NBA Top 100 Camp: Top PGs
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA - The point guards were great at the 2015 NBA Top 100 Camp this year. It seemed like every game had a big performance from a floor general. Who was the best of the very best? Justin Young and Mike Eddy deliberated on that question for quite a while and compared notes from watching three days of action. Here are their picks for the top floor generals.
Trevon Duval, 2017, St. Benedict’s (NJ): There seems to be a trend with the Jersey guard - he wins and wins and wins. He got better as the event went along and ran the race with a good pace. He knifed through defenses with his dribble and scored whenever he wanted to at the cup. Athletically, Duval is one of the best guards in the gym. When it is time to use the afterburners, he pushes the button and explodes. Duval doesn’t show his hand every play, too. The more you watch him, the more you appreciate all of the facets of his game. He led the camp in assists and also had the best scoring game in the camp, dropping 30 points in a contest. He’s got the total package in the backcourt.
Kyle Guy, 2016, Lawrence Central (IN): The home court advantage may have been a reason. His swagger may have been another. Whatever the case was, the future Virginia guard had a terrific showing in Charlottesville and consistently produced against the best of the very best. The Indiana native didn’t shrink away from any of his marquee individual match-ups, blew off any sort of verbal sparring that came his way and beat the opposition with his play and moxie. Guy mixed it up on offense, creating with the dribble, pulling up from deep and scoring around the cup with some toughness.
Sharmorie Ponds, 2016, Jefferson (NY): Fearless, Ponds has the same kind of moxie the talented guards of the New York Gauchos had in the mid-2000s. Bemba Walker, Russ Smith, Truck Bryant, Jordan Theodore. Ponds would fit in well with that crowd. He’s fast and fun to watch. The thing with Ponds was this - he did it game in and game out. In a camp with loads of talent all around, consistency is harder than you think. Stringing together good games is almost a skill in this setting. To that end, Ponds was as skilled as any player at his position in Charlottesville.
Payton Pritchard, 2016, West Linn (OR) HS: Dialed in. That’s the best way to describe his play. When you are playing with Udoka Azibuke and you know how to feed the beast, you’re going to shine. Pritchard, an Oklahoma commitment, just kept feeding the big man and watched the rims take a sever beating. Pritchard mixed a lot of skill together well, showing the full arsenal of talent in the backcourt. The Oregon native made his teammates play better. Developing a connected team on short notice is overlooked at a national camp like this. Pritchard did a good job of seeing the team’s strengths and playing to that. Sooner fans are going to enjoy watching him compete.
Frank Jackson, 2016, Lone Peak (UT): The Utah native was a major talking point at the camp by the national pundits. He’s a mixture of scoring, bounce, excitement, and proficiency. The 6-foot-3 guard was one of the top scorers in the camp and, like Duval, picked his spots to take over. There wasn’t a constant desire to wow the crowd. In a camp setting, it is easy to get caught up in the excitement and do things that go outside of the comfort zone. Jackson didn’t. He always took care of the ball and rarely turned the rock over.
Trae Young, 2017, Norman North (OK): Truth be told, it was a bit of an up and down week of work for the dynamic guard. He was somewhat inconsistent but when it mattered, he stepped up and did the work you’d expect from one of the best players in the country. Young is known for his scoring touch but had moments at the camp where he was easily one of the best passers in the building, evident by a 10-assist game.