City Rankings: Top 2024 Guards in Jacksonville

This upcoming season will be a special season for the players below. For the past two seasons, most of these players played their roles as the upper classmen took center stage. This year, these 2024 guards look to have a major impact and to emerge as the cornerstone of their teams for the next two seasons.   [player_tooltip player_id='349274' first='Ella' last='Stakem'] / 5'6 G / Bolles   Stakem really shot the ball well during the summer live period and proved that she is one of the top 5 long-range shooters in Jacksonville and on the First Coast. Stakem will pull up for the three in any situation, including the crucial moments in ball games. Her three-point accuracy was impressive in Louisville and even more impressive in Orlando. There were several times when Stakem connected on 4 threes or more. Stakem played well in all facets of the game. She was solid in handling the ball, rebounding from the guard position, and finding open teammates. Defensively, she played well in the press and recorded some steals and deflections in the process. Last year in high school, Stakem knocked down 49 threes and averaged 10.3 points per game. The combination of Stakem and Knauff was impressive last year. This upcoming season could be epic for the duo.   [player_tooltip player_id='374464' first='Ansley' last='Hicks'] / 5'6 G / Paxon   Hicks is coming off a season where she averaged 15 points per game, one of the highest averages in the 2024 class on the First Coast. She was really impressive in AAU play over the summer, where she continued to show other facets of her game. She is very athletic and can really move with fluidity on the court. She is an in-your-face defender and, showed versatility in her offensive game, running the 1 and the 2. I was really impressed with her basketball IQ and her ability to set up teammates for open looks and easy buckets.   [player_tooltip player_id='349325' first='Kennedy' last='Waymer']  / 5'5 PG / Paxon   Waymer had a very good season last year, averaging 13.2 points per game and nearly 4 assists per game. Offensively, she is full throttle and attacking the basket, primarily with her left hand. She showed great speed and footwork and staying in front of her was no easy task. Defensively, Waymer is a very good on-ball defender. As with any good defender, Waymer will pick your pockets if your handles are not tight, and she will take it back for the layup.   [player_tooltip player_id='248348' first='Riley' last='Talbert'] / 5'9 G / Bishop Kenny   Talbert played well last year. Talbert wasn't flashy, but was very reliable and always steady on the court. She defended well, passed it well, and just made smart plays when on the courts. Talbert averaged nearly eight points per game last season and looks to build off of the season this upcoming year. She played well in the offensive sets and was very good at delivering passes to the open teammate cutting to the basket. She looked very aggressive in the summer league and with the departure of Maddie Millar, Talbert will be one of the players called on to fill the scoring void.   [player_tooltip player_id='349378' first='Terrielle' last='Clark']  / 5'8 G / San Jose Prep   Clark is the player that you don't want to sleep on. She played on a talented roster last year and her contributions were sometimes overshadowed. Clark plays very good defense and can defend multiple positions. Clark is that player that does a little of everything on the court. She is a high IQ player who always makes the right play on the court. Offensively she is able to shoot the long ball and can also maneuver in the paint, and get to the rim.     [player_tooltip player_id='248287' first='Kiyana' last='Hunter']  / 5'3 G / Mandarin   Hunter played well last season and really stood out on the defensive end and in crunch time. Hunter is a very good on-ball defender and is a very selfless player. She plays with great instinct and has good court awareness. She does a good job of moving the ball and advancing the ball up the court with vertical passes. Hunter played on a Mandarin team that started 4 seniors. She will be asked to help fill the 30-point scoring void they left. Hunter can get to the rim and she is an underrated three-point shooter. She shot the three-ball well over the AAU season and if she shoots it with the same efficiency, she will fill some of the scoring void left by the departing seniors.   [player_tooltip player_id='426239' first='London' last='Jenkins'] / 5'2 G / Riverside   Jenkins played well last year and did a good job of scoring from the point guard position. Jenkins was usually the high scorer in most of her games, but she did a good job of passing it as well. She averaged 13 points per game and 3 assists per game. Her strength is getting to the basket and using her speed and quickness. Jenkins stands out in a fast-paced game where very few can get up the court with her speed. She showed she can shoot the ball from all levels, but she is at her best in the transition game and attacking the rim off the dribble.      [player_tooltip player_id='248346' first='Kendall' last='Shorstein'] / 5'6 G / Episcopal   Shorstein is coming off of a very good summer live period, where she was very impressive shooting the three-pointer, including one game where she had 4 threes in the first half. She had multiple games where she knocked down at least three 3-pointers. She finished the Orlando live period knocking down 17 threes. Shorstein showed toughness about her and did a good job of handling the ball under pressure. Shorstein is poised to have a solid Junior season and look for that 3 ball to be flying.   Gabrielle Fajardo / 5' 7 G / Stanton   Fajardo is one of the top-scoring point guards on the First Coast. Last season she averaged 11.2 points per game. She is a high-energy player who likes to get up and down the court. She can shoot from all levels on the court, but is at her best in an up-tempo setting. Fajardo also averaged nearly 5 assists per game. She is a good defensive player who plays the passing lanes well. She averaged 4 steals per game.       [player_tooltip player_id='470455' first='Kayla' last='Massey']  / 5' 4 G / Ribault   Massey is one of the top point guards in the 2024 class and is a high-energy player on both sides of the court. Massey plays an in-your-face defensive game and gets her share of steals with her aggressive style of play. Offensively, she is as tough as they come. She plays an aggressive attacking style of play and can really get to the basket. Massey had a good Sophomore season and was a leader of a team that had a predominantly Freshman roster. Over the summer, Massey played well, especially in the summer league where her young team turned some heads. Massey is poised to have a stellar season.   [player_tooltip player_id='349439' first='Jaide' last='Williams']    Williams was point guard number 1 at Terry Parker and now she brings her talents over to Ribault where she and [player_tooltip player_id='470455' first='Kayla' last='Massey'] will share the guard duties as they did in summer AAU. Williams is coming off a season where she averaged 11 points per game. She does a lot of things on the court well, including shooting and ball handling. At Parker, she was known as the coach on the floor and she will bring those leadership skills to a very young Ribault team.   [player_tooltip player_id='248295' first='Claire' last='Coogan'] / 5'4 G / Episcopal   Coogan is that gritty player on the court who doesn't back down from any challenges. She can shoot from all levels on the court, she can handle the ball, and gets after it on both ends of the court. Coogan is ready for a breakout season at Episcopal and she has the skillset and the determination to get the job done.   [player_tooltip player_id='248281' first='Hilary' last='Englert'] / 5'9 G - SF / Bolles   If anyone had a breakout season over the summer, it was Englert. She proved that she is a player to be reckoned with this upcoming season. Englert showed a lot of versatility playing the guard position as well as the forward position. She shot the ball very well this past summer in travel ball and there were some games where she was unconscious behind the three-point line. Englert plays a physical style of game and plays through contact. She can attack the basket from the left or right-hand side. Bolles was good last year. With the emergence of Englert, they will be even tougher.

This upcoming season will be a special season for the players below. For the past two seasons, most of these players played their roles as the upper classmen took center stage. This year, these 2024 guards look to have a major impact and to emerge as the cornerstone of their teams for the next two seasons.