Hoops By Ugland Skills Summit: Top 2020 Guards (Part I)
Irvine, Ca. — Saturday’s Hoops By Ugland Skills Summit at Beckman high school featured 90-plus players from the classes of 2019 to 2022.
The event featured two hours worth of intense skill work, guest speakers with deep roots in the basketball community and camp games to close out the day.
Here is the first set of top guard performers from the 2020 class.
Keith Dinwiddie, Culver City
Dinwiddie is already well-known in the junior class for his scoring ability and no defender was able to stop him Saturday. The 6-foot-2 shooting guard put the ball through the net in every way imaginable, but feasted in transition as he got to the front of the rim with ease and finished with finesse. One of Dinwiddie’s most intriguing qualities is his consistency as a jump shooter from both 3-point and mid-range.
Clark Slajchert, Oak Park
Slajchert is another bona fide scorer in SoCal’s junior class and he didn’t disappoint. The 6-foot-1 shooting guard is extremely crafty and elusive off the bounce, which helped him create space for his mid-range and 3-point jumpers and allowed him to get by defenders and into the paint where he finished with floaters.
Fairmont Prep guard Atin Wright had his jump shooting ability on display at the Hoops By Ugland Skills Summit. Photo credit: Dylan Stewart.Atin Wright, Fairmont Prep
Wright burst onto the scene early last season playing with Lakewood high school at the Jim Harris Classic. The 5-foot-10 off-guard is a high volume scorer who not only has a consistent pull-up 3-point shot with range, but also has a throwback type of feel with his mid-range jump shot, getting to either elbow where he uses a quick release to nullify any bigs stepping up to contest.
Kevin Kent, Los Alamitos
Kent stood out because of his end-to-end speed and quickness when breaking defenders down off the dribble. The 5-foot-7 point guard is tough to keep in front because of his ability to change direction without losing speed in transition. Kent also showed improved finishing around the basket, but needs to continue to work on his 3-point shooting.
Marcus Greene, Archbishop Mitty
Greene brought a true point guard feel to games that don’t breed that type of environment. The 6-foot-2 Northern California product played with good pace and got teammates involved with unselfishness and precision passing. Scoring-wise, Greene is best in transition where he uses long strides to get the rim and finish over length. He’s another guard who could take his game to another level with improved perimeter shooting.