Prep Girls Hoops SC Top 250: 2024 Guards (Part 2)
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It is Top 250 season across the country and South Carolina happened to be one of the first states up as the annual Prep Girls Hoops event once again emanated from the John T. Rhodes Sports Center with the picturesque…
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Continue ReadingIt is Top 250 season across the country and South Carolina happened to be one of the first states up as the annual Prep Girls Hoops event once again emanated from the John T. Rhodes Sports Center with the picturesque views of Myrtle Beach as a scenic backdrop.
Over 100 of the Palmetto State’s best and brightest converged on the Grand Strand for the festivities. They were sorted into 12 teams and each played a total of three games.
We unveiled our initial list of guards that caught our attention. Without further adieu, here is our second list of junior guards.
The letter A and the number four may define Byrd’s basketball career the last few seasons. She is transferring from a SCHSL 4A program in Lucy Beckham to Northwood Academy which was reclassified as a 4A school via SCISA. She has ran on the grassroots circuit with Charleston-based TMP 16U. Byrd will get herself in position to haul in rebounds and can particularly be counted on to come through with big plays in game-defining moments. She has scoring abilities from anywhere on the floor – including from behind the 3-point arc and in the midrange game. Delivering accurate passes is another element to her game.
The 2021-22 season was a banner one for Almeida. She reached the 1,000-point plateau and her Generals advanced to the SCISA 1A championship game. Almeida looks to build on that as she reaches veteran status at Cathedral Academy. She plays volleyball in addition to basketball and participated on the grassroots circuit with Coastal Select. Almeida is a potent scorer who also knows how to make the accurate passes that can keep a team involved in the flow of an offense. She can play productive minutes as either a one or two guard. Cathedral Academy will move up from the 1A classification to 2A per SCISA’s realignment.
Highlights
DF’s AC came to play at MB. The 5A Silver Foxes saw star 2024 forward Kayce Hyman Kayce Hyman 5’10” | SF Hammond | 2024 State SC depart for SCISA 4A Hammond. This opens things up for stars like Cheeseboro to become even bigger focal points for the team going forward. Standing at 5-foot-6, she is gifted as a ball handler and can organize an offense in a halfcourt set. She can set herself up near the rim to haul in rebounds and has the ability to score either close to the basket or behind the 3-point arc. All-out hustle is one way that Cheeseboro’s game can be described as containing.
Cothran became a familiar name to Prep Girls Hoops writers throughout the spring and summer during the AAU months. She participated on the Prep Girls Hoops Circuit’s Triumph Region with FCA Lady Eagles 2024 and her team participated in a number of events. These included Music City Showdown in Franklin, Tennessee and the Triumph Region Finals at Spartanburg’s Upward Star Center. Cothran is gifted as one of the premier 3-point shooters in the state but also can drive to the basket. She throws opposing defenders for a loop as they are unsure as to if she will attack, shoot or pass. Overall, she typically plays as a two guard. Her Cavaliers will be a team to watch this coming season in a 5A landscape that changed drastically over the offseason.
Heyward has found success athletically not only as a basketball player but also in the track and field realm as a sprinter and jumper. Defensively, she is very likely to reject an opponent’s shot and come away with plenty of steals to create additional possessions for her team. She also can grab a good number of rebounds. One of the ways Heyward puts a good number of points on the board is via what she does from behind the 3-point line. She can also come up with big plays in the transition game. Heyward averaged 13.7 points, 8.6 rebounds, 6.1 steals and four assists last season for 4A Bluffton.
On the heels of a playoff-worthy season at 5A Byrnes, Edwards followed it up with wearing FCA Eagles 2024 purple for the AAU spring and summer months. Edwards thrives as a transition runner who also comes through as a gifted rebounder. At times she will set herself up near the rim to receive accurate passes close to the basket which results in Edwards converting on a high-percentage shot. Defensively, she plays with a heads-up mentality that enables her to come away with steals, creating extra possessions for her team and has no issues drawing contact to get to the free throw line.