VA Best Available Guards (Part 1)
It’s that time of the year where colleges of all levels are looking for players still available in the senior class. Luckily for them, Virginia is full of guys who can play at all of the levels and are balling…
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Continue ReadingIt’s that time of the year where colleges of all levels are looking for players still available in the senior class. Luckily for them, Virginia is full of guys who can play at all of the levels and are balling out their senior year. Over the next week or so, I’ll be doing best available lists for guards, wings and bigs. There’s a lot of names I want to get out there, so to make things easier I broke them up into different parts.
Here’s a look at the part one of the best available guards in VA.
Cole Anthony | 6’3” | Oak Hill Academy
The top point guard in the country hasn’t made his decision yet, but he can pretty much pick from any school he wants. He’s a dynamic athlete on both ends of the floor, he has great vision and passing ability, deep range off the catch and he can get by the best of them with ease. Legendary head coach Steve Smith said it best: “There’s been 9 point guards come through Oak Hill who have gone on to the NBA, and he’s as good or better than all of them.”
Evan Buckley | 6’0” | Stonebridge
He may not look like it, but this kid is an absolute killer on the court and a big time winner as well. He’s the type of floor general that you can put on a team full of talented guys and he’ll make them all even better. He changes pace well, understands schemes and the game very well, sees the floor and he can make shots too. The most underrated part of his game is his toughness, as he’ll leave it all on the floor every game.
Ashley “AJ” James | 6’3” | Green Run
One of the fastest stock risers right now, James has been one of the best players in the 757 this year and has dominated in every facet of the game. He has the size to play both guard positions at the next level, he has good burst and is slippery when attacking the basket and he’s a good rebounder too. He needs some polishing, but he continues to improve and is a two-way impact guy with a great motor.
Kris Gardner | 6’2” | Hargrave
Hailing from South Georgia, Gardner has found his way at Hargrave and recently picked up his first division one offer from St. Peters. He’s a strong guard who can play on or off, shoots it well from deep and has a scorers mentality. He can get to his spots and make shots from all three levels, and he’s a smart and tough player who has a game that should translate well to the next level.
Jordan Hairston | 6’0” | Flint Hill
Another guy who has started to pick up division one offers this season, Hairston is debating between going out in 2019 or reclassifying to 2020. He’s been playing like he’s ready to be a division one guard next year. He’s not the biggest, strongest or fastest, but he knows the game and has a tremendous skill set. He works hard, he makes shots, he makes others better and he competes against the best regularly.
Chase Coleman | 5’10” | Maury
Brother of Texas starting point guard Matt Coleman, Chase doesn’t have the size of his brother but he’s got all the dog and all the smarts he has. He’s a pesky lock down defender that bothers ball handlers, he has tremendous vision and runs the team well and he’s an underrated athlete and shooter as well.
Levar Allen | 6’0” | John Marshall
He doesn’t really look like a point guard, but Allen uses his size to his advantage as a downhill attacking guard. He has surprisingly good burst and is a dynamic athlete as a finisher, he creates well when he gets by his defenders and he’s able to use his size to finish through traffic. If someone with a good strength and conditioning coach get their hands on him he should see his body get better as well.