Top Guards of the Future at PGH: Up Next

The future was bright in Plainfield, Illinois this past weekend for the first annual Prep Girls Hoops showcase for top middle school basketball players. For the first time, prospects in the Classes of 2031, 2032, and 2033 had their chance to shine. There's more to evaluating a young guard than watching who racks up the most points. Two-way potential, ball-handling skills, hustle, and fluidity all matter — and several guards at PGH: Up Next showed flashes of each. Here are the backcourt prospects who stood out.    Man, Steverson was fun to watch. A shifty floor general always looking to make the extra pass, Steverson got to the hoop at will. She both generates her own offense – getting downhill and going to the rim is her bread and butter – and exhibited the ability to shoot it from deep. Steverson also brought plenty of defensive tenacity, stripping the ball several times and lobbing it down the floor for the go-ahead assist. The next step in her development is becoming more consistent as a finisher, but there's a ton to like about her offensive upside.     Greer's defensive intensity was hard to miss. She generated multiple steals, including some off her own blocks, exhibiting the kind of two-way tenacity that can take over a game. That same energy translated to the glass where she competed hard all afternoon. She also moved well without the ball and showed a willingness to stay involved even when she wasn't the one handling it. The passing is still a work in progress — she sees the play and wants to make the right read, but needs to add more touch and patience when the lane isn't clean. Lots of potential here.     Ebong's play screams “baller” with massive potential for a player only in the Class of 2033. She already looks the part – knocking down multiple threes with impressive consistency and flashing the skills you'd want to see from an emerging offensive playmaker. The smoothness and fluidity of Ebong's game really jump out; it all looks natural to her and at such a young age. She wasn't one-dimensional, either, flashing athleticism and timing with a handful of blocks on the defensive end. Definitely a player to watch in the coming years.     Griffith really came alive as the 5 on 5 games progressed, becoming increasingly aggressive offensively and making several impressive plays attacking the length of the floor. She showed range from three, but her best work came on the glass, where her hustle and rebounding instincts popped. Griffith's superpower is clearly wanting it more than other players on the floor – now it's just about refining her skillset. If she uses her strength to more consistently go up strong at the rim and draw fouls, her production can continue to climb.     Rodriguez didn't have her best shooting day, but she made an impact in just about every other area of the game. She's the type of player who does all the little things a coach (and fans) will love. On offense, she sets up plays rather than being reactive. One of my favorite sequences of the day was when Rodriguez made two impressive passes in a single play to create a second-chance scoring opportunity. On defense, she's a vocal leader, pointing out where players should go to make sure no one goes unguarded. She dove to save the ball from going out of bounds. She showcased the ability to rebound and come down with the ball in traffic. A high-motor, high basketball IQ player.     Hardy showed advanced handles for her age, bringing the ball up the floor with a smooth, controlled pace. She also displayed the ability to turn the corner and get downhill, making several nice drives to the basket. Hardy shot the ball well from the free-throw line, another encouraging sign for her offensive potential. I would love to see Hardy work on more consistency with her outside shot. If she can become a threat from outside, she has the tool-kit to grow into a dominant player.

The future was bright in Plainfield, Illinois this past weekend for the first annual Prep Girls Hoops showcase for top middle school basketball players. For the first time, prospects in the Classes of 2031, 2032, and 2033 had their chance to shine. There's more to evaluating a young guard than watching who racks up the most points. Two-way potential, ball-handling skills, hustle, and fluidity all matter — and several guards at PGH: Up Next showed flashes of each. Here are the backcourt prospects who stood out.