Class of 2023 guards: 5 sleepers on the rise

Where point guard [player_tooltip player_id="222378" first="Natalie" last="Guanella"] is from, perspective has been more critical away from the basketball court than on it. Viewpoint was forefront this past winter as the Class of 2023 standout led Monarch High School to one of its best seasons in recent memory while her community toiled. A wildfire to the east of Boulder, Colorado stole the homes from more than 1,000 families in the towns of Superior and Louisville. The most destructive wildfire in state history, its reach of wreckage extended to her school and into the locker room. Like a calming wave, she led where she could. “We had a practice as soon as we could find gym space, I think it was at Holy Family, and (Guanella and the captains) came to me and said, ‘Coach, we can’t play. We’re not really in this right now, we’re not ready for that. Can we postpone these games?’ And we did that,” Monarch coach Mike Blakely said. “It was a captain-type move to have them step up and talk to the coach and be the voice of the team.” Guanella has proven skills on the court and has obvious intangibles off it. The now-senior leads the top sleeper guards of the Class of ’23. [player_tooltip player_id="222378" first="Natalie" last="Guanella"], Monarch and B&B: Upping play from her standout sophomore campaign, Guanella averaged 18.3 points, 2.3 assists and hit 42 3s for the Coyotes. She has solid vision, a fine-tuned shot and is a strong floor general. In 16 of 24 games in the winter, she scored at least 15 points. In nine of them, she had more than 20. She is the 11^th-ranked player in the 2023 class. [player_tooltip player_id="118724" first="Laura" last="Gensert"], Centaurus and B&B: Ranked 30^th in the class, Gensert could see her stock rise in the coming year. The Warriors combo guard hit 45 3s in the winter and shot 45% in adjusted field goal percentage. She has the kind of shot that can heat up in a hurry, burying teams in spurts. She’s also a stout defender who averaged 2.2 steals per game. [player_tooltip player_id="210369" first="Sophie" last="Christopher"], Broomfield: The guard who can do everything, Christopher overcame injury in the winter and led the Eagles in most statistical categories. The team’s point guard led them in points, assists, rebounds and steals. A healthier season in 2022-23 could spell a rise in the rankings, where she currently sits 39^th. [player_tooltip player_id="118722" first="Christine" last="D’Epagnier"], Longmont and BC Denver: The 5-8 combo guard can defend positions 1-4. She drives to the hoop with power and her basketball IQ is a seamless extension of her top-tier athleticism. While D’Epagnier is 63^rd on the rankings, she could see a move up in the ranks on a rising team alongside 2024 standout [player_tooltip player_id="222386" first="Savannah" last="Pohl"]. [player_tooltip player_id="329362" first="Savanna" last="Staff"], Frederick and Premier Nike: Her high school team riding three straight losing seasons, Staff was a big reason Frederick was one of the state’s most surprising teams in the winter. The combo guard, 72nd in the rankings, scored 12.8 points per game and led Frederick into the second round of the state postseason.