Victory Region Kick Off: Play-Making Point Guards (16U)

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Today in this game that everyone considers, "position-less", there are still a few spots on the floor in which you need a certain type of individual to compete in, if you want your team to be as good as possible. One of those positions is the Point Guard spot. In this article I evaluate five prospects from this past weekends event at the 16U level. Each player listed is someone that lead their team by example, while showing up in several different ways on the stat sheet. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Thanks for tuning in and enjoy!</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["486548"],"_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":"[player_tooltip player_id='486548' first='Layne' last='Nordstrom'] is the other PG that the [program_tooltip program_id='712517' first='Full' last='Package'] 2026 3SSB team runs with and she is talented. She would be a starter in most programs that she laces up with and that just speaks to how well-rounded she is. She can come down the floor and control the pace of play within in a contest, she can attack her defender and get to whatever spot she wants on the offensive end, and she communicates well with everyone around her. If a defender tries to pressure her, she is also very good at controlling her emotions and keeping everything around her in check. When you add all of this together, you get someone that any coach would love to have as their PG and she did a great job of having that on full display throughout this entire event.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["875098"],"_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":"AR Elite 2026 was a program was I wasn't too familiar with coming into this past weekend but they have some nice prospects on their squad. One of my favorite was their PG, [player_tooltip player_id='875098' first='Makayla' last='Hill']. Hill is a smaller Guard but one that is very deliberate in her actions. She seems to always have a plan of attack while coming down the floor and she has a shifty handle to free herself up and create some space. This group runs a lot of action with 5-0 or 4-1, really playing to the strengths of their players. It seems like they have 2-3 different individuals that can score the ball at Will, whenever things start to break down on the offensive end. Hill understands her role. She know that she isn't going to be the leading scorer on this team but that doesn't affect her. She seems cool with creating and facilitating for the others around her. Like I said, she knows if things break down, that she should go get a bucket in times of need. I'm hoping I can see this group on the road again this Spring/Summer. They are an aggressive team, that leaves it all on the floor and that's something you love to see from an outside point-of-view.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["824200"],"_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":"I touched on how fast Leigha Wardlow was briefly but that didn't do her game any justice in my opinion. Wardlow was one of the quickest and most crafty prospects that I saw compete on the weekend as a whole. She was flying down the court in transition and getting consistent buckets. If not, she was finding open players up the floor or near the rim, once she broke down her initial defender. When it comes to the defensive side of things, she was just as important to her squad's success. She was getting her active hands on tips/deflections, all while being fundamentally sound in everything she was attempting to do. Wardlow could turn out to be a prospect that is truly special when it comes to this game. She was playing up a grade-level, something that you would never be able to notice by her production level on the court. If she takes this momentum and rides it moving forward, she is going to be someone we hear about a lot out of the State of Wisconsin over these next 3 years at the Varsity level. No doubt about it.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["493159"],"_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":"Jaida Allen is another player that I briefly touched on throughout the weekend but what she brought to the floor over the past few days was second-to-none. She made sure that everyone else around her was going show out and have some impressive contests. She personally had to matchup with some other elite Point Guards/Scoring Guards and she did more than hold her own. Every time there was someone that would go at her in a 1v1 matchup, she made sure to let them know that she was the real deal in some form. she would either come back down on offense herself and get a tough bucket or she would get a stop on them defensively, more times then not. This Kentuckiana 2026 Ewing team only played with six prospects at this event and they did really well for those circumstances. They had a few other standout for how well they performed but one of the most impressive was definitely Allen.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["874647"],"_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":"I only had the chance to see [player_tooltip player_id='874647' first='Jaylani' last='Hernandez'] compete for a brief moment but in that time, she demonstrated that she is extremely fast with a nice handle and picture perfect shot form. Her two most impressive abilities are definitely her handle and shot. She is quick, understands how to beat her matchup, and after she does that - she is very good at hitting a nice midrange floater or pull up jumper. She also displayed that she can catch fire in the blink of an eye if you don't find her in both the half court or transition. If the defense happens to overplay the shot in any of these situations, she knows to put the ball on the floor, getting to a better spot for a more open look. Overall, she is a handful to deal with. She never seems to stop moving and that can really wear you down as a defender. I'm not sure what her programs schedule is the rest of this Spring/Summer season but if she continues to do what she did this weekend, she is going to have a season to remember.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":5,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-661476bbd49e4"} /-->