2021 Season Preview: Some of the Buffalo Area’s Best Guards
To continue preparing and getting excited for the 2021 High School season, let’s take a look at some guards in the Buffalo area that you should keep your eye on. Paul Harris | 6’1″ SR | Health Sciences Charter…
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Continue ReadingTo continue preparing and getting excited for the 2021 High School season, let’s take a look at some guards in the Buffalo area that you should keep your eye on.
Paul Harris | 6’1″ SR | Health Sciences Charter School
Harris is everything you need out of a solid two-way guard. Offensively, he has a solid catch-and-shoot jumper from 3, but is looking to get inside the line and drive first and foremost. He definitely has the craftiness to score once he gets close to the hoop, as well. But, Harris seems to really show his value on the defensive end. He has excellent ability to move laterally and a really good sense of when to turn his hips in order to stay in front of his man. He also shows the defensive IQ needed to make effective switches in a man-to-man style defense and the anticipation needed to cut off passing lanes when setting up in more of a zone.
Jalen Bradberry Jalen Bradberry 6'3" | PG Woodstock Academy | 2022 State #248 Nation NLG | 6’3″ SR | The Park School of Buffalo
Bradberry is an excellent combo-guard that excels at making plays for himself and others. He’s coming off of a season averaging almost 20 points and 3 assists per game. He’s got the ability to knock down threes right in the faces of his defenders on the perimeter, which he will often do. In addition, he is more than capable of making a scoring impact close to the basket, both off of a drive and from an occasional offensive board. And while he doesn’t necessarily rack up the assists, his ability to make good reads when driving and in transition makes it so the passes he makes are effective and efficient. But all of this is only brought to another level by his insane handles. Bradberry can put the ball on a string at seemingly any moment and lose 1, 2, or even 3 defenders at a time. Combine this with his quickness and jumper, and he becomes a lethal offensive weapon.
Kevin Thompson | 6’4″ JR | Bishop Timon-St. Jude
If there is one player you should really look out for, it’s Kevin Thompson. In just his Sophomore season, he averaged 13 points, an assist, 5 rebounds, 2 steals, and 2 blocks per game. And you should be ready to see him make big jump sooner rather than later. He’s got a solid jumper — solid enough that the defense should worry about it — and the strength, quickness, and athleticism to score consistently inside. And at 6’4″, I think the only thing keeping him from moving to a forward spot is his excellent passing ability. He consistently shows the ability, not to just make the read, but to thread bounce passes in just the right spot to set up a layup. Here are the two words I would use to describe Thompson on the defensive end: strength and ferocity. Those steals and rebounds are not a fluke. He has the basketball IQ to strip the ball from players posted-up nearby and to cut off passing lanes. But, what will really surprise you is his length and anticipation at the guard spot that allows him to make stifling blocks.
Joe Ciocca | 5’10″ SR | Canisius
Ciocca is the prototypical point guard, in the best way imaginable. He has the ability to be the offense’s engine 24/7. What will pop out to you first about Ciocca is his dazzlingly quick trigger from three-point land. He can get off his shot and knock it down before his defender even knows what hit ’em. The next thing you’ll notice, though, is his equally dazzling passing ability. Not only can he thread the needle on accurate inside passes for buckets, he has that next-level ability to look the defense off of his man and nail the pass. And he’ll occasionally, mostly in transition, add some flair to that pass that will get you out of your seat. In addition, Ciocca uses his handle well to get where he needs to go and is plenty effective on defense.