Five Sleeper 2024 Guards

Naturally, when going through new or updated rankings lists, people tend to gravitate toward the best of the best for each recruiting class. The PGH NJ team does the team, but it’s also our priority to highlight those who might not be getting the mainstream coverage of others toward the top of the list. Here are some under-the-radar guards in the 2024 class. <strong>No. 35: [player_tooltip player_id="325212" first="Eva" last="Andrews"] - 5-10 SG, Paul VI</strong> Andrews transfered to Paul VI from Trenton Catholic this season and in doing so, she really blossomed as a sophomore. In just a year of gelling with the team, Andrews became the best three-point shooter on the team. She knocked down nearly 1.9 threes a game and created a fearsome shooting tandem between her and [player_tooltip player_id="134645" first="Hannah" last="Hidalgo"]. Her shooting motion is pure and with 65 percent of her offense coming from beyond the arc, there’s a reason why she’s ranked so high as a shooting guard. We really like her future projections with Paul VI for the next two years. <strong>No. 44: [player_tooltip player_id="407001" first="Emily" last="Poulas"] - 5-7 SG, Jefferson Township</strong> Speaking of stellar three-point shooters in New Jersey, our attention goes to Poulas, a player who hit 70 threes this season or 2.3 a game. Three-fourths of her game is played as a three-point shooter and she does a fantastic job at playing the role of the three-point specialist. Very few can compete with her in that capacity on the floor, but almost exclusively shooting from three does have its drawbacks, turning players nearly one-dimensional. Poulas already is incredibly effective shooting the three, but if she can drive in the lane more often here and there, that will add that extra dimension to her game. <strong>No. 64: [player_tooltip player_id="406941" first="Bridget" last="Dickson"] - PG, Sterling</strong> You might not have heard of Dickson before, but down the stretch and in the postseason, she became one of the most clutch players in the state. Sterling, a 10-seed heading into the South Jersey Group 2 playoffs, reached the final with Dickson leading the way, averaging 11.3 points a game in their four games. In her last five games, Dickson averaged 12.2 PPG, showing that in the biggest moments, she played at her best. While Sterling came up short, Dickson’s big jump is a massive plus for this winter. <strong>No. 47: [player_tooltip player_id="406936" first="Allison" last="Cannon"] - 5-9 PG, Holmdel</strong> Cannon played her best basketball at the end of the season for Holmdel and consistently racked up 3-5 assists a game. The Hornets relied on her more heavily as she matured into her sophomore year and she showed a great level of poise running the point. Cannon is a well-rounded guard who can score, haul in rebounds, dish out assists and cause a number of turnovers off steals or just deflected passes. She’s a nightmare matchup for opponents and will continue to be that as a junior and beyond. <strong>No. 63: [player_tooltip player_id="407041" first="Gianna" last="D’Avanzo"] - SG, Secaucus</strong> Secaucus has a sneaky good season, going 20-6 and D’Avanzo came out of nowhere to put up 8.0 PPG, 1.2 made three-pointers a game and 2.3 SPG for the Patriots. She went from a bench player with little time on the floor to the second-best perimeter shooter on the team and finished third in steals and fifth in scoring overall. D’Avanzo really worked on her shooting motion coming into the year and has impressed with a quick release and a smooth overall shot. That is the recipe for success and if she was able to have this level of a jump in a year, her junior year should be as good, if not better.