BERMUDA RUN, N.C.—Some of the best of the best in the 2026 and 2027 classes gathered in North Carolina for the 11th annual CP3 Rising Stars camp. 

It’s one of the best events to attend to establish how underclassmen stack up against each other. 

Throughout the week, I’ll be unloading some notes from the weekend. 

While I’d have loved to have seen every player, the fact of the matter is that it wasn’t possible. I missed plenty, but I will share notes on who I did get to see. 

Today, the coverage kicks off with a look at some of the standout guards. 

 

 

Thanks to the weekend schedule, I was able to see a lot of Junior County over the weekend, and I left each viewing having been more impressed with his game. 

To simplify things. County showed a good understanding of the game and his feel was on display even during the inevitable stretch of messy camp games that happens at every camp across the country. 

He routinely showed off athleticism in the open floor and an ability to get to the rim through traffic. 

Whether he was initiating offense or playing off the ball, County was productive. His jumper looked smooth and was a consistent weapon throughout the weekend. 

He looked like a guy that’s going to be seen in these elite camps for the next couple of years and someone who will be in the national conversation as the 2026 class gets more shine. 

 

 

It wasn’t hard to see why Lanier’s receiving early interest from schools in the classic Big 12 geographic footprint. 

The Little Rock (AR) Maumelle guard showed that he can operate on and off the ball well. He has good positional size, feel and versatility. 

Lanier looked to be a confident, capable scorer from all levels, and he used his size to see the floor well and set up teammates. 

As we continue to build our rankings depth charts, Lanier will undoubtedly find his way onto our spreadsheet. 

 

 

Admittedly, I haven’t spent a ton of time watching the 2026 class yet—that’s changing with film reviews—but one guy that I have gotten to see fairly often has been Dhani Miller. 

Checking in on him over the weekend showed that he’s absolutely one of the better guard prospects in the class at this stage. 

Miller gets it. He knows how to play. His IQ, his pace play more like a seasoned veteran than an underclassman. Miller has the 6-foot-3 positional size to back up his intangibles. 

He doesn’t explode with the ball like some of the other guards on this list, but there aren’t many sophomores that I’d trust with the ball more than Miller at this stage in his career. 

 

 

Alright, so a duo of New Heights guards showed that they’re more than ready to carry the torch passed down from some of the elite guards the program has produced in recent years. One of those guys was Deron Rippey Jr. 

He is an absolute blur with the ball. Lightning quick—pun semi intended—Rippey can explode past defenders and zoom to the rim in the blink of an eye. 

His first step is lethal, and he has a good bit of vertical athleticism to pair with it. As someone who spends a lot of time in the paint, Rippey showed that he can make good reads as a passer. 

 

 

I believe Smith won the dunk contest. If not, he was among the final two in the competition. My diminutive size hindered my view. Nonetheless, the moral of the story is that he’s bouncy, very bouncy. 

The Paul VI guard looks like a guy that’s going to pop in a more prominent way when the high school season comes. He’ll have every opportunity to show what he can do, and if he plays like he did at camp, he’ll be just fine in that regard. 

His competitiveness on defense immediately stood out in this setting. Smith plays an all-out style on that end of the floor. 

The springs in his legs were on display well before the dunk contest. He routinely threw down loud dunks and showed off a bit of a wow factor. 

 

 

Sutton was the first player of the weekend to pop off the page. 

The 2027 PG blended craft and athleticism to shake defenders and glide to the rim. He also showed a lethal stepback in his bag that he used to create space for himself from long range. 

If he wasn’t getting a bucket himself, he was finding teammates at the rim for alley-oops or on the perimeter for wide-open shots. 

His offense was dazzling, but he caught my attention after snatching a handful of steals. While camp basketball is notorious for being a loose atmosphere, his succession of steals were notable. 

 

 

Thomas plays with New York swag and energy at the point guard spot. He’s the other member of the aforementioned New Heights guard tandem that impressed. 

His length and quickness standout on either end of the floor, but they were especially apparent on defense. Thomas locked up guards and stayed in front like the peskiest of guards tend to do. 

Offensively, his game had an electricity to it. Thomas used a quick handle with a burst of speed to get into the paint at will. He often took the ball all the way for easy buckets at the rim, but he also showed off terrific passing acumen. 

He’s going to be one to continue to track in the class.