Proving Grounds: The Shot-Makers- Shooting Guards 14u

Shooting guard is a position that is relied upon to be shot-makers. Every player within this article plays an important role as a scorer for their team.    Over the weekend he was the team's “glue guy." Emmanuel is a great rebounder who crashed the boards on both ends of the basketball court. He led his team in rebounds, steals and hustle plays. I really had an appreciation for the intensity he showed on the court. Emmanuel literally fought for every rebound like it was his last. When his teammates missed shots, Emmanuel was in the paint rebounding and scoring offensive put-backs around the rim. On numerous occasions, he showed the ability to make shots on the perimeter. When the team had opportunities to score in transition, he showed his ability to be a great finisher. In my opinion, Emmanuel was the best defensive player on the floor. He blocked shots, grabbed defensive rebounds, forced turnovers and defended every area of the basketball court.     Adam was a big-time shooter for the team. Whenever Stay Strong Hoops 14u-1 needed a basket, Adam calmly knocked it down. He's a serious three-point threat for the team. I watched him knock down four threes over the course of the game. Adam is an excellent all around scorer. He beats opponents off the dribble, attacks the basket and makes jump-shots. Some of his points came from runners in the lane or when he grabbed offensive rebounds. Adam was aggressive whenever he was in scoring position. On defense, he was great at taking charges, hitting the floor for loose balls and making all the hustle plays needed to help the team win. After watching Adam play, I viewed him as a winner! He has a great future ahead of him.     Devin is a play-making shooting guard who is more scorer than facilitator. He showed the ability to get his teammates involved with great passes. After watching him play I viewed him as a pure scorer. Devin was great at attacking the basket and making acrobatic lay-ups. He's excellent at scoring with either hand. When he needed to beat defenders going right, he did so. The same applied whenever he attacked the defense going to his left. Devin has a nice pull-up game from the mid-range area of the floor. I watched him knock down these shots regularly throughout the game. He excelled at creating the space he needed to shoot over opposing defenders. When he needed to extend his range beyond the three-point line, he did so with efficiency. Defensively, he forced three steals by jumping passing lanes or intercepting careless passes thrown by MN Sting 14u-1 players. Devin is a great scoring guard who is capable of filling up the stat sheet.     A shifty guard who is a crafty scorer. Abbott is an excellent shot-maker who easily drove around his opponents and scored. Whether it was attacking the basket, making mid-range jump-shots, scoring in transition or knocking down three-pointers, Abbott found ways to be effective on the basketball court. He has a nasty euro-step move that he scored on the defense multiple times throughout the game. Real Phenom 14u Anderson players had no answers for this move. He's a great rebounder who attacked the glass whenever he had the opportunity. A majority of his boards led to second chance scoring opportunities for his teammates or himself. Defensively, he excelled at using his length to be disruptive against opposing players. Abbott is a promising athlete. I expect him to have a great high school basketball season next year.     Luke is a shooter! He's the type of player who catches fire once he sees a shot go down. In the game against MN Sting 14u-1, there was a sequence where he knocked down two consecutive threes. Until that point in the game, he was quiet on offense. Those consecutive baskets jump-started his scoring. From that point on, Luke attacked the basket and used teammate screens to get open along the perimeter. When 14u Real Phenom Rich had scoring opportunities in transition, Luke was a strong finisher. Luke is a great team player who can score the ball. I believe he will easily adjust to high school basketball next season.     Jonathan was “instant offense” as soon as he stepped on the court. He made an immediate impact when he scored on three straight possessions. He made this happen by staying in constant "attack mode" throughout the game. I believe Jonathan finished the game with over 20 points. The opposing team had no answers for him defensively. Jonathan has the confidence of a player with a true scorers mentality. He kept the pressure on opposing defenders who had the task of stopping him. Jonathan was great at finishing lay-ups through contact. Some led to three-point plays, some were play-ons. He had a knack for beating defenders off the dribble and scoring around the rim. I can honestly say, every basket he made was in the paint. I never saw Jonathan take a jump-shot the entire game. Defensively, he used his quick hands to force opposing guards into mistakes. He had multiple steals by timing the passes from the opposition. These turnovers led to easy transition scores. I expect Jonathan to have a successful high school career as he continues to grow and mature.     Ryan is a tough minded guard who attacks the opposition. He stayed in “attack mode” throughout the game and played with no fear. Ryan is an excellent ball handler who easily breaks down opposing defenders and scores in the paint. Offensively, his shot of choice was the mid-range jumper. Whenever he used the dribble to beat his opponent, Ryan created just enough space to knock down a high percentage of his shots. He's a flashy passer and play-maker. A majority of his passes led to easy baskets for his teammates. Whether it was a bounce or no-look pass, Ryan was always on the money. When the opportunity was there to make threes, he showed the ability to do so. He finished the game with three of them. Ryan is an awesome shooting guard who has the capability of being successful at the high school level next season.     Madden is a shot maker! He's a good ball handler who easily gets by defenders and makes plays. Madden is a legit shooter who was never afraid of taking shots. He knocked down multiple threes, attacked the basket and found ways of dishing out assists to his teammates. There were moments in the game where Madden used great step-back dribble moves to free himself for open looks at the basket. This allowed him to knock down jump-shots despite being closely defended by the opposition. When the [program_tooltip program_id='2075310' first='Northstar' last='Titans'] had an opportunity to push the ball up-court, Madden showed the ability to finish strong in transition. Defensively, he used his quick hands and great footwork to be a problem for opposing guards. Madden is an excellent player who has an opportunity to become even greater as he continues to grow and mature.

Shooting guard is a position that is relied upon to be shot-makers. Every player within this article plays an important role as a scorer for their team.