Midwest Extravaganza: 15U Best of the Guards

As we wrap up our coverage of the 2026 Midwest Extravaganza, we wanted to look through some of the best guards who played in this year's showcase. The field was loaded with talented guards, but here's a rundown of some the best players at this year's event.    Alice is an absolute weapon when she's shooting from distance. She's got a quick release beyond the arc, and is confident enough to stop-and-pop on a fast break. And if she gets hot-she can bury an opponent.   During one of her wins on Sunday, she went 7/8 from distance, scoring 21 points-all from downtown. And in another game on Saturday, she made three 3-pointers in the second half, on the way to a 12 point performance.   Alice is also a strong defensive player; with the ability to rip the ball out of the hands of an offensive player. And she's got active hands that can frustrate a ballhandler. She's capable of going up against girls 4-5 inches taller than her.   Alice has also developed a strong passing game. She is able to distribute and work the ball around the perimeter, which frees her up for more open shots.     Tess casually showed her range this weekend. She showed that she can be a leading scorer when she needs to be; or she can strictly be the distributor when her teammates are hot.   Tess has absolutely elite passing skills. Her court vision allows her to easily find an open teammate, or thread the needle through the defense. She sees the court extremely well, and can drive and kick the ball to a shooter on the outside.   Tess' two games on Sunday were a contrast. In the first game, she scored 18 points on 7 field goals. And in her final game, she scored just 2 points, and was content to feed one of her teammates who had a hot hand.   Tess prides herself in controlling the game and getting teammates open shots.     Violet can beat you outside or inside. She's a guard who has a nice 3-point stroke, but has the size to fight in the paint for rebounds. In her first game of the weekend, Violet scored 15 points in the second half of her team's win; with three 3-pointers in that time.   Violet has some nice moves when she's getting to the hoop, and she tells me that she's worked on her ability to get to the rim.   She's also a clutch player in crunch time. In her first game of the weekend, she drained 4 free throws in the final minutes, to seal her team's victory.     Kendall has exceptional ballhandling skills. She has an impressive spin move, and great footwork when she gets into the lane. And when she's on the outside, she's unafraid to pull the trigger on a quick 3-pointer.   Kendall is a great floor general, who brings the ball up the floor with confidence, and is willing to take it right at the defense if she sees an opening. Her strength in the paint also allows her to draw a lot of fouls; and she went 4/5 on free throws in one of her wins on Saturday.   Kendall says she's proud of how she's developed as a shooter, and she hopes she gets noticed for her ability to get her teammates open.     Laurel is a talented 8th grader, who's just entering high school this next season, and was playing this weekend against competition who were mostly a year older than her. And still, in spite of a size disadvantage, she was aggressive in the paint, and saw the floor well; making some impressive passes in her team's two wins.   Laurel says she's grown a lot in her dribbling and defense in recent years. And she's improved her confidence and her shooting form.     Claire immediately jumps out at you for the strength that she possesses when she's on the floor. She's confident and aggressive when she goes to the hoop to get a shot up. In her team's two games on Sunday, she scored 7 and 11 points, respectively. And in the second game, she made 4 straight free throws; which can be a rarity for players of her age.   Claire also has strong passing skills, and knows where to put the ball. Plus she's got a knockdown 3-point stroke from the corner.   Claire says that she likes to play the game at all 3 levels; driving to the basket or shooting from the perimeter. And she's grown in her ability to read the defense and know when to drive.     Olivia jumps out at you right away for the amount of hard work and hustle that she brings to the court. She's a grinder who can get after it in the paint, but she's also extremely capable when she has the ball in her hands. She's a player with great body control, who shows off her footwork when she's weaving to the hoop for a basket.   Olivia is also strong on the fast break, and when she's going downhill, her size gives her a serious advantage against the defense. She can control the tempo of the game, and has great hands when you feed her the ball down low.   Defensively, Olivia can use her length to be a disruptor-as well as pulling down a lot of rebounds. And on offense, her size and strength gives her the chance to drop in a lot of putbacks. She scored 12 points in her final game of the weekend.     Madison makes for a great weapon as a shooting guard. She's a tremendous shooter from the outside, confident from anywhere beyond half court. In one of her Sunday performances, she drained five 3-pointers; 4 of which came in the second half.   Madison tells me that she prides herself in her shooting abilities, and is just looking to do her part for her team when she's on the floor. She says that she's strong as a communicator, and brings good team chemistry to her squad.

As we wrap up our coverage of the 2026 Midwest Extravaganza, we wanted to look through some of the best guards who played in this year's showcase. The field was loaded with talented guards, but here's a rundown of some the best players at this year's event.