2024 Guards to Watch This Spring
The debut edition of the 2024 Nebraska rankings were published this week, and you can find that top 20 here. In two parts, I will share my thoughts with you on several of those players, beginning with the guards. Caleb…
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Continue ReadingThe debut edition of the 2024 Nebraska rankings were published this week, and you can find that top 20 here. In two parts, I will share my thoughts with you on several of those players, beginning with the guards.
Caleb Benning Caleb Benning 5'10" | CG Omaha Westside | 2024 State NE
Westside has their next competitive, bulldog point guard in Benning. He competes on the glass, refusing to give up easy rebounds even when losing the size battle. Benning provided great nail defense, helping to smother penetration and force turnovers. I have not yet seen many advanced passing reads, but he consistently makes the basic reads in pick and roll. A nice chemistry developed late in the year between Benning and his sharpshooting teammate, Payson Gillespie Payson Gillespie 6'3" | SG Omaha Westside | 2022 State NE . As Benning’s confidence grew, he began attacking the rim, which led to great looks for the Warriors.
Will Cooper Will Cooper 6'6" | SF Millard South | 2024 State NE
Of all the ranked freshman, nobody improved from the first game to the last more than Will Cooper Will Cooper 6'6" | SF Millard South | 2024 State NE . When I first watched Cooper, he rarely dribbled the basketball, and was quick to move the ball on. By the end of the year, he was comfortably and confidently knocking down threes, and attacking the closeout of a scrambling defense. The game really slowed down for him, and began to make confident decisions. A great sign for his long-term outlook is the awareness he has on defense. He rotates to help at the right times, but doesn’t yet have the strength and fundamentals to contest without fouling.
Landon Pokorski Landon Pokorski 6'2" | PG Gretna | 2024 State NE
No freshman in the state had a bigger role for their team this year than the Gretna point guard. Pokorski was the primary initiator for the Dragons all season long, and he proved he could maintain efficiency in that role. Not the fleetest of foot, but when he utilized start and stop movements he had success getting a step on the defender. His finishing at the rim came and went throughout the year, but his foul-drawing ability impressed me. A few possessions in which nothing was happening for the Dragons, Landon was able to drive a gap and pick up two free throws. He will be one of the best offensive engines for years to come, though, because of his passing. He has excellent feel for his teammates and who needs the ball when.
Alex Wilcoxson Alex Wilcoxson 5'11" | SG Gretna | 2024 State NE
Wilcoxson benefitted from that feel from Pokorski, knocking down 101 three-pointers on the year. Most of those were spot-up opportunities, and Wilcoxson proved very comfortable in those situations. When used as a screener, he had success ghosting the screen and popping to the perimeter. Many of the actions required tricky footwork, yet Wilcoxson cleanly got into his shot, even on the misses. At this point in his career, ball-handling is the biggest weakness I saw. A loose handle opened him up for getting swiped, or dribbling it off his foot.
Daleron Thomas Daleron Thomas 6'0" | CG Omaha Central | 2024 State NE
Thomas had a season very typical of a talented freshman. Plenty of playmaking flashes mixed in with defensive lapses and poor fouls. With reps and maturation, Thomas will be a heck of a point guard. It seems he never fully commits to a pass until the last possible second. He is a patient initiator who can handle pressure defense without panic. Catch and shoot opportunities seemed comfortable for Thomas. He had some wild misses both right and left, which is an area of some concern, but he hit a few heavily-contested jumpers which looked great when he had no time to think about getting his shot up.