Standout Guards - McDonald's Texas Invitational Day 1

The McDonald's Texas Invitational Basketball Tournament kicked off on Thursday, November 18. It was an impressive and exciting show with 48 different men's games played on Day 1 throughout eight different gyms in the Southeast Houston area. I had the pleasure of attending 6 of those games in person and assessing several players throughout the day. Here are my top standout guards in all 6 of the games I attended. Also check out: <a href="https://prephoops.com/2021/11/standout-guards-mcdonalds-texas-invitational-day-1/">Standout Guards</a> | <a href="https://prephoops.com/2021/12/standout-wings-mcdonalds-texas-invitational-day-1/">Standout Wings</a> | <a href="https://prephoops.com/2021/12/standout-bigs-mcdonalds-texas-invitational-day-1/">Standout Bigs</a> #11 - Ashton Williams - 6'1" - CG - Senior - Sterling vs. Dobie Williams had a solid game last Thursday despite Sterling getting blown out by Dobie high school on Day 1 of the McDonald's Invitational. He put his aggressive mindset on offense on full display, handling the ball well and attacking the paint multiple times, finishing strong on several drives. It was his defense that really stood out, though, where he forced multiple turnovers with his quick hands and aggressive play. The game was already out of reach by the 3rd quarter, but Williams stayed aggressive and knocked the ball loose twice in that quarter, sparking fast breaks on both turnovers, finishing one off himself and facilitating on the other. #4 - Robert Adams - 6'1" - CG - Senior - Sterling vs. Dobie Adams was the best player on the court for Sterling and did everything he could to get them back in the game against the Dobie Longhorns. He did it all on the offensive end. He hit multiple long range shots and attacked the basket continuously, showing he can score inside and out. He created his own shots with his impressive ball handling and also created for others, drawing defenders in on his strong drives and dishing out to open teammates several times throughout the game. His efforts were simply not enough, though, and Dobie outgunned the Sterling Rangers, 88-55. #0 - Kyler Thomas - 5'7" - PG - Sophomore - Dobie vs. Sterling Thomas put his impressive point guard skills to work against Sterling last week, putting relentless pressure on the defense right from the tip and doing everything you want from your lead guard. He may have been smaller than most of his competition, but he was a fierce defender, taking a tough charge in the game and utilizing his quick lateral movement and active hands to be an on-ball pest throughout. He did hit a 3-pointer but it was his constant pressure on the paint that opened things up for his entire team, attacking the basket with his quick and strong drives and consistently setting his teammates up with his great vision and passing abilities. #1 - Dylan Jackson - 6'2" - PG - Sophomore - Dobie vs. Sterling Jackson provided strong 3-and-D play for Dobie in this game. He has the talent and skillset to play the point, but with so many impressive guards on the team, he took on the off-ball role and played it extremely well. He hit multiple long range shots, providing much needed spacing for his teammates to attack the paint, and he was extremely active on the offensive boards, chasing down loose balls and ensuring his team could get second chances. He was just as active on the defensive end, as well. He was a plus on-ball defender, staying in front of his man and coming away with a block and he stayed aware and active as an off-ball defender, providing the necessary help at just the right times. #3 - Deven Lendsey - 6'3" - G - Senior - Dobie vs. Sterling Lendsey was the other lead guard for Dobie along with his aforementioned teammate, Kyler Thomas. Much like Thomas, he provided constant pressure on the paint, opening up several opportunities for his teammates on the perimeter, where he found them with ease, hitting them with precise and timely passes. He was also active off the ball, making several nice cuts throughout the game, staying active on the offensive boards, and finding room to hit multiple long range shots. He also showed what he can do as an on-ball defender, utilizing his quick hands and fast lateral movement to lock up opponents on the perimeter. #2 - Ronyo Obou - 6'3" - G - Junior - Fort Bend Bush vs Richardson Obou was a flamethrower for Fort Bend Bush in their first game against Richardson, making at the very least four 3's throughout the game, including the very first basket for the Broncos. He was an absolute sniper and no matter what kind of defense Richardson threw at him, he consistently got open and hit long range shots one after the other. He did complete some nice passes and showed his ability to take the ball into the paint, as well, but it was his shooting that truly made an impact on the game and he did everything he could to keep his team in this one. Richardson was simply too talented and too strong of a team, though, to be bothered by a talented sniper like Obou. #11 - Ryan Hill - 6'1" - G - Senior - Fort Bend Bush vs Richardson Hill was a nice complement to his fellow guard, Ronyo Obou, for Fort Bend Bush. While Obou was making it rain from beyond the arc, Hill consistently found his way into the paint with his aggressive mindset and relentless drives to the basket. He had some beautiful finishes in traffic and he also put his point guard skills to work, setting up his teammates nicely, including Obou for a couple of his 3's. He wasn't just a dominant ball handler either, he provided some nice off-ball support, moving around the court effectively and getting his long range shot to fall. #22 - [player_tooltip player_id="781884" first="Cason" last="Wallace"] - 6'4" - CG - Senior - Richardson vs Fort Bend Bush [caption id="attachment_1025832" align="alignright" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/07/DSC_0091.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1025832" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/07/DSC_0091-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> [player_tooltip player_id="781884" first="Cason" last="Wallace"] / Photo Credit: Noah Weber (Prep Hoops)[/caption] Wallace was his usual dominant self in this 80-55 win over Fort Bend Bush. He controlled the pace of Richardson's offense beautifully with patience, poise and control, taking what the defense gave him and using his complete, all-around game to simply do whatever he wanted. He didn't necessarily start off with hot shooting, but he seemed to get stronger as the game went on and was clearly the best player in this game, let alone the tournament. He found his way into the paint with ease over and over again and set his teammates up consistently with accurate and timely passes, seeing everything on the court and manipulating Fort Bend's defense to his will. He was just as impressive on the defensive end, if not more impressive, as well, playing aggressive on-ball defense and staying active off the ball. Everyone on Richardson made an impact in this first game of the tournament for them, but Wallace was the clear leader and his teammates followed his composure and confidence throughout. #2 - Elijah Roberts - 5'11" - PG - Senior - Katy Paetow vs San Antonio Clark Roberts was the lead guard for the Katy Paetow Panthers in their 55-43 win against the San Antonio Clark Cougars. His impact didn't come from scoring much, but from his ability to run an efficient offense, creating for others, and finding the best shots possible. He trusted his teammates throughout the entire game, setting them up with accurate passes time and time again, and putting them in positions to get easy buckets. He stayed active on both ends of the floor, as well, chasing down the ball and keeping it alive on the offensive end, and keeping his hands up and active on the defensive end, both as an on-ball and off-ball defender. #11 - Trevor Frank - 6'0" - PG/SG - Senior - Katy Paetow vs San Antonio Clark <img class=" wp-image-1095395 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/12/Trevor-Frank-300x300.png" alt="" width="190" height="190" /> Frank is a more than capable lead guard, like his teammate Elijah Roberts, but with Roberts handling the point guard duties in this game, Frank made his impact on the perimeter and he did a fantastic job at that. He had several nice drives and created for others multiple times throughout the game, but it was his shooting that helped him have such an impressive game. He consistently hit several 3's during the course of the game and was extremely important in spreading the floor and opening up lanes for the talented wings and bigs on the team to attack the basket. #5 - [player_tooltip player_id="1149308" first="Jordan" last="Mason"] - 6'2" - PG - Senior - San Antonio Clark vs Katy Paetow Even in a loss to Katy Paetow, Mason was the star of the show and made it clear why he is considered a top talent in the state of Texas. A couple of his teammates made some nice plays, but it was essentially Mason that was the only one that could do any damage to Paetow's defense, and he did a lot of it. He was scoring at will, getting to where ever he wanted on the court with his quick, decisive ball handling and hitting tough shots seemingly every time down the court. Several in the crowd were in awe at how easily he was able to score and how he was singlehandedly carrying Clarks offense, doing everything he could to keep them in the game. He was hitting several dribble pullups from midrange and beyond the arc, and he relentlessly and fearlessly attacked the basket against Paetow's strong and imposing big men, contorting his body midair, twisting his arms in various ways, and getting the tough layups to fall no matter what kind of defense he saw. It was a truly impressive scoring display but 1 man can rarely beat 5 and it was simply not enough to overcome Paetow's strong team effort. Several other guards put on strong performances in the games I saw on Day 1, as well. Check out my reviews of Terry Montgomery, Braylen McDade, and David Whitley <a href="https://prephoops.com/2021/11/mcdonalds-texas-invitational-fort-bend-dulles-vs-waco-midway/">here</a>, my reviews of Julian Roman and Princeton Layton <a href="https://prephoops.com/2021/11/mcdonalds-texas-invitational-summer-creek-vs-katy-taylor/">here</a>, and my reviews of [player_tooltip player_id="781886" first="P.J." last="Haggerty"] and Braedon Bigott <a href="https://prephoops.com/2021/11/mcdonalds-texas-invitational-crosby-vs-lake-creek/">here</a>.