Art Turner Takeaways: Underclassman Guards

There was a lot of elite guard play at the Art Turner, and a large chunk of them were underclassmen. Here are the underclassman guards that impressed me from DC, Maryland, and Virginia.    I was interested to see this host PVI squad in action and their guard rotation. I was confident that [player_tooltip player_id='691150' first='Taylor' last='Williams'] would start at PG, but I was surprised at how impactful she was. Taylor was probably this team's most productive offensive player, and she hit some big shots. Taylor is PVI's best perimeter shot creator, and her range is extremely impressive. Her role was one of my big takeaways from this PVI team after last weekend.     [player_tooltip player_id='741652' first='Brianna' last='Norman'] stood out to me, and I wish I got to see her play more than just one game. Brianna is a tremendous passer and as good as anyone in the state at it. What makes Brianna such an elite talent is that she is only in the 8th grade and is producing at a high level for a very good Norfolk Christian squad. Brianna is a fantastic driver and a great perimeter defender. Brianna will be one of the best players in the state, and she may be the best 8th grader in the state.     Catholic has a duo of the top 3 freshmen in the state. [player_tooltip player_id='551094' first='Riley' last='Lynch'] is one-half of that, and she was as good as any freshman at this event. Riley is a shooter first, but she showed more than that at the Art Turner. I loved the way Riley attacked the rim, and even though she didn't put up massive points, she showed a complete offensive game.     The other half of the Catholic freshman duo is [player_tooltip player_id='735561' first='Lauryn' last='Loritts']. Lauryn didn't have her best weekend, but you still saw why she is one of the top freshmen in the state. Lauryn knocked down a couple of spot-up threes, and she flashed her high-level athleticism. Lauryn, to me, is still a little raw, but she has the highest potential of anyone in this class.     This past weekend was the first time I got an extensive look at [player_tooltip player_id='443362' first='Londyn' last='Ferguson'] on this Bishop Ireton team. Londyn's ability to blow by people in transition and finish from tough angles was fantastic. Londyn is a fantastic passer and ball-handler and can knock down threes. Londyn started Bishop Ireton's second game, and she was outstanding, especially early. She will be the first player off the bench for a nationally ranked Ireton team.     I liked what Pandora Nah did for Good Counsel over the weekend. Against Christ the King, she was aggressive and attacked the rim with force. She lived at the line the whole weekend, and she had terrific energy on both ends. She was everywhere against Good Better Best and had 12 points and 11 rebounds. Pandora's strength, athleticism, and energy caught my eye, and I like her fit on this team.     [player_tooltip player_id='932091' first='Tamia' last='Dyson'] seemed to fit on her new team well in Norfolk Christian's one game at the Art Turner. Tamia can play either guard position, but on this Norfolk Christian team, she plays a lot more as the two or off the ball in general. Tamia can score the ball from all three levels, and she has already had some big scoring games so far this year.     As seen on the amount they have on this list, Norfolk Christian is filled with young talented guards. I think the best of them is [player_tooltip player_id='443366' first='Justice' last='Brown-Jones']. Justice doesn't always play as a two-guard on this team, but her future is as a guard, and she plays it well right now. Justice is a competitive and skilled two-way star. She had a 20-point double-double in her lone game at the Art Turner. She showed everything offensively, and she was as good as anyone on the defensive side of the ball. One of my biggest takeaways was at nothing else, [player_tooltip player_id='443366' first='Justice' last='Brown-Jones'] will be one of the best defenders in the state if she isn't already.     [player_tooltip player_id='443354' first='Keira' last='Kilkenny'] didn't have a great game shooting for Norfolk, but it's obvious she fits with this team in her first season at Norfolk Christian. You see her playing off the ball a lot as a shooter, and that, at the minimum, is what she brings to the court. She is one of the best shooters in the state, and she has the length to play as a wing, even though she is more of a two-guard. Keira is another young go-to scoring guard Norfolk Christian has.

There was a lot of elite guard play at the Art Turner, and a large chunk of them were underclassmen. Here are the underclassman guards that impressed me from DC, Maryland, and Virginia.