NOVA Top Lead Guards (Part 1)
With the season approaching we at Prep Hoops will be compiling all sorts of lists and rankings to get everyone prepared. Today, we’ll take a look at some of the top lead guards in the state, continuing with the Northern…
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Continue ReadingWith the season approaching we at Prep Hoops will be compiling all sorts of lists and rankings to get everyone prepared. Today, we’ll take a look at some of the top lead guards in the state, continuing with the Northern VA area. Here’s a look at 8 of the best seniors, in no particular order.
Xavier Lipscomb | 6’3” | St. Stephen’s St. Agnes 2020
Lipscomb really used the June high school live period to his advantage this summer, as he picked up 12 offers since June started and holds 12 total offers. He’s somewhat of an old school point guard, a guy who can take a talented team and make them even better by setting the tone and putting other guys in situations to succeed. He has good length and he’s a good athlete, he’s an impact guy on both ends of the floor, he controls the game and takes care of the basketball and while he’s a pass first guy he’s able to turn it on and make shots from all three levels or find his way to the line when he needs to.
Kaleb Torrence | 6’1” | Wakefield School 2020
An under the radar guy who doesn’t play at the biggest school, Torrence is going to be one of the top PGs in all of the VISAA D3 classification this year. He’s built like a running back with a strong frame both in his upper and lower body, he has good burst and changes speeds well that makes him hard to contain off the bounce and he runs the pick-and-roll very well as he makes good reads and is able to both score and make plays for others out of it as well. He got better as the summer went along boosting his stock, especially as a shooter and defender, and he’s a guy that still has room to improve as well.
Ethan Wilson | 6’0” | Osbourn Park 2020
Another late bloomer who has improved and boosted his stock over the summer with Higher Level, Wilson is going to be a problem and one of the top PGs in all of public school basketball in Northern Virginia. He’s a born leader who makes the younger guys on his team better, and he’s a guy who is easy to follow and makes everyone else work harder. He’s a dual threat point guard who can make shots and score out of isolation, sees the floor well both in transition and within the sets and he doesn’t back down from anyone he’s matched up with.
Justice Ellison | 5’9” | Flint Hill 2020
Ellison was forgotten at times on a loaded Flint Hill team last year that featured Georgetown freshman big man Qudus Wahab and Texas A&M Corpus Christie freshman Jordan Hairston who played the point last year, but this year he’ll have the ball in his hands more with two other division one prospects in big men that include George Washington commit Noel Brown and 6’8” Doward Jioklow. Ellison is a stocky and strong guard who plays well in transition, can guard multiple positions and plays with a great motor on both ends of the floor. He’ll have plenty to work with and should have a breakout season moving forward.
Will Shin | 6’0” | Briar Woods 2020
Looking at Shin you wouldn’t think to pick him first in a pick-up game, but he’ll make you pay and bust you up for passing on him like many have probably done in the past. The 6’0” guard isn’t a true point guard by any means, but he’s a combo guard who can flat out fill it up and it doesn’t take a ton to get him going. He’s a well-rounded scorer who can shoot it off the catch, has good feel and wiggle off the bounce and he’s able to use his ability to score in bunches to start to set up teammates as well.
Jared Clawson | 6’0” | Thomas Edison 2020
Much like Shin above him, Clawson doesn’t exactly look the part when you see him but the little guy is capable of exploding at any time and taking a game over like I saw him do when he went for 36 against Tallwood in the VA Preps Classic last season. He’s a walking bucket with deep range off the bounce, the ability to shoot it or attack off of high ball screens and he has great body control that allows him to get to the line or finish over taller defenders. He’s a guy who can ring off multiple threes in a row and it isn’t surprising to see him hit five or more in a game.
Trent Dawson | 6’0” | Loudoun Valley 2020
A coach’s son who plays like one to the t, Dawson is a very smart and crafty lead guard who can do a little bit of everything on the offensive end. He makes good reads both in transition and in the half court, he can run your sets perfectly and knows where to find his teammates for opportunities to score and he’s able to make shots and create in isolation situations as well. He’s a tough kid who will lead by example and stays poised even when things aren’t going his way.
Thomas Balistrere | 6’0” | Langley 2020
One of the most fundamental guards on this group, Balistrere will make a small college very happy with his understanding of the game and great skill set to go along with it. He’s a good shooter both off the catch and off the bounce, he has good footwork in the pull-up and while he can knock it down he picks and chooses his spots so the ball doesn’t stick to him. He’s a guy who will give all out effort on both ends of the floor and will make his teammates better as well.