Hoops Season is almost here! So let's talk 1A 2025 Guards

Yep, the high school basketball season is upon us. That means that we are so close to watching our favorite teams battle it out on the court. It also means that Christmas is 79 days away, so something else to look forward to.   Now we are in the 1A classification, the smallest classification in Arkansas high school athletics. The smallest schools make up this classification, and the players with the least amount of recruitment reside. Of course, there are still plenty of diamonds spread out amongst these small schools, even some with college offers. Without further ado, let us see which 1A senior guards are expected to ball out in their final high school season.    [player_tooltip player_id='1049447' first='Kynlee' last='Millard'] is a defensive machine! She is the type of player whose offense is mostly dictated by how she does on defense, and her team is fortunate to have someone causing absolute havoc on their side.   Millard's offense is somewhat limited, but as I said, her offense benefits from her defense. She has very active hands and jumps around the ball-handler trying to take away sight of their teammates. Once she steals the ball, Millard can show off her solid ball-handling ability and go straight to the bucket for an easy fastbreak layup. On the fastbreak, Millard can give the ball up to her teammates as well.   Millard's defense rules the game, and she can pick pockets, intercept passes, and scoop up loose balls. Western Yell County ran a lot of sets that disrupted the other team's operations, and I do not doubt that the same style will be in place in 2024/25. Millard is already one of the best defenders in 1A, but if she can unleash her offensive potential, the 1A-4 should be shaking in their boots.     [player_tooltip player_id='1049449' first='Kenleigh' last='Mitchell'] might just be the best shooter in the entire 1A classification. If not, then there is no way she is not the best shooter in the 1A-5. Of course, Mitchell is not just a shooter, but her abilities on the court could land her some college offers if she keeps it up this season.   Mitchell has a very quick trigger and has a fluid form on her jumpshots. She can get going in a hurry, and she is more than capable of knocking down multiple threes. Last season, Mitchell hit 5 threes versus Augusta, 4 threes versus Cedar Ridge and Midland, and 3 threes versus Brinkley and Clarendon. There were a number of other games hitting 3 or more triples, and her teammates know to get her the ball along the perimeter. Her shots do not even have to be wide open, she can hit threes with a hand in her face and it does not matter.   Mitchell's defense can create offense. She is great at reading passes and jumping in the passing lanes to poke the ball away. Once she does, she races to the other end and scores easy layups. A shooter who can create offense with her defense is a dangerous individual.   [player_tooltip player_id='1049449' first='Kenleigh' last='Mitchell'] is in store for a big senior season, and Bradford could find a lot of success if they keep feeding their best player.     I have no clue how tall [player_tooltip player_id='1049451' first='Tiana' last='Siebert'] is, but she is on the small side of things. Despite that, there are not many other guards who are scrappier than Siebert, and not many who can score in the paint, post double-doubles, and block shots the way she can.   [player_tooltip player_id='1049451' first='Tiana' last='Siebert'] can do it all, whether that is on offense or defense. On offense, Siebert has shown she can hit corner threes with a quick release. She does prefer to drive inside and draw contact, but even though she can finish contested layups with both hands, she does need to improve her finishing consistency.   On defense, Siebert shows her worth the most. She is extremely active on that side and can steal ball after ball. Siebert uses her active hands to pick off passes and poke balls from the ball-handler. Perhaps even more impressive from Siebert is her ability to block shots. As I mentioned, she does lack some height, but Siebert is athletic and will leap to swat away some shots, even if they are from a much taller opponent. She had 3 blocks in a game versus Omaha High School last season, with a couple of the rejections coming from help-side defense on much taller players.   As far as rebounding goes, Siebert is the best rebounding guard in 1A-1. She is aggressive and uses her leaping ability to her advantage. Siebert is a solid offensive and defensive rebounder, recording a double-double versus Kingston High School last season.   [player_tooltip player_id='1049451' first='Tiana' last='Siebert'] can do a bit of everything, even some things that most other guards would not believe they could do. Keep an eye on her and Jasper this season.     I challenge anyone to find a better senior guard in the 1A classification than [player_tooltip player_id='465499' first='Zyonna' last='Anderson']. As far as I can tell, Anderson does not have any college offers, which is shocking. Expect Anderson to have a dominant year with Marked Tree in 2024/25.   Anderson is the ultimate two-way and dual-threat point guard. She runs the point extremely well and she can lockdown the opponent's best guard. Offensively, Anderson is her most versatile. She can spread the love around to her teammates with her accurate passing, but when Anderson has the ball in her hands and a lane to the basket, she is scoring.   Anderson is a dominant slasher who uses her lightning-fast first step to blast by defenders. She is great in the half-court and on the fastbreak and can get to the basket and finish with ease. If her defender issues contact, she is still finishing in the paint. There are not many guards of similar stature who can finish through contested layups the way she can. Anderson adds a deep floater to her inside arsenal, and she can stretch it out to the free throw line. Frankly, offensively, Anderson can do it all. She can hit free throws, mid-range jumpers, and 3-pointers with a quick release.   Anderson terrorizes the opposition on defense. Her energy and activity never wavers throughout the game, and it translates to every part of her game. She eyes her defensive assignment like a hawk, and when she sees her opportunity to steal the ball, she is going to get it and take it to the other end to score. She also intercepts passes and plays aggressive on-ball defense, so it is best to just pass it away from her.   [player_tooltip player_id='465499' first='Zyonna' last='Anderson'] is a bundle of energy with "college prospect" written all over her. Anderson could very well increase her ranking in the state, especially with a thunderous senior season.     Sara Broadstock provides a solid punch alongside 2025 guard teammate [player_tooltip player_id='1049447' first='Kynlee' last='Millard']. Broadstock is at her best when she has an opening along the perimeter to let a triple fly, and it stretches the defense out.   Broadstock is a legitimate shooter, and it is clear that being a shooter is her role with Western Yell County. Her form is just slightly unorthodox, but she is ultra effective. Plus, she can pour it on the defense quickly. Last season, she had 4 threes versus Magazine High School and 5 against Danville High School.   With Broadstock's teammate Millard being a defensive threat, the offense is spread amongst the rest of the team. Broadstock's teammates know to get the ball to her every time down the floor, and she is deadly in the corner. I must say, there may not be a better shooter in the 1A-4 conference than Sara Broadstock.   So Western Yell County has the best defender and best shooter in their conference...yikes.    In this article, I also wanted to talk about two players who are already in the AR Prep Girls Hoops database: [player_tooltip player_id='560182' first='Mackenzie' last='McConnell'] of Founders Classical Academy in Rogers and [player_tooltip player_id='874444' first='Caydence' last='Kimball'] of St. Paul High School. Unfortunately, there is very little to no information about these two players, and very little information about their teams. From what I understand, these are good players, and I want to be able to evaluate them. But, if I do not have any information at my disposal, I cannot evaluate these players and that is unfair to these athletes that work so hard every day to garner recognition.   I encourage every coach and team to post everything they can about all of their players. Whether it is on social media, AR Prep Girls Hoops, Max Preps, or Hudl, it helps expose the players to scouts and evaluators.   Anyway, on to 1A 2025 forwards! Keep an eye on that article which will drop soon.

Yep, the high school basketball season is upon us. That means that we are so close to watching our favorite teams battle it out on the court. It also means that Christmas is 79 days away, so something else to look forward to.