Impressive Guard Play at Southern Jam – ECU Family 2023

<blockquote>On Day two of Southern Jam, I got to watch the ECU Family 2023 team and there was a lot of talent on this team.    The guard play was very impressive.  In this article, we look at some of the guards who stood out on this team during Southern Jam ( Day Two).</blockquote> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="352595" first="Zoe" last="Wortinger"],   5’10"  G  (ECU Family 2023).</strong>   Wortinger shot the lights out at Southern Jam.   In the game I covered,  she connected on at least 5 threes and was shooting it with ease.  She was clearly one of the best shooters at Southern Jam   She also got after the rebounds and worked hard on defense.   She made some good drives to the basket and shot it from all levels,  but her three-point shooting was "off the chain"  good on Day 2 of Southern Jam. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="91638" first="Emma" last="Risch"]  Guard/Forward (ECU Family 2023)</strong>    Risch has an extremely high basketball IQ  and you can just see her mind working on the court.   As good as she is,  she is a selfless player who is all about "team".    In addition to draining threes,   she made some beautiful passes to teammates cutting in the paint.   She is a very good defender also and very crafty on the defensive end.   Risch is lengthy and can also block shots and does a good job of playing in the passing lanes.  Offensively, she can shoot it from all over the court and did just that at Southern Jam, particularly on Day 1.   On Day 2, Rish didn’t go off on a shooting spree but showed other aspects of her game: rebounding, passing, and good on-ball and help-side defense.    Watching her play and seeing how she anticipates and does things on the court was a treat. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="247118" first="Sophia" last="Rueppell"] G (ECU Famil 2023)</strong> looked good on the court and showed how versatile of a player she is.  During High School ball this year, Rueppell was more of the floor general and distributed the ball to her talented teammates at Bishop Kenny.   Rueppell and the team took that formula all the way to the Final 4 in the State playoffs.  On Day 2 of the Southern Jam,  Rueppell put a little of the versatility on display.   She shot it well from long range, made some nice dishes in transition, and ran the point guard position with poise and precision.  Rueppell can play with the best of them and look for a big travel season from this talented guard. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="91661" first="Chariot" last="Johnson"] G/F  (ECU Family 2023)</strong>  played very well on Day 2 of Southern  Jam.   Johnson is "that"  player that does a little of everything on the basketball court.  If you see a loose ball Johnson is probably close by.    Johnson played on the wing, but she has the body to mix it up with the bigs on the court.   She does a good job of rebounding the ball.  Defensively she can guard multiple positions on the court.    Offensively,  she can knock down the three-point shot as she demonstrated in Southern Jam, knocking down several three-pointers.     She can handle the ball and brought the ball up the court a few times and initiated the offense.    Another strong part of Johnson’s game is her ability to penetrate and dish to the open teammate.  With the shooters on the ECU Family 2023, Johnson will get her share of assists this travel ball season. Alonya Waldron G, 5'6" (ECU Family 2023). Waldron  played well during the Southern Jam showcase.  She is a physical guard who has good handles and can play through  contact..  She does a good job of getting to the rim and is masterful  at drawing fouls.  Waldron can shoot the short midrange and also connect from long range,  but she is at her best when attacking the basket. There were a lot of talented guards at Southern Jam and it was a daunting task trying to get to all of the games.   I was really amazed at how much guard talent was on one team.    A lot of other programs were well represented at the guard position, forward position, etc.    As we continue into the travel season, we will highlight various teams and organizations. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;