District/MD Movement/Thrill 17s Scrimmage: Impressive Guards

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On Sunday at SEED School of Maryland, <a href="https://prephoops.com/program/team-thrill/"><strong> </strong></a><strong><a href="https://prephoops.com/program/team-thrill/"><strong>[program_tooltip program_id='2077005' first='Team' last='Thrill']</strong></a> </strong> hosted a tri-scrimmage with <a href="https://prephoops.com/program/district-basketball-club/"><strong> </strong></a><strong><a href="https://prephoops.com/program/district-basketball-club/"><strong>[program_tooltip program_id='2076976' first='District' last='Basketball Club']</strong></a> </strong> and <a href="https://prephoops.com/program/maryland-movement/"><strong> </strong></a><strong><a href="https://prephoops.com/program/maryland-movement/"><strong>[program_tooltip program_id='2076982' first='Maryland' last='Movement']</strong></a> </strong> . The 16s and 17s were at this site and throughout the day, I saw some guards on the 17s that caught my eye and were worth highlighting below.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2889373"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-69cbd60c264cd"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Another viewing and another write-up for Green, who makes it impossible not to notice his impact no matter what jersey he's wearing. The strength of this Thrill 17s group will be their backcourt and Green is the type of guy who will demand bulk minutes because of the way he impacts the game doing the little things. He can play on or off the ball offensively, but it'll be on the defensive end where he can dominate the game with relentless pressure, intensity and physicality in the backcourt. He forced turnovers with regularity on Sunday and is always in the right spot off the ball where he's prepared to step in and take charges. In transition, he used his burst and twitch to get to the rim and finish strong. Also looked confident and poised with where his shots came in the half court with timely lifts as the ball entered the paint.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2888897"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-69cbd60c26548"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Another prospect that I've spammed this winter is Leggett, who I believe is still one of the better under the radar names in the area. Good positional size at 6-foot-3 for a [program_tooltip program_id='2076982' first='Maryland' last='Movement'] team that isn't the biggest in the frontcourt. With that, he'll be expected to touch every category on the box score and be a presence on the glass specifically. He showed this high school season that he's capable of doing so and shouldering his team against high-level competition. His herky jerky approach with the ball combined with his size when he's around the rim or pulling up off the bounce makes it difficult for majority of defenders. He'll be the bell cow for this [program_tooltip program_id='3570826' first='MD' last='Movement'] group this year and coaches should monitor him closely.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2608471"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-69cbd60c265af"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">I liked the edge and craft that Bates brought as a scorer this weekend. He brings that playground style of attack with quick, long crossovers and a feel for creating space out on the perimeter to generate his looks. When he makes his way to the cup, he's able to adjust in the air to avoid shot-blockers while maintaining nice balance with his attempt. Bates did a nice job of adjusting to how the defense guarded him and if they packed the paint on his drives, he didn't hesitate in kicking it out to the weakside shooter spotting up in the corner. Throughout the day he acted as a zone-buster off the catch whether it came from the wing off nice lifts or in the corner where he made defenders pay for giving him any space on his load-up.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- 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":"Brayden Cespedes","_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":"5'10u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"77246","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"North Hagerstown","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_program":"[program_tooltip program_id='2076982' first='Maryland' last='Movement']","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_program":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-69cbd60c266d9"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Cespedes is a good guard to have alongside Leggett as Cespedes is coming off an impressive high school season leading North Hagerstown to a 14-9 record on more than 22 points per game. He's a crafty, quick-twitch point guard with ability to get to the rim with regularity and finish among the trees with either hand as he showed on Sunday. He's a capable spot-up shooting threat when others drive-and-kick, pushes the pace off the defensive glass with effective end-to-end speed and maintains floor vision off his live bounce during drives or initiations. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2454539"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-69cbd60c26776"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Desire and Bates make up an interesting backcourt for District BC as two guys who can put point on the board in a hurry. They also both have the ability to break down their man and force defensive rotations to open others up. Desire couldn't get his jumper falling on Sunday, but has typically been a guy that will knock down open triples with time and that should be a common theme with Bates' and others establishing paint touches. While the shot wasn't falling, Desire did a nice job of adjusting and penetrating gaps with a quick first step. He'll look to translate his winning ways with Georgetown Prep this winter over to the grassroots circuit and help District maintain their presence within the Hoop Group scene.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2625096"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-69cbd60c26800"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Rivera caught my eye throughout the day with his floor-spacing ability from the wings and corners. He has a quick, confident trigger and you can tell he's earned his keep throughout his high school career being a long-range marksman. While he hit a handful of three's on the afternoon, it was good to see an occasional floor attack as the closeouts became aggressive where he got to the bucket in straight-line fashion in time to scoop in layups before the shot blockers could react. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block -->