2029 Player Rankings Update: Guards Who Opponents Respect

There are certain players out there that you have to respect on both ends of the court. If you don't, it's going to end badly for you a majority of the time. In this article we highlight some of those guards from the 2029 Class as we move into the month of July.   Thanks for tuning in and enjoy!    [player_tooltip player_id='1204333' first='Lucy' last='Terrones'] had her moments last Winter as a Freshman with Gilbert High School, showing up on both sides of the ball. She was able to play with other talented individuals at the Guard position, helping each of them "feast" in a sense because the opponents couldn't contain both. This might have been the first year on the Varsity floor for Terrones but she looked like a natural and she is only going to get better with time and experience as she gets older. She has taken strides this AAU season working on her competitive-edge and that's going to play a crucial factor in her success later down the line.     There is promise is [player_tooltip player_id='1280554' first='Jayla' last='Samson']'s play style out on the hardwood. Samson is a SG with solid size at 5'7. She possesses a quick first step going towards her strong side and she can finish at the bucket through contact if need be. Defensively, she is someone that works hard to beat her opponents to their spots. Her active feet and quick hands help her cause a lot of chaos coming down the floor and that ultimately helps her fill up the stat sheet whenever she is competing. You can tell that Samson wants it. She wants to win. She is dedicated to becoming a vital option in this sport and that is something everyone can respect from the outside looking in.     I expect Hinton High School to be a 2A powerhouse once again this Winter and one of the reason's why will be because of their roster on hand. They are going to bring back A LOT of talent and that talent is going to produce. One of their younger players, who hasn't really had chance to shine until now is [player_tooltip player_id='1268181' first='Mesa' last='Zellmer']. If Zellmer works on her game and how to control things around her at a higher rate, she is going to a staple for this team over the next three Winter as they win a ton of games in the grand scheme of things. We have seen glimpses of something special out of Zellmer up to this point but she has been sitting behind a college committed guard until now. So it's time to see what she can really do and if AAU has been any indiction this Spring, then she is going to kill it.     AC will return another promising roster this Winter to the DSM area. I'm not sure where that is going to lead their younger prospects but someone to note from this group will be [player_tooltip player_id='1224390' first='Natalia' last='Sandoval'] at the PG position. Sandoval is a respectable option. She competes at the PG spot for the right reasons. She isn't trying to be a scoring option first. Instead, she will do whatever it takes to make those around her look good while helping her team compete. She can create off the bounce, she understands the X's and O's of the game itself, she is scrappy defensively, and she is extremely crafty. In the end, there is a lot to like out of Sandoval. Hopefully she can keep it up moving into July and then can carry that momentum into the upcoming Winter season!     There were two main Freshman last Winter that saw time and a decent amount of Varsity attempts. One of those players was [player_tooltip player_id='1250293' first='Payton' last='Knopp']. Knopp came off of the bench and was more of a SG than anything else. She shot the ball around 30 times during the season and 23 of those attempts were from behind the arc. While doing this offensively, she stood out in all other positive statistical categories that you could think of naming. She willing rebounded at a high rate, she defender her own position and played help-side like a champ, she assisted those around her off of her creation in the middle of the floor, and she was a great all around teammate. When you combined all of these factors, you get someone that is hard to pull off the floor. Not because of their scoring but because of everything else they bring to the table. I'm sure we will see more out of Knopp this Winter. She should play an even bigger role this time around if she continues to work during her off-season.

There are certain players out there that you have to respect on both ends of the court. If you don't, it's going to end badly for you a majority of the time. In this article we highlight some of those guards from the 2029 Class as we move into the month of July.