Queen of the Commonwealth: Standout Guards (Part 2)

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Like in the previous articles, I need to preface this article by saying that I did get to see some teams play more games than others, though I did catch every team at least once, so this series is based on what I was able to see in the time I spent at Bullitt East rather than stats or results. I saw a ton of talented players and teams over the 4 day tournament, but here are some of the players that really stood out to me at the guard position.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["167110"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"Johnson's rebounding really stood out to me whenever I watched her team play because her effort was unmatched. She was consistently coming from outside of the perimeter to grab rebound after rebound. Johnson was so tough to stop on the offensive end as well. She has good handles and was so solid in every way. She can utilize a variety of moves on her drives and she can finish in a lot of different ways. She uses her length to finish on both sides of the rim and with both hands. Johnson was also knocking down outside shots, so defenses had to respect her on all levels.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["199609"],"_player_evaluations_1_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"Weaver was really scoring the ball well. She was a tough match-up for opposing teams because of the many different ways she was putting the ball in the basket. She knocked down outside shots on the move and directly off of the catch. Weaver made great drives and threw some terrific passes when help defense stepped over. She was handling the ball well even when she was being pressured hard. Weaver was also making big plays defensively. She has good hands and can get steals on the ball, but she was also getting into the passing lanes for steals.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["398021"],"_player_evaluations_2_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"Rodgers was the spark that the Chargers needed in both of the games I saw her play in. When her team needed a bucket or a rebound, she was making it happen. She has great length and she makes great drives to the basket. She can finish well on both sides of the rim and she consistently runs the floor. She proved really hard to stop in transition, and her passing made her even more tough to stop. Rodgers also threw some great passes and did well defensively. She was getting steals and came out with multiple rebounds.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["304632"],"_player_evaluations_3_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"Medley played a huge role in getting her team back into a game that initially seemed impossible for Meade County to come back in. She really took over the scoring in a variety of ways, while also creating good looks for her teammates. Defensively, she was getting her hands on everything and came up with multiple steals. Offensively, she was knocking down outside shots, pull-up jumpers, floaters, layups, and free throws. Medley was all over the floor making impressive plays and really demonstrated how big of a difference she can make on the court.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["520746"],"_player_evaluations_4_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"Campbell was one of the best shooters I saw, if not the best, and she wasn't just knocking down outside shots. Off of the dribble with a defender on her hip, she recognized the space she had and could pull the trigger quickly. Unless you're staying right up on her the entire game, she's not going to be an easy player to stop and she's got good handles, so if you overplay her, she'll make you pay as well. I was really impressed by Campbell's ability to score on all areas of the floor. She was also solid on the defensive end of the court.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_5_player":["228143"],"_player_evaluations_5_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_5_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_5_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"Thurmond has a lot of speed and athleticism that she uses really well on both ends of the floor. On the defensive end, she can apply a ton of pressure to ball handlers and she can also come up with steals in the passing lanes. On the offensive end, she is so quick with the ball. Thurmond can make one crisp move to get past her defender. She finishes well in the paint and can knock down jump shots. Thurmond really looks to get her teammates involved and can make some great passes in the process as well.","_player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_6_player":["167101"],"_player_evaluations_6_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_6_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_6_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_6_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_6_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_6_evaluation":"Trinh is super fast, both with and without the ball. She's so quick that she actually has the ability to beat everyone else down the floor for easy layups. However, she also runs the point for her Greenwood squad. She does a great job facilitating the offense and finding the gaps. She'll draw the defense in and then kick the ball to an open teammate. Trinh made some great entry passes to the post and was very involved in the offense even when she wasn't scoring herself. However, she can score on all 3 levels, so you really have to respect her ability to score.","_player_evaluations_6_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_7_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_7_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_7_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_7_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_7_player_details_player_name":"[player_tooltip player_id='1053070' first='Kylie' last='Clem']","_player_evaluations_7_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_7_player_details_graduating_class":"2025","_player_evaluations_7_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_7_player_details_height":"5'8u0022","_player_evaluations_7_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_7_player_details_position":"12121","_player_evaluations_7_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_7_player_details_school":"Corbin","_player_evaluations_7_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_7_player_details_club_team":"ETA Thunder","_player_evaluations_7_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_7_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_7_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_7_evaluation":"Clem made some excellent drives to the basket. She recognized when the defense wasn't picking her up and she made them pay. She used her length to extend her arms and finish at the rim. She also made some good passes off of her drives. Clem was a true threat at all levels as she was knocking down outside shots and floaters as well. She showed how quickly she can get her shot off and also showed off her deep range. She was crashing the boards strong and grabbed a lot of rebounds off of pure effort. Clem was really solid all-around.","_player_evaluations_7_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_8_player":["502249"],"_player_evaluations_8_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_8_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_8_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_8_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_8_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_8_evaluation":"Walker is the youngest player included on here, but her potential was shining through. She actually brought the ball down the floor for the Vikings and she did a good job handling the pressure that came with that role. She has good handles and can get into the paint on her drives. Walker has a great outside shot and when she catches ready to fire, she can get her shot off quickly. Her length and basketball IQ are definitely impressive, especially considering the fact that she's still in middle school (Walker is actually a class of 2027 player).","_player_evaluations_8_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":9,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-63adfdd2008fb"} /-->