the correct reads when operating out of the pick and roll. He handles ball pressure super confidently, too, so he's great to have out on the floor towards the end of games. Against Phillips Exeter at Babson, he didn't hunt threes but looked like he had a really nice-looking stroke. He should be a very key player for Dexter Southfield this season.     Stevens is the ultimate floor general. He stays so close to the ground on all his crossover and hesitation moves and is therefore so difficult to take the ball from -- he's under control and getting to two feet at all times. He gets paint touches because of his quickness and burst and will NEVER try to do too much on his passes out to shooters. He just makes the right play over and over again, which will be key for a Choate team where he probably won't have to put up 20 per game for them to be super successful. But when the defense doesn't collapse, he can still make them pay by finishing at the hoop and making the open three. Definite D3 prospect despite his lack of size.     You'd look at Bryan and think he's a scoring guard, but he's just a strong-bodied PG who loves to make the right play and very clearly doesn't care about his stats. He's a floor general who goes from good shot to great shot with a special consistency that few other high school players do. The rising senior completely runs the show for Proctor offensively but also takes charges on the defensive end and has super quick and strong hands, which he uses for steals. Bryan is a good rebounder for his size (6-foot-3), probably because of his strength in both his lower and upper body. Really fun player to watch whose college level is quite difficult to predict. Could be scholarship, but could be high D3.     Zabel runs the show for a Hotchkiss squad that has more than enough scorers and drivers, so he's content just starting the offense and letting others do their thing. He's a pick and roll maestro who uses his quickness to get paint touches and then makes spray outs or dump down passes with ease; he loves the over-the-shoulder pass to the big man popping for three. He just has an awesome feel for the game --- one-handed pocket passes with both hands, head and pass fakes, you name it --- and he's going to make a high level D3 coach very happy.     Mitchner Jr. always impresses me with his ability to run the show for Lawrence Academy. The 6-foot-3 point guard is so good in transition; he's always scanning the defense for passing angles but can keep the ball for finishes at the rim if the defense doesn't stop the ball. He has the perfect balance of creating and scoring. In the half court, he's really quick off the dribble and uses his size to see passes over other guards. I could imagine him playing at the scholarship level. He's a smart player who will definitely be a key cog for Lawrence this season and will have a chance to majorly improve his stock with the number of eyes on this team.

Last weekend, I attended the NEPSAC Showcase at Babson College in Wellesley, MA. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to attend this weekend's Avon NEPSAC Showcase.