Rankings Update: Top 2021 Shooting Guards

James Richards

May 4, 2020 @ 10:06 AM

Prep Hoops West Virginia released its inaugural 2021 class rankings this week and the updated list features 75 players. Here Prep Hoops takes a look at the top four combo guards in the class of 2021 in WV.   [player_tooltip player_id="977497" first="David" last="Jones"] - Teays Valley 2021 Jones, a 6’6” SG, is one of the best scorers in the entire country. He is by far the best scorer in the state. He is a great scorer from all 3 levels. He shoots the mid range extremely well off the catch or off the dribble. He also shoots the 3 very well. Jones is a great finisher and has great body control on his finishes. Also, he thinks the game very well. Any time he can, when he gets a smaller or weaker defender on him, he will take them into the post and bully them. He is very strong and physical. Defensively, he uses his length to bother ball handlers. His length also allows him to block some shots and get his hands on some passes. David, currently isn’t, but I fully expect him to be ranked in the top 50 when the new national rankings release.   [player_tooltip player_id="977498" first="Shane" last="Dezonie"] - Huntington Prep 2021 Dezonie, a 6’5” SG, is one of my favorite players I saw all year. He plays extremely hard at all times. He is a hard nosed kid that will just punch you in the face to get the ball, by all means necessary the ball is his. Offensively he is a good finisher and uses both hands well. He is at his absolute best when going downhill with a head full of steam. He also shoots the mid range jumper well and is a solid 3 point shooter. Defensively is where he really stands out. Dezonie can guard 1-4 and can do it well. He is a big, strong, athletic guard which allows him to eat up and overpower smaller guards and allows him to match up well with bigger wing’s and 4’s. Dezonie is a top 75 player in the country and I expect it to remain that way.   Trey Jenkins - Huntington Prep 2021 Jenkins, a 6’4” SG, had a good year at Huntington Prep playing on both the national and the regional team. Jenkins is a very good shooter. He shoots the 3 ball well, and is able to do it off the catch or off the dribble. He has a good shot fake and uses it well and often. He also is a solid finisher with both hands. Jenkins has a solid handle and is able to take defenders off the dribble. Defensively, Jenkins is a solid defender who can guard 1-3. Low major D1’s need to be recruiting him.   [player_tooltip player_id="977512" first="Jaimelle" last="Claytor"] - St. Albans 2021 Claytor, a 6’4” SG, may have been my favorite player this year to watch. He can do a little bit of everything. Claytor has a solid mid range jump shot. Although he’s a guard, his coach, Bryan England, will put him in the high post-right at the nailhole- when teams play 2-3 zones against them. He puts Jaimelle there because Jaimelle makes good decisions with the ball and shoots it particularly well right from the foul line area. Claytor has a solid handle and is a solid passer. Where he excels is on the defensive end though. Against WV competition, he is able to guard 1-5 because of his size, strength and athleticism. At a national level or at the collegiate level, he would be able to guard 1-3. He has an innate sense of when to reach to steal the ball from the ball handler, as he averaged 1.6 steals per game this year. Claytor is also a very good rebounder, he averaged just under 7 rebounds per game this year as a junior.