Live Period: Playmaking Point Guards

There was outstanding play from multiple point guards over the course of five days at Spooky Nook in Hamilton, Ohio with teams coming from across the country. This article is a very good example of that with players in each direction on the map from the middle of America where Ohio sits. Some players have their futures decided while others have a long way to go in the process. all of these players proved their worth and showed their ability to perform at a very high level.    Kenna played the game with the poise and composure of a much older player as the lead guard for Legends U 17U Black on the best courts and against the best competition at Spooky Nook. With the crowd standing room only in the game, she calm directed traffic on the offensive end against AAO Flight and Easton McCullough. The two teams had the court surrounded with college coaches, video people, evaluators, and more with the seemingly increasing by the minute. Hunt hit shooters in the pocket and on time enabling to get their shots off quickly and in rhythm, especially Kareena Agrawal who caught fire in the second half. She also did a good job of demonstrating how to properly feed post players through the event which seems to be a lost art in the game today. In one set, Kenna gave a nice pass to the outstretched arms of Kylie Perrone where only she could get it (6'3) and got to the basket receiving the ball back in the give and go before being fouled on her step back jumper. She shot the ball well at the free throw line when she got there for her team in a very close game. She was also very good delivering the ball to teammates cutting to the basket and on baseline out of bounds plays including one to Agrawal cutting from the elbow on the weak side that she converted for an easy two. Defensively, Hunt used her wing span well to apply pressure to ball handlers and disrupt the flow of AAO's offense with her length in the passing lanes. Hunt did not commit careless turnovers or try to force passes and shots that were not there. That decision-making ability to along with her vast array of skills make her a highly sought after point guard by college coaches around the country.     West Virginia Thunder Perry kept their undefeated streak alive (11-0) completing another outstanding weekend in Ohio. This team puts a lot of points on the board every game and a huge reason for that is [player_tooltip player_id='990047' first='Maddy' last='Wallace']'s excellent leadership, vocally and by example with her play while leading this very talented and unselfish group. It starts with Wallace she is has no problem giving up open shots and scoring opportunities for herself to get the ball in a better position to an open teammate. Maddy can put the ball in the basket efficiently and effectively from all three levels, but her willingness to spread the ball around has become contagious and a trademark of this team and their success. Maddy has very sound fundamentals and does everything well. She has flair handling the basketball, great vision and delivery on her passes, and is the composure of this orchestra without question. Since the event ended (less than 24 hours ago), Wallace has received offers from Morehead State and Indianapolis. I expect that list to grow and it is already an impressive one. Coming into he event Maddy picked up offers from Oakland University and Samford. Just entering her Junior season, her recruitment is far from over. It will be interesting to see if any of the schools in the Ivy League and Power Four conferences step up and extend her offer over the next year and a half.     Ruby was a player I had not seen prior to the week, but after I saw Sanford Sports playa against the [program_tooltip program_id='715753' first='Michigan' last='Mystics'] I had to watch them again later in the week as I do not get to see teams from the Dakotas often. Moore was easily one of the very best point guards I saw over the course of the five days that teams played. The South Dakota State commit was excellent in every facet of the game. Specifically, Moore was very good against the pressure and physical style applied by United New Jersey. Players from both teams were allowed to get away with a lot of contact, but Moore not only played through it, but was able to break that full court trapping defense and gets easy points with the numerical advantage in her team's favor. One play in particular she was caught with two defenders coming at here right before crossing half court, Ruby used her escape dribble, put it in reverse, and was able to get around the two defenders creating a 5 on 3 situation for Sanford in which they scored. She was also very good finding and hitting her teammates in stride and shooting position from all areas and angles in the half court. When left open, Ruby punished both teams by knocking down multiple shots from the perimeter. I am not sure what her total was in the two games I watched, but it felt like she made more shots than she missed. She is a very good athlete and used her speed and quickness to elude and allow by defenders with relative ease before finishing at the rim.     Zoey is a young player I first saw when she was entering middle school or a little before playing for David Kent at an Insider Exposure event. She was easily the best player on that team (probably playing up) and she was a kid who was identified early as a potential blue chip recruit from North Carolina. That trend has held true as she, before entering high school, has received offers from Morehead State, App. State, Elon, East Carolina, Liberty, and other schools. It was easy to see why after to watching her lead Team KMA Kent '28 to an undefeated 3-0 record at the Select Super Showcase. As the lead guard she did a very good job getting her team into the sets called from the bench and getting her teammates into the flow and rhythm on offense. Zoey is a long 5'7 and she used her wingspan to make good post entry passes and hitting her shooters in between their shoulders and waist as well as elevating over her defender and knock down shots herself from behind the three point line and the midrange. Cochran did a nice job keeping her head up on the break and getting the ball ahead for easy scoring opportunities. Defensively, she used her size and reach to apply pressure on the ball and cause deflections and steals in the passing lane. Playing two years up against good teams like Cap City will only continue to help her growth int he game. She has a very bright future ahead and plenty of time continue to work hard on her all around and get better in the next four years. She has the potential to be Power Four in time with continued development.     When I saw that Keenan was also a soccer player I was not surprised in the least bit. She was a scrappy, tough competitor who stayed in the middle of the action and did not shy away from contact. Defensively, she read the passing lanes very well and was able to jump in and intercept and deflect several balls, especially in their full court trapping defense. On the ball, Addison applied a lot of ball pressure to Sanford Sports and [program_tooltip program_id='715753' first='Michigan' last='Mystics'] guards, who are also very skilled and talented players. On the offensive end, Keenan scored from all over the court, including when she was able to turn defense into offense. She shot the ball well from three and the free throw line when she got there and showed the ability to finish in traffic over and around taller defenders when met at the basket. She was very shifty with the basketball in her hands and did a nice job creating space off the bounce. I am not sure what sport she is planning on pursuing at the next level, but she would a very good player at a lot of schools playing basketball in college.     Catt was equally effective both scoring and distributing the basketball when she ran the point over the five days in Ohio. She finished both Select 40 sessions averaging 14 points per game, scoring 20 or more twice against very good competition. Harris has the ability to score from all three levels, but her strongest skill is getting into the heart of defenses in the half court and finding her open teammates when other defenders leave their assignments to come help stop her driving to the basket. Whether it is at the top of the key or from either wing in traditional half court sets, Harris was able to to go both ways with the basketball and get to her spots before kicking the ball out or knocking down mid range jump shots. She also showed the ability to get to the rim and finish through contact on the break. When she was running the offense as the point guard the ball moved freely and quickly creating open looks for herself and team. She already heard from two division one coaches in the last 24 hours and I expect for her to hear from more after a week of stellar play.

There was outstanding play from multiple point guards over the course of five days at Spooky Nook in Hamilton, Ohio with teams coming from across the country. This article is a very good example of that with players in each direction on the map from the middle of America where Ohio sits. Some players have their futures decided while others have a long way to go in the process. all of these players proved their worth and showed their ability to perform at a very high level.