Who Is South Dakota’s Best Junior Point Guard?
The Juniors! It’s time to make a case for three different junior point guards in the state of South Dakota as…. The Best. Who do you think is the best? Is it somebody else not on our list? In reviewing…
Access all of Prep Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingThe Juniors! It’s time to make a case for three different junior point guards in the state of South Dakota as…. The Best. Who do you think is the best? Is it somebody else not on our list?
In reviewing this discussion we’ve went back to look at film of each and gave you three different things that we really like from each.
Stratton Eppard Stratton Eppard 6'0" | PG Chester Area | 2022 State SD of Chester Area
- There are guys that are point guard sized that are actually more of an off guard although size wise they are college hoops prospects at the one spot. And then there are guys that are simply competitors, athletes that battle as you can plug them in to play wherever they are needed and they will produce. At a very strong 185/190 pounds, Stratton Eppard Stratton Eppard 6'0" | PG Chester Area | 2022 State SD is that guy. He’s surely one that you can trust handling the ball, or playing off the ball, and then running back the other way to defend. Not to mention he had six touchdowns in a recent game football wise
- Eppard is a quick young man. He uses his quickness to sprint around screens and cover ground against top opponents as quick as anybody you will see. Teams gameplan for top weapons to run by obstacles while you have to run through them forcing players to make up ground, but Eppard makes up that ground quicker than most. For example, if you try and change directions on Eppard his steps can close in on you even more while his strength forces you higher off the angle/line than you want to be. Stratton is also quick with the dribble leading to his dozen points a game.
- At about 5-foot-11 or 6-foot tall, Stratton is one of the better rebounding guards in the state. The reason for that is three main items: 1) his competitive desire, 2) Eppard being one of the stronger players on the floor, and 3) his understanding/reads of each play. A lot of these same qualities make him a leading scorer for Chester Area and Sacred Hoops as well. The quickness to beat some defenders with the first move but on other occasions it’s the strength that helps Eppard get to that corner turn.
Mikele Kambalo Mikele Kambalo 5'8" | PG Washington | 2022 State SD of SD Washington.
- A part about Mikele’s game that I love is his feel for playmaking after he uses his speed and gets a defender on his hip. Mikele will get to a corner turning space and then extend to shoot or extend to move the ball while holding his man off with his body. These plays in traffic allow Mikele to basically hold a man hostage while playmaking and he does it in a way that allows his speed to be an advantage as opposed to his 5-foot-9 frame being a disadvantage.
- The primary jobs of the point guard are pressuring the opposing lead guard, attacking the basket offensively, making the right choices in when to push the ball and when to run an offense, and to make sure that an offense is running smoothly and all players are getting touches in comfortable ways. Mikele does that. But after he gets the offense moving he’s also one of the better corner shooting three point threats in South Dakota. He’s got a nice release and is very good and getting his feet set in a deep position that is tough to closeout to. Add in the speed in getting to spots and you have a player that’s multi dangerous.
- Mikele is a willing work, and he also understands that he has to use his gift of speed to combat what others have in size. His stamina and fight each possession is consistently higher than those that oppose him. Mikele also leads in the “never gives up on a play” way, and is without a doubt the player that others will love to follow.
Dylan Marshall Dylan Marshall 6'0" | PG White River | 2022 State SD of White River
- In looking at Dylan Marshall Dylan Marshall 6'0" | PG White River | 2022 State SD you can see in his feel that he is a coach’s kid. There is a feel there that he has from being in the gym all these years. One big thing I like is Dylan’s balance. White River has weapons and he consistently makes sure that the ball is on their hands in good space to take shots. But he also mixes in his mid-range touch, and rim finishes taking that contact and completing when his team is up against things on a possession where a shot wasn’t easily created.
- In looking at two games recently another big part of Marshall’s game is his ability of passing the ball and even more direct, the timing of his delivery. There are some lead guards that move the ball because that is the told direction even if it’s on a bad spot on the floor, and some others that get rid of the ball to take pressure off themselves in a tough situation. Marshall always looks comfortable with the ball and his deliveries are to teammates in good spots on the floor. Rarely will you see (at least in our views) Dylan send the ball to a teammate putting them in a bad position. He leads players to the right spot so the can reverse the ball quickly, or they can use a screen, or that teammate can release a jumper in a comfortable way.
- This is a clutch player! We talked about the calm under pressure but there are many examples of it in big games. He had a combo of a score and a pass to win the Lakota Nation Invitational, he had the game winning score to beat Howard, and there was also some big plays made by Dylan in the playoff victory over Lyman which was of course and end of the season situation for the loser. Let’s face it, few players have stepped up in clutch spots like Dylan has.