Senior Point Guards Worth Another Look – Preseason Preview

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='118720' first='Hailey' last='Blanchard'] - Vanguard</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Blanchard brings high upside as a lead guard capable getting to her own shot or creating easy ones for her teammates. The incoming senior point guard stands right around 5'6, although she is especially aggressive getting to the rim for her height. Thanks to her confidence creating opportunities with the ball, Blanchard has quite a few avenues to navigate within the halfcourt. The guard has shown high level shotmaking, notably through her mid-range floater, often coming off of up fakes and step throughs. Should she have to extend out, Blanchard is more than capable hitting jumpers off the catch. Given how much gravity she attracts inside the arc, Blanchard is keen on finding backdoor cutters or open shooters should defense approach. This past season at Vanguard, Blanchard averaged 11.6 points, 4 rebounds, 5.2 assists, and 3.4 steals a game. The recent Maine Maritime commit is currently ranked 40th overall and 10th among point guards.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='222378' first='Natalie' last='Guanella'] - Monarch</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Guanella brings pedigree as a lead guard, causing trouble on both ends. Standing right around 5'7, Guanella can score under a variety of situations off the dribble. Notably, she is consistent hopping into jumpstops before getting her shots. When the team needs a bucket, Guanella is there to seal the deal. The point sets the pace through on-ball screens, where she is constant pull-up threat. Given her confidence with the ball, she attracts a lot of gravity and should be a big time passing threat next season. This past season, Guanella averaged 18.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 3 steals per game while knocking down 37% of her three point attempts. The point guard currently sits 11th in the class and 2nd among point guards.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='95212' first='Katie' last='Johanning']</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"align":"left","id":260272,"width":199,"height":205,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image alignleft size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/03/Image-994x1024.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-260272" width="199" height="205"/></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>At roughly 5'10, Johanning brings skill with the ball and high IQ at the guard position. The incoming senior point guard should be primed for a major year ahead as the two leading scorers at Highlands Ranch have now graduated. She showed flashes of live ball playmaking, notably through one handed bullet passes to backdoor cutters. What sets Johanning apart from so many guards is not just her vision, but the ability to get the rock through tight windows. Keep an eye on Johanning's&nbsp; numbers at Highlands Ranch, as her and [player_tooltip player_id='495929' first='Tori' last='Baker'] will be given the keys. Johanning currently ranks 16th in the 2023 class and 3rd among point guards.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='318863' first='Jacy' last='Rohr'] - Liberty</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"align":"right","id":423030,"width":248,"height":164,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/05/33-Jacy-Rohr-1024x682.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-423030" width="248" height="164"/></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Rohr brings scoring upside as a shooter, notably coming off the bounce. The incoming senior point guard showed she is a tough cover in the mid-range, given her patient decisionmaking and tight footwork. While only standing around 5'5, Rohr has made up for her height disadvantage through high level shotmaking. Within the mid-range, Rohr utilizes pivot moves and off-balance pull ups to create scoring opportunities. Another strength is from her progression of range, where she has shown growing willingness to take threes when given space. With Liberty, Rohr averaged 17.8 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 2.9 steals per game. Within the 2023 class, Rohr ranks 29th overall and 8th among point guards.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->