2020 Rankings Update: Top Guards
With our new 2020 rankings out, it’s time to look specifically at each position to determine which players are doing their particular jobs the best. Today we examine the state’s top guards. While none of these players cracked our top…
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Continue ReadingWith our new 2020 rankings out, it’s time to look specifically at each position to determine which players are doing their particular jobs the best. Today we examine the state’s top guards. While none of these players cracked our top 5, it is an extremely deep position, with a number of players raising their stock this season.
A quick note on the positional breakdown: in today’s game, there’s not always a clear way to define a player’s position. For the purposes of this breakdown, I’ve separated players into guards, wings, and bigs. Guards are being defined generally as players who serve as primary ball-handlers, but there’s no scientific method for determining exactly which players are in each category. Furthermore, Kentucky doesn’t keep assists as an official statistic, so there are fewer stats to back up some these top playmakers’ abilities.
Kennedy Igo, George Rogers Clark- Stepping up as a leader on a young George Rogers Clark team, Igo has helped her team grow and improve throughout the season. She has remained a steady constant as the Lady Cardinals grow and develop around her, maintaining her excellent shooting, recently passing 2,000 career points. The leadership Igo has demonstrated has proved just as valuable, leading an inexperienced GRC team to a nice 16-10 season thus far.
Ally Collett, South Laurel- Despite some injury trouble, Collett has rebounded to prove herself as one of the top players in the state, averaging 17.7 points and an unofficial 5.2 assists per game. She has been consistently strong as the season has gone along, turning in consistently strong performances as a top scorer and passer. She is also a well above average rebounder for her position, showing triple-double potential if assists were officially kept.
Hope Sivori, Mercy- Sivori has been so great this year that she is one of the top scorers on this list despite sharing an offense with Ta’Ziah Jenks, the 2nd ranked player in the state. Sivori is averaging 19.1 ppg, thanks in part to her strong 2.5 deep balls per game. Perhaps her best trait is her never-ceasing aggression, constantly pushing forward and putting never pressure on the defense.
Destinee Marshall, Sacred Heart- Another player charged with running an elite team, Marshall represents one of the most elite pieces of that team. She has the ability to go off at any time, dominating games on the offensive end several times this season even with top talent around her. Her elite scoring ability combined with a willingness to pass the ball to facilitate the Valkyries’ outstanding offense make Marshall one of the state’s top guards.
Morgan DeFoor, Scott County- After a rocky start to the season, DeFoor has reasserted herself as one of the top players in the state. She is an elite scorer, topping this list with 22.7 points and 3.2 deep balls per game while showing the ability to take over a game with her offensive ability. DeFoor’s scoring capability combined with her passing prove that she is a great offensive player.