Queen of the Commonwealth: Top Point Guards (Part 1)

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>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 the 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 point guard position.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["167106"],"_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":"Rowe's basketball IQ is so high and she is such a leader on the floor. She was directing traffic, constantly getting her teammates to the right positions, and she was extremely vocal all throughout the game no matter what was happening around her. While Rowe is an excellent facilitator, she also can score the ball at all 3 levels. She is a strong outside shooter, but she can also score at the rim or in the mid-range. Rowe's love for the game shines whenever I get to watch her play and she's going to continue being successful, both as a player and in the future as a coach if she ends up wanting to do that at some point.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["164384"],"_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":"Ford is one of the top players in the state and she showed why in the Queen of the Commonwealth. In one of the games I saw, her team was struggling to put the ball in the basket and was facing a decent deficit at the half. However, when the 2nd half started, Ford essentially took over the game on her own to help get her team back into the game. She actually played off of the ball as much as she brought the ball down the floor, but I have her in this point guard article because of her court vision and ability to create for her teammates along with her ability to dominate herself.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["167099"],"_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":"Steele is so solid all-around. Teams will try to trap her and she'll dribble right around or through them. Her handles are so impressive, but her court vision is also really impressive. She can create really solid looks for her teammates, especially when she gets into the paint and then kicks it out. What makes her such a tough defensive assignment is her ability to put the ball in the basket. Teams can't just assume that she's going to kick it because she can finish tough shots in the paint or around the basket. Steele can also really shoot the ball well and from deep range.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["369667"],"_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":"Johnson really showed her versatility all throughout the tournament. It felt like she could get to the rim or score off of her floaters anytime she wanted. She finished in some really crafty ways at the rim and she was a true threat no matter where she was on the floor. She also always kept the defense guessing with her playmaking. She did a great job of finding and kicking to her teammates. She could knock down shots from deep range as well. Johnson also has great length and came up with a lot of steals on the defensive end of the floor.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["164388"],"_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":"Shelton is so long and athletic. Her handles were smooth and she could get past her defender with one quick move. Shelton can really put the ball in the basket, but she was facilitating the offense for Bowling Green throughout this tournament. She was handling pressure and setting her teammates up with good looks. Shelton was crashing the boards so well and came up with a ton of rebounds also. Defensively, she was blocking shots and getting steals in all of the games that I saw her play in. In the championship game, she did a great job of running the point, but when her team needed points, she was able to go on a scoring run herself as well.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_5_player":["164400"],"_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":"I always love watching Tolbert play because her basketball IQ is high and she'll lay it all out on the court when she plays. I included her with the point guards because she has all of the skills you would want in a point guard, but she actually has the ability to be really effective playing off of the ball as well. She's got a great shot and if people don't know her, they'll look at her size and assume she can't beat you off of the dribble, but she's consistently proved that she can beat anyone off of the dribble. Tolbert is such a smart player, so as soon as help comes over, she recognizes where her open teammate is and gets them the ball. She really is solid in all aspects and she's an invaluable player for the Crimsons.","_player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_6_player":["199613"],"_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":"Reid has taken on a much larger role this season after Bullitt East graduated their 2 leading scorers from last year, and she has taken on that role in the best way you could hope for if you're a Charger fan. The lefty has always been a strong floor general and she's also demonstrated her ability to score when her team needed a basket, but this year, she's shown that she can really take over a game too. She can knock down outside shots from extremely deep range, so you really have to pick her up as soon as she crosses half court. However, she also makes strong drives to the basket and she can finish in really shifty ways around the rim. Reid can also finish through contact. She made some great passes and was disrupting the offense as a defender as well.","_player_evaluations_6_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":7,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-63ab618fc22e3"} /-->