Weekend Review: Point Guards
This past weekend I attended the USJN Mid-America Qualifier in Westfield, Indiana. I was able to see more than 30 teams in the field and evaluate more than 300 prospects at the event. Below is a look at nine point…
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Continue ReadingThis past weekend I attended the USJN Mid-America Qualifier in Westfield, Indiana. I was able to see more than 30 teams in the field and evaluate more than 300 prospects at the event. Below is a look at nine point guard prospects who caught my eye. They aren’t necessarily the nine most talented or the nine who put up the best statistics, but they did stand out to me for one reason or another
Maddi Fulks, 2020, 5-4 PG/2G, Bethesda Christian School, Grand Park Premier-Jacobsen
Maddi is really starting to grow on me. She is so crafty with the ball, and this year she looks more like a point guard who can manage the game and still score the basketball instead of just a scorer from the wing. She is dynamic with it in her hands, she sees the floor well, she finds open teammates, but she still maintains her ability to hit shots with range and get to the free throw line. I just really like her strength, balance, physicality, and tough-nosed play at the position. For recruiting purposes, it would be nice if she was a little taller and a little more explosive off the floor, but she is a very skillful and intelligent ballplayer.
Taylor Pinkerton, 2020, 5-5 PG/2G, Union County H.S., Indiana Flight Storm
I’ve seen Taylor play a handful of times in the past, but I don’t recall her ever playing this well. Maybe it was the new #44 jersey since she couldn’t find her regular one. She was quick/fast and very active at both ends of the floor. She looked calm, poised, and in charge out there. She showed a much-improved handle, she looks a little stronger, and all-in-all she has just really improved the majority of her game in the last year. If she can continue to consistently show what I saw Saturday, I think she’ll have several small colleges interested in her this Spring & Summer.
Reese Sexton, 2020, 5-6 PG, Assumption H.S. (KY), Sky Digg Elite-Grennes
This was my first time watching Reese play, and I was pretty impressed with her all-around game. She has some length, she’s fairly quick/fast and smooth with the basketball. She is tougher and stronger than her frame might suggest, and she is always on attack with her eyes up. She could score it attacking the basket or by knocking down the occasional jumper, but it almost always seemed like she made the right decision. There are some really good guards in the state of Kentucky right now, and Reese just adds more quality to that group.
Taylor Austin, 2021, 5-4 PG/2G, Lake Station Edison H.S., Lady Region Elite
I’ve made sure to watch Taylor several times over the past year or so, and she is definitely of the score-first mindset. But this weekend I was really intrigued by her change in approach, as she was looking to create offense for whoever was open, and she managed the team more like a point guard who can score instead of just being a scorer and hunting shots. At her size, she’ll need to prove to coaches that she can be an effective game manager at times, and I think she’s showing that more and more each time out, but make no mistake about it, she can fill it up in bunches when called upon to do so. She has already passed the 1,000-point plateau in just two seasons.
Aubrey Burgess, 2021, 5-6 PG/2G, Linton-Stockton H.S., Indiana Showcase-Sinclair
Linton-Stockton has seen quite the improvement in their girls’ basketball program over the last couple of seasons, and while classmate Vanessa Shafford (2021) gets a lot of the credit for that, and rightfully so, Aubrey is also a really nice ballplayer and college prospect. She is a feisty, fairly quick and athletic combo guard, and she can handle the ball and make plays for others or knock down shots consistently from the perimeter. She’s showing more shiftiness, confidence, and assertiveness at the point, and I can definitely see her start to attract a lot of college attention this grassroots season.
Hanna Knoll, 2021, 5-8 PG/2G, Angola H.S., Indiana Flight UAA-Wright
There are a lot of things to really like about Hanna’s game and upside. She is very long, fluid, and smooth, and I feel like she grows about an inch every eight to ten months right now. She is one of those players who may not be elite at any one thing, but she is sound at every part of the game. She can handle the ball and run offense efficiently as a point guard, she can slash to the basket and finish through contact, she’s a capable perimeter shooter, she is a willing defender who can guard multiple types of players, and she always plays with a good motor. What else can you ask for out of your guards?
Kathryn Perry, 2021, 5-1 PG/2G, Shenandoah H.S., Midwest Finest 16U
Whether it’s fair or not, the obvious characteristic that will affect Kathryn’s recruiting more than anything is her height. However, if you take a step back and just evaluate her as a basketball player, I think you’ll see that she is tough-nosed, gritty, feisty, and she plays with a good motor. She has speed and quickness, she can really get after it defensively, and offensively she can put up points in bunches and score it at all levels. She has good ball skills, and she’ll need to continue showing she can handle the load as more of a traditional point guard at the next level, but I assure you she can play the game.
Kendall Harmon, 2022, 5-7 PG/2G, Bloomington H.S. South, Team Blaze Select
When I saw Kendall a year ago, my impression was that at 5-4 she was an undersized shooter who wasn’t terribly explosive. Fast forward to this weekend, and I was as impressed with her transformation as with anyone else’s play all weekend. She is taller, leaner, stronger, and more athletic in all directions. She is one of the better knock-down shooters in the state, regardless of class, but she has also turned herself into a really mature and savvy point guard with a tight handle. I almost didn’t recognize her because of her growth physically, but also because she looked poised like a Junior or Senior on the floor in total control.
Karsyn Norman, 2023, 5-5 PG, Bedford North Lawrence H.S., Indiana Showcase-Johnson
Speaking of players who play beyond their years, Karsyn looks is as mature and intelligent of a point guard as there are in the upper classes. She is in total control when she’s on the floor, never rattled, and seemingly always making the correct reads/decisions with the basketball. She has some length, good quickness and athleticism, and she has a quiet toughness about her. She can penetrate a defense and find teammates, and she can knock down shots from the perimeter when open and in rhythm. I’m not sure how much she’ll grow, but as she gets stronger, look for her to make a big impact on Bedford basketball the next four years.