Top Backcourts
With the season right around the corner, it is time to preview some of the top guard combinations in the state. These teams below will have an advantage in the backcourt in nearly every game they play this season due to their skilled backcourts.
Olympus
There is no question about it that Olympus has the top backcourt in the state. Rylan Jones and Jeremy DowDell have been making life miserable for the opposition for the past couple of years. That will not change this season. In fact, this group should be poised to be even more potent.
DowDell’s scoring abilities have been well documented. He scores the basketball as well as any prospect in the state. Further, he is blessed to have a point guard in the backcourt with him who can create for his teammates at a high level. Jones is capable of scoring the basketball. However, what makes him extremely special is his ability to make plays for others.
These two guys will be quite difficult to stop.
Fremont
Dallin Hall might be the most dangerous playmaker in 6A despite only being a junior. Despite his youth, Hall does far more than just score the basketball. Often times, young prospects are able to score but miss the kick-outs as they have tunnel vision. Hall does not have that. He puts the defense in tough spots and makes them pay.
Hall also has Baylor Harrop played a huge role last year and will be even bigger this upcoming season. Much like Hall, he is capable of filling it up in a hurry. Due to his and Hall’s ability to score the basketball as well as any backcourt in the state, Fremont will be really tough to beat.
Pleasant Grove
Pleasant Grove has a “point guard by committee” approach. They play a number of guards who all have a couple of things in common: shooters with high IQs. While they do not have two guys in particular who run the show, they have multiple guys who can make an impact in their backcourt.
Casey Brown is the most proven of the backcourt as he scored the ball well and shot it at a high level from deep last season. Brown will need to play a huge role once again. He will be the catalyst that ensures that Matt Van Komen gets his touches. In addition to Brown, Pleasant Grove has returning guards Kawika Akina, Kael Mikkelsen, and Tyler Fairbanks. Akina and Mikkelsen shared the basketball well while Fairbanks shot it well from deep.
Lone Peak
Lone Peak does not rebuild; they reload and they will do the same with their backcourt. Despite losing one of the top backcourts in the state last year, they will be just fine in this department once again. While it is yet to be determined as to who exactly will comprise the backcourt, they have some options.
Josh Jackson and Jaxon Pollard will be vital to the team’s success. Noah Smithson played a vital role for this team last season as a junior. Between these three prospects, Lone Peak will be solid yet again. While their region will be the toughest in the state once again, they have the pieces to navigate it.