Circle City Summer Shootout: Top 2023 Guards
During the second July live evaluation period, many players were all around the country playing in events. In another busy weekend, we take a look at some of the top talent at the Circle City Shootout in Indy. Today, we…
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Continue ReadingDuring the second July live evaluation period, many players were all around the country playing in events. In another busy weekend, we take a look at some of the top talent at the Circle City Shootout in Indy. Today, we start with the top 2023 guards in the event.
Asher Horn (PG/Evansville Harrison/Indiana Elite Blaze)
Horn was easily the top 2023 guard I saw this past weekend. He has a really solid frame as a lead guard to go along with decent size and length. He is much more of a scoring guard than distributor, but still has that ability. He is best going downhill and getting to the rim. Horn has really good body control and a craftiness to his game when he’s attacking. He can finish with either hand, through contact and around bigger defenders. Because of his build, he loves to be in iso situations and be physical against a smaller defender in the paint. Horn doesn’t have great form from the outside, but hit multiple 3’s in the games I watched. He is super quick in the open floor as well.
Ethan McComb (SG/Center Grove/Marlin Academy Elite)
McComb is another guard with a solid frame and build. He’s not overly long or tall, but has a great understanding of what he can do with his body. McComb was one of the better shooters in the event, often taking very little time to heat up. In the first game I saw of his, he scored the first seven points for his team. He can create off of the bounce or catch and has the ability to get his shot off even if there is very little room to operate. He also does a great job with his footwork so he can be ready. McComb showed some ability to make plays for his teammates and never forced anything that wasn’t there. Seems confident and comfortable playing both on and off of the ball.
Ty’Shaun Grundy Ty’Shaun Grundy 6'1" | PG South Bend Washington | 2023 IN (PG/South Bend Washington/IABC Blue)
Grundy is not your typical lead guard. He is a stocky, solid and bigger point guard who is built more like a linebacker. He has a decent handle for his frame and is extremely difficult to stop when he gets in attack mode towards the rim. Because of his size, he easily muscles smaller defenders off to the side. He has solid skill once he gets in the paint, allowing him to finish at the rim around defenders. He was used in many pick and roll situations and did a good job with his decision making, either finding a mismatch for himself or a teammate.
Gavin Reed (SG/Bloomington North/Indiana Elite Blaze)
Reed is a stockier off ball guard who isn’t going to blow you away with his athleticism or length. He has solid size playing off of the ball, however. His best tool is shooting the ball and he lit it up on Saturday. In the second game I saw of his, he had five 3’s in the first half and finished with eight in the game. He has a very high arc on his shot that allows him to get it off over any size defender. It’s a bit of a slower release, but he does a good job getting his body in position to let it fly. Right now, he is mainly a standstill shooter and didn’t put the ball on the floor too much.
Matthew Lemon (CG/Burlington Central/Players Advantage Basketball)
Lemon is a smaller guard who has a great toughness about him. Despite his size, he plays much bigger and is always in on the action. He does a tremendous job creating opportunities off of the dribble and has a good first step to get to his spots. On drives, he has good body control to finish through contact at the rim and uses a good amount of skill in the paint and around the basket to finish around bigger bodies. He showed a good ability to lead his team as well and was able to get the offense in sets despite a lot of defensive pressure.