Big 8 Midseason Review: Best Uncommitted Backcourt Players

Checking in on the Big 8 midway through the season and these five upper-class guards are still on the open market for colleges to recruit. Some highly touted, some under-the-radar, but nonetheless, these guards deserve recognition for their contributions and skills that should translate to the next level. Here we go: <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="156058" first="Antionique" last="Auston"] | Sun Prairie | Combo Guard | Class of 2023</strong> Auston’s had to work her way back from a leg injury that kept her out of Sun Prairie’s first six games of the season. And though she’s struggled to find her feet, her overall body of work and skill set speaks volumes to how she translates at the next level. At 5’8", her handles and strength are instrumental to her game, allowing her to get virtually wherever she wants on the court. The same skills allow her to play in a myriad of styles; she can post up smaller guards but also has the presence to run a half-court offense from the perimeter. She’s also incredibly creative as a passer. Riskier than might be to the liking of her future head coach, Auston sees windows before they open and adds a flare to each one of her passes. This can be manifested as a 50-foot one-handed dime on the fastbreak, a pocket pass from the post, or a simple bullet pass from the perimeter. Her shooting has been inconsistent and acts as the main clog in her offensive fluidity, but the other aspects of her offensive game still make her a plus player on that end of the floor. The talented combo guard currently holds offers from Bryant, Duquesne, Green Bay, and Montana State. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="157531" first="Avree" last="Antony"] | Sun Prairie | Combo Guard | Class of 2023</strong> Antony is one of the top-two guard talents in the class of 2023 and still remains unclaimed as of January 23rd, 2022. A versatile two-way combo guard, Antony’s combination of speed, ball-skills, and aggressiveness make her Sun Prairie’s most pertinent offensive threat. As a scorer, Antony’s at her best attacking off the dribble and using her elite first step to get to the basket. Even on misses around the rim, Antony has a knack to spring quickly and rebound her own miss. Though a one-speed player at times, that one speed is pretty darn lethal even against some of the best Big 8 perimeter defenders. But her best skill is unquestionable as an on-ball defender, where her short-twitch athleticism and lateral quickness become apparent. Ranked guards matched up against Antony are averaging 8.8 points per game on sub-40% shooting from the field. Antony currently has offers from St. Louis, Butler, Green Bay, Milwaukee, IUPUI, Oakland, Northern Illinois, Illinois State, Valparaiso, Northern Iowa, Evansville, Colorado State, St. Thomas, North Dakota, Kansas City, and Nebraska-Omaha. (<em>Note: This section has been edited on January 24th to reflect more accurate information regarding Antony's offers)</em> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="204147" first="Malia" last="Green"] | La Follette | Shooting Guard | Class of 2022</strong> Green is one of the best outside shooters in the conference, and though she’s cooled off since her hot start to the season, she’s still one of the savviest guards in the league. Her penchant for hitting timely shots and rarely making costly mistakes is one of the reasons La Follette stayed in the Big 8’s upper echelon prior to the return of [player_tooltip player_id="171810" first="Aaliyah" last="Smith"]. A shooter at her core, Green is adept at finding pockets of space in a defense and attacking that space off of catch-and-shoot opportunities. Her presence in the passing lanes also makes her a very capable defender. Though not the fastest perimeter-oriented guard, Green’s timing and patience on the defensive end is a key cog for La Follette. Her ability to turn live-ball turnovers into points is a big reason why she currently sits fourth in the conference in scoring. Green currently holds no offers. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="171810" first="Aaliyah" last="Smith"] | La Follette | Scoring Point Guard | Class of 2022</strong> Smith is the conference’s most explosive guard, bar none, but has yet to announce a decision regarding her basketball future. An elite combo guard with swagger and an electric dribble package, Smith’s ability to get to the rim at will may be the most lethal weapon in the conference. And her creativity once she gets there is virtually limitless, making spectacular no-look passes or displaying her diverse layup package. She weaponized the jump stop and spin-move more often than any other guard in the Big 8, and her ability to create space off of these moves makes her that much tougher to guard. Her shooting needs to improve is she’s to be a three-level scoring threat, but her offensive game 15-feet and in is unmatched. While her numbers steal the show, her vocal leadership has always been the skill that’s stood out the most. Her command of the offense and basketball IQ has already paid dividends for the Lancers, despite Smith only appearing in three games thus far this season. Smith currently holds a Division 1 offer from Morgan state. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="156057" first="Megan" last="Murphy"] | Verona | Combo Guard | Class of 2023</strong> Murphy’s energetic-if-not-frantic style of play often finds her an ideal shooting contexts and her contributions for Verona this season have been extremely valuable. Her 12.6 points per contest ranks second on the Wildcats roster and her ability to stretch the defense with her three point shots gives the Verona offense much needed space to operate. Along with her underrated strength and twitchy quickness, Murphy provides a change of pace option as a primary ball handler. Murphy currently holds no known offers.