Thanksgiving Week Standout Guards
There were some exciting tournaments in the state during Thanksgiving week, and here are some standout guards that I saw during the tournaments I attended.
Emma Kate Tittle (5’7/Combo Guard/2022)
School: Deshler HS
Instagram: emmakatetittle
Twitter: @emmakatetittle
Tournament: BALLN Prep Thanksgiving
The Winfield HS transfer was extremely aggressive out of the gate for her new squad. Even though she struggled from behind the arc early, she leaned heavily on her ability to attack off the bounce. Once two feet were in the paint, she did a tremendous job in finishing. The ball was in the hands of EK quite a lot, and just from my view, without actually keeping track, her assist/turnover ratio was very good for a player with the ball in her hands as much as it was. She is such an added benefit to Deshler as she collapses the D off of her dribble penetration and finds the open shooters, in which Deshler has some knock-down shooters standing on the perimeter ready to catch and shoot.
EK is a competitor, and it showed throughout the game on both ends of the court.
As she looks to lead her new team to Birmingham, there are some things that she is going to have to get better at before she steps onto the campus of North Alabama next year, but I will save those areas of improvement for now, and let her focus on getting to Birmingham.
Emma Stearns (5’6/Point Guard/2024)
School: Mountain Brook HS
Instagram: emma.d.stearns
Twitter: @emmastearns_
Tournament: Mountain Brook Spartan Turkey Jam
Emma is one of the best shooters in the state. I have followed her for a couple years now, and she is very consistent from behind the arc, and I have seen her shoot the rock so well that I am somewhat shocked when she misses. When teams run her off the line, she has the skills to be able to put the ball on the floor and create off the bounce.
She will need to continue to hone that skill as more teams will begin to make her a focus in their defensive game plan.
This is where Emma’s game will have to show maturity, and that is how she contributes when the c&s opportunities are not there. The Lady Spartans is a tough match-up for any team when Emma is scoring the rock, but to accomplish the goals they have as a squad, she is going to have to expand her offensive arsenal, and start looking for the mid-range J and using her strength to score thru contact at the rim.
Ace Austin Ace Austin 5'5" | PG Spring Garden | 2025 State AL (5’6/Point Guard/2025)
School: Spring Garden HS
Instagram: aceaustin_123
Twitter: @AceAustin11
Tournament: BALLN Prep Thanksgiving Bash
This was my first time putting eyes on Ace, and I was highly impressed with the game of this very skilled freshman. She kept her squads team in rhythm and the turnovers at a low, which is not often seen in varsity basketball from a freshman.
Though she may be young in age, she has excellent knowledge and feel for the game.
As a floor general, Ace does everything a coach is looking for from someone to run the show. She gets her team into what the coach wants, and at times she shows the tools she has in her toolbox with some creative ball-handling and finishes at the rim. She has good vision, creates for teammates, and drops on-time and on-target dimes. With her combination of skills and a good IQ, Ace is a player that will be a significant piece to the success of Spring Garden over the next 4 years of her high school career.
Zakieah Mariah Berry (5’6/Combo Guard/2025)
School: Mae Jemison HS
Instagram: 662_zakieahb
Twitter: @zakieahberry
Tournament: BALLN Prep Thanksgiving Bash
For about two quarters and a half, I just kept watching Zakieah waiting on the potential to show. She has the physical tools, shows that she can handle the rock, has a nice shooting stroke, and shows instincts on the defensive end of the court. She is a young talent that is developing and has a high ceiling. She is under the tutelage of a good coach that was a pretty good guard herself and can learn a lot from her coach on the intricacies of playing the guard spot on her current level and the next.
She flashed some athleticism late in the contest, along with the ability to get it done in the scoring column.
I chalk it up as being young as the reason why she was taking a back seat for more than half the game. When it clicks with her of how good she can one day be…watch out.
Kristen Samaiah Johnson (5’7/Shooting Guard/2026)
School: Athens HS
Instagram: iiamkristenj
Twitter: @Kristen24_2026
Tournament: BALLN Prep Thanksgiving Bash
Let me just go ahead and tell you to remember this name. And yes, you read the classification correctly. She is a 2026 kid playing varsity level. Don’t get it twisted; she was not just on the team; she was producing at a high level and showed multiple tools in the toolbox at such a young age. Even though she is right-hand dominant, it does not take away from the numerous ways she impacts the game.
She can score at all levels, she gets out in transition pushing the rock and creating offense for herself and her teammates, and she is a good finisher in the paint.
Her game is eye-catching right now, but I am trying to picture in my mind just how good Kristen can actually be one day, from the vantage point of just how much she is accomplishing as a player right now. Her long-term upside was one of the highest of all the players that I saw during Thanksgiving week.
Stay tuned…More is coming…