All “A” Standouts – Point Guards
Moving forward with content from the All “A” State Tournament let’s turn our attention to the top Point Guards that made their way to Richmond. Not to be conflated with the Combo Guard which will be covered tomorrow. There is…
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Continue ReadingMoving forward with content from the All “A” State Tournament let’s turn our attention to the top Point Guards that made their way to Richmond. Not to be conflated with the Combo Guard which will be covered tomorrow. There is a difference, even though the positions can be very similar.
Trinity Rowe Trinity Rowe 5'7" | PG Pikeville | 2024 State KY – ’24 5’5″/PG – Pikeville
I wrote earlier in the year about how talented Rowe is as a Point Guard and I don’t believe I can say it any better here so I suggest you read that article again. Then you will see the unfair criticism I used to illustrate how good she is that she is using as motivation to get better, according to her Mom.
She scored 45 points in 3 games shooting 50% from three (9/18) and passed out 21 assists while playing all but 4 minutes in round one. She scored on layups to either side of the rim, made a 9-foot floater to escape a double team, and made 12 to 14-foot jumpers from the right corner.
At the end of quarters, she pulls the ball out, lets the clock count down until there is just enough time for one shot. She scored on a pullup right elbow extended jumper before the buzzer, a left wing three at the buzzer.
As a facilitator, she found teammates for buckets on a slip screen, an over-the-top pass for a layup on a back pick play, an up-the-street pass, and for multiple threes. She penetrated through traffic for a dish-off assist and found a loose ball along the baseline in traffic, made a quick shuttle pass for a layup.
Aleah Arlinghaus Aleah Arlinghaus 5'3" | PG Holy Cross (Covington) | 2023 State KY – ’23 5’5/PG – Holy Cross (Covington)
Arlinghaus has knees that tell a story about how often she does to the floor for the ball and feet that propel her down the court with speed. She is crafty with the ball in hand as evidenced by a drive she made from corner to elbow to hoop for a left-side layup and many other moments.
She keeps her eyes on finding a teammate in a position to score. She made post feeds to set up a teammate, a lob pass on a pick and roll play, and hit a flex cutting on her way to the hoop for assists. She finished with 12 assists over three games.
She did not show much scoring (averaging 5 points per game in the All “A”) but displays all of the other needs for a Point Guard and made 78% of her free throws while in Richmond.
Camryn Poole Camryn Poole 5'7" | PG Whitefield Academy | 2023 State KY – ’23 5’8″/PG – Whitfield Academy
Poole posted a double-double in the 1st Round of 15 points, 10 rebounds while also adding 6 assists, 5 steals while playing all 36 minutes of a game that went into overtime. She made 4 of 4 key free throws down the stretch to secure the win in the extra period.
In the quarterfinals, she managed 12 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block, in 29 minutes while facing one of the toughest teams defenses of the tournament.
She made a layup from right corner drive, an 18 footer from the right corner, penetration from the top for a layup, and a few rebound putbacks. She penetrated for an 8-foot bank shot in the middle of the paint, and an assist dump-off pass from the short corner.
Kylie Gayheart Kylie Gayheart 5'5" | PG Knott County Central | 2024 State KY – ’24 5’3″/PG – Knott County Central
Gayheart scored 12 points, 3 rebounds, 8 assists, and played the full 32 minutes while displaying such handles as a behind-the-back crossover.
She is a very shifty and quick Point Gaurd with a high motor and at one point she was able to get the defense to back off for her to make an open three due to a dribble feint. She can penetrate to the rim for layups and demonstrated a fadeaway 5 footer o the left side of the lane.
Eden Lakes – ’22 5’3″/PG – Jackson County
Lakes was a key contributor for Jackson County in feeding their excellent cohort of frontcourt players, playing great defense and handling the ball from free-throw line to free-throw line.
In Round 1 she tallied 6 assists, 2 steals in 30 minutes, and hustled back full court to block a breakaway layup at the last minute. Finding a replacement to fill her role will be key in the future success of the program.