Guards Round-up – Week 1
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This one is primarily for the Guards, the Ballhandlers and Ballhawks, the Floor Generals, the Point Guards, and Combo Guards, and sometimes, like today, the Point Forwards. Players who push the tempo, pressure the ball, penetrate into the lane and…
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Continue ReadingThis one is primarily for the Guards, the Ballhandlers and Ballhawks, the Floor Generals, the Point Guards, and Combo Guards, and sometimes, like today, the Point Forwards. Players who push the tempo, pressure the ball, penetrate into the lane and distribute the ball will have a weekly home here.
You should expect to find this type of coverage in the back half of the week, typically on Thursdays.
Lexie Moore Lexie Moore 5'9" | SG Owen County | 2022 State KY – ’22 5’9″/SG – Owen County
To say Moore is a Three-level Scorer leaves you wondering how it is she finds so many other levels for scoring. I really had to debate on whether to feature her in this article about Guards or to save her for the article on weekly stand-outs. In the end, my deadlines won out.
She has deceptive speed, excellent handles, a great outside shot, the agility to layout in any direction needed to get off a good interior shot, the strength to finish through contact, subtle moves you could fit in a telephone booth, and fakes and feints that literally caused a defender to fall down giving her an open shot. (Seriously watch the tape.)
To call her offensive performance impressive is an understatement. She made a hook shot, a reverse layup, a power move, and another move I have only seen performed by Ballett dancers without a ball. She scored 23 points and pulled down 11 rebounds while shooting 50% from three-point range and racking up assists and even blocked a shot. Moore has D-1 talent but is only getting D-2 looks.
I have notes on everything I saw her do but I cannot translate them into words that would make much sense. You need to see her before somebody else signs her.
Camryn Poole Camryn Poole 5'7" | PG Whitefield Academy | 2023 State KY – ’23 5’7″/PG – Whitefield Academy
Poole is the first punch in a two-punch attack Guard attack, scoring 14 points and grabbing 5 rebounds. She is the primary ballhandler who handles the pressure and gets the offense rolling. She knocks down the wing and corner threes and mid-range jumpers off screens and good movement with the ball.
She also forces opponents to foul her which is a trap for the opponent because her team is loaded with good free-throw shooters. Getting into the bonus and double bonus must be 15% or more of the Lady Wildcats Offensive attack. In this way, they can score while they rest.
Jaya McClure Jaya McClure 5'6" | PG Christian Academy Louisville | 2022 State KY – ’22 5’6″/PG – Christian Academy Louisville Ohio University
McClure seems to be trying to help her team to develop around her. She is laying back on offense and working to be more of a distributor within the flow of things. She has clearly bought in on a team concept trying to elevate their chances of team success.
She still scored 19 points on 3 for 5 three-point shooting (60%) and grabbed 5 rebounds and scored two key buckets just before the buzzer at the end of the second and third quarters. One of them was a step-back twelve-footer and the other a very athletic layin finish that began at mid-court with three seconds left in the half. Ohio University has signed a good one.
Nia Gandolfo – ’22 5’8″/SF – Assumption
Gandolfo gets good penetration from the 5-Out Offense and stole the ball for a full-court lay-up. I thought she was the Point Guard by the way she brings the ball up the court at times, Strong and athletic she moves well without the ball and knows how to read a screen, She slipped a screen into the lane at one point for a catch and score on a short jumper through contact,