Spring Preview: 2019 Top Shooting Guards
The spring is now just about here and we are spending time over the next month preparing and previewing all you need to know about the 2019 class as AAU gets ready to get going. We will breakdown many areas with not only position breakdowns but the best of the best. Today, we are looking at those top shooting guards in the 2019 class.
# | Prospect | HT | POS | High School |
1 | Armaan Franklin | 6’5 | SG | Cathedral |
2 | Brandon Newman | 6’3 | SG | Valparaiso |
3 | Alex Hemenway | 6’3 | SG | Castle |
4 | Jared Hankins | 6’4 | SG | Lawrence North |
5 | Dexter Shouse | 6’3 | SG | Lawrence North |
6 | Simon Banks | 6’2 | SG | Brebeuf Jesuit |
7 | Drew Comer | 6’4 | SG | Greensburg |
8 | Elijah Hales | 6’3 | SG | Westview |
9 | Zach Kuhn | 6’4 | SG | Shelbyville |
10 | Caleb Redman | 6’1 | SG | Indianapolis Pike |
11 | Paxon Bartley | 6’2 | SG | Wood Memorial |
12 | Semaj Danley | 6’2 | SG | Perry Meridian |
13 | Colin Kenney | 6’1 | SG | Marquette Catholic |
14 | Will Penny | 6’4 | SG | Logansport |
15 | Spencer Reist | 6’1 | SG | Brebeuf Jesuit |
16 | Brennan Neal | 6’3 | SG | Whiteland |
17 | Wendell DeMyers | 6’4 | SG | Traders Point Christian |
18 | Nelson Mbongo | 6’3 | SG | West Lafayette |
19 | Zane Gross | 6’2 | SG | Silver Creek |
20 | Demarea Dial | 6’2 | SG | Fort Wayne Wayne |
21 | Corey Landers | 6’2 | SG | Hammond Morton |
22 | Cory Richards | 6’2 | SG | Franklin Community |
23 | Branson Combs | 6’3 | SG | Evansville Memorial |
24 | Avery Paddock | 6’3 | SG | Alexandria |
25 | Isaiah Edinburgh | 6’2 | SG | Evansville Harrison |
26 | Connor Jones | 6’3 | SG | Danville |
27 | Brian Miller | 6’1 | SG | Southport |
28 | Tristan Bufkin | 6’3 | SG | Park Tudor |
29 | Bradley Nalley | 6’2 | SG | Corydon Central |
30 | Elias Gerodemos | 6’2 | SG | Crown Point |
31 | Jon Einman | 6’1 | SG | Mooresville |
32 | Peyton Meadors | 6’3 | SG | Mt. Vernon-Fortville |
33 | Christian Kincer | 6’3 | SG | Indianapolis Lighthouse South |
34 | Kian Sills | 6’2 | SG | Guerin Catholic |
35 | Nehemiah Jones | 6’3 | SG | Cardinal Ritter |
36 | Dustin Hudak | 6’3 | SG | Lowell |
37 | Jake Wilkes | 6’3 | SG | Cloverdale |
38 | Gunnar Reffeitt | 6’1 | SG | Brownsburg |
Breakdown: As we did with the other positions, we can breakdown the tiers of where prospects will fall and the shooting guards might be more interesting than some of the others in 2019. There are just more guys where than you would normally see. 38 of 185 is a good chunk and they are concentrated in some higher levels.
As for the breakdowns, here is out look at this moment: Tier 1 (HM-MM): #1-3, Tier 2 (LM-DII): #4-9, Tier 3 (DII-NAIA): #10-21, Tier 4 (NAIA-DIII): #22-38.
What we will have to see out of this group, is other players not currently ranked joining in. Only have 38 isn’t a ton but there is more size in this class and that is what is building up the depth. However, to have 21 players that go from High-major down to high-level NAIA is a ton and there are likely more DI prospects in this group than with point guards. I feel really good about those guys listed in Tier 2 to get those DI offers than I would with the point guards.
As for where the other tiers fit, Tier 3 is really intriguing. Many names pop up that could be among those I expect to make jumps this summer. Colin Kenney, Will Penny, Wendell DeMyers, Corey Landers, Damerea Dial, and Nelson Mbongo are all guys I like as movers in this first month or two of the AAU season. I think they have the ability to join that upper tier with their motivation and developed skill sets.
With regards to some of the characteristics of this group, I think there is some solid size. A lot of 6’4 and taller guys that don’t really fit the true wing mold or small forward group. Guys like Drew Comer, Armaan Franklin, Jared Hankins, and Zach Kuhn are Taylor-made for the off-guard spot. There are also some high-upside guys late in this group like Nehemiah Jones, Bradley Nalley, and Isaiah Edinburgh. That small group would be some potential sleepers to watch.