I35 Showcase: Saturday Standout Guards

Many of Oklahoma's top programs and players made the trip north to Kansas, for a day filled of hoops. Here's a look at a group of guard prospects that caught the eye, and hopefully did the same for the regional coaches that were all over the gym.    Non stop motor on the defensive end set the tone for the game in a Saturday morning win. From picking up ball handlers and making them work, to hustle plays to save two points in transition, Epps left her mark on the contest. Which also included her pressuring the paint offensively, and flashes off good finishing. And even as fast as she is, Epps also understands that pitches ahead in transition are even faster. Which she does a good job of finding her teammates by keeping her head up and eyes wide open.     It looked like the 918 was shaping up for a big game on Saturday afternoon. Bettis opened her scoring with fancy footwork on a nasty "pump fake, up and under" score. Soon after, she smoothly buried a catch and shoot three. Unfortunately her afternoon was cut short on a drive where a collision left her with a head injury. Hopefully the energetic and quick guard is able to make a quick recovery and continue to trend upwards this July.     It was a great first in person impression of the incoming freshman. Miles' day on Saturday included a 3/4th court length of a shot to beat the halftime buzzer. Sure, there might have been some luck in draining a 50+ footer. But it's apparent that shooting is just one of the many areas that separates Miles from the average 2028 prospect. She also brings it on the defensive end. From hunting the passing lanes for steals, to chase down blocks, Miles' timing and effort are a sight to behold. In what is expected to be a loaded Class of 2028, look for the Pawhuska Lady Husky to be in the top tier.       As [program_tooltip program_id='716211' first='Team' last='Griffin']'s second game progressed, so did Owens. The lightning fast guard started to come more and more out of her shell. She played with good energy throughout, but smaller guards often need to play with emotion to support that energy. A big pull up three helped fuel some of that fire, as she flew around seemingly even faster on the defensive end. One of her older brothers had a similar "coming out of his shell" stage during 17U summer. That propelled him to an All State quality senior season. Perhaps Owens can reach new levels, especially as lead guards often need to be loud communicators on the court.     One of the exceptional aspects of watching Beller is that she seemingly never makes a mistake. She consistently checks all the little boxes. From making the right read, to sprinting hard on cuts following passes; the 2026 guard simply finds ways to positively impact the game beyond the box score. Which usually the timely scoring and assists are a pretty big impact as well. One of those timely scoring moments came later in the contest when Beller showed improving burst and agility by going coast to coast, easily navigating through defenders for a good score.

Many of Oklahoma's top programs and players made the trip north to Kansas, for a day filled of hoops. Here's a look at a group of guard prospects that caught the eye, and hopefully did the same for the regional coaches that were all over the gym.