#NEOpenGym Best of the 2026 Backcourt

Friday, November 1st, 2024

The 2026 group of guards had some guys who jumped onto our radar throughout the day, and should get looks from a ton of schools in the region.

Take a look.

Kehari Walker, East Hartford - Walker may have been the top stockriser of the event as coaches continuously asked for his name. He's crafty with the ball and can overpower defenders with his speed towards the cup on drives. His defensive tenacity caught our eye as he brings quick feet and just exerts his energy on that end of the floor. Walker is a new name you need to look into moving forward.

Elijah Avery-Turner, Macduffie - With a budding reputation in the class of 2026, Avery-Turner is a guard prospect to know entering his first year at Macduffie. He's got excellent size at 6'3" with a very strong body and utilizes this to his advantage when driving to the basket. As he continues to develop his shooting skills from outside there is a lot of upside worth keeping an eye on.

Isaiah Reis, Portsmouth (NH) - A budding name in the New Hampshrie class of 2026, Reis a guard of note. He's got great feel for the game, limiting bad plays and creating for others. His bigger upper body allows him to seek out contact on drives and finish through, while also being able to step out and knock down three's.

Jack Louridas, Albany Academy - The upstate New York junior is a pure shooter from outside. He's made a reputation for it and shown it again in this setting. His form comes with a fluidity to it. He's got shooting versatility making shots off the dribble and catch, with a bag of moves to create space from defenders.

Tyler Brown, Kingswood Oxford - Brown has a very intriguing set of skills as he brings crafty play to the court. He keeps defenders off balance with his handle and can use his speed to fly past his assignment. His athleticism stands out on finishes around the basket.

Ben Safran, New Hampton - A high academic prospect to know in the New Hampshire class of 2026, Safran enters his junior season with a New Hampton squad full of promise. His floor vision, finidng teammates for buckets stood out in this setting as well as his ability to score the ball from inside and out.

Allen Miranda, Duggan academy - A standout in the Springfield class of 2026, Allen Miranda's guard play caught our eye. He plays with pace and can bolt through the defense when lanes open up to finish around the rim with either hand.

Mikey Malachi, Trinity Pawling - The New York native brought his strong guard play to the open gym setting and stood out. He's got some finesse to him to keep his matchup off balance and does a nice job of finishing around the basket. He operates well as a lead guard with vision to get others open and good looks at shots.

Daniel Benko, Redemption Christian - Benko brings his 6'4" stature to the guard position and stood out as a slasher able to make off-balance shots on drives, and finish through contact from the defense.

Aden Cabrera, Holyoke - Cabrera brings the energy to the guard spot, and it's felt by those around him. He's got burst to his first step to fly past defenders, and can finish with either hand on layups. With a scoring arensal in his bag, continuing to build himself up as a playmaker will be something to watch for.

Dougie McCoy, East Hartford - East Hartford had quite a showing here as McCoy and his running mate Jehari Walker were true stockrisers. McCoy's quickness with the ball is a standout asset of his game and he makes smart passes as well as finishes at the rim, leveraging his quick burst to get right past the defense.

Gabe Jackson, South Portland - Jackson's guard skills caught our eye throughout the day. He commands the ball with his handle, finishes amongst taller defenders in the paint, and has a knack for converting in the mid-range.

Colin Tozier, Stafford - Tozier's a junior to know in the CIAC, as he comes in after averaging 21 points per game as a sophomore. He can score it inside and out with a creative handle to get past the defense. On the other end of the floor, he's got great anticipation to jump lanes and grab steals. Keep an eye out as he looks to build on his sophomore success.

Elijah Waterman, MacDuffie - Joining Macduffie this season, Waterman is a quick guard prospect of note. In his game sets he showed us his sound decision making skills throughout the day, making reads as a passer, and navigating PnR's. His shooting skills, especially in the mid-range is notable as well

Konstantin Latincic, Hoosac - Latincic's feel for the game is at a very high-level. He's a great playmaker when getting downhill that can spray the ball to his teammates, or get himself a bucket inside. His offensive rebounding skills stood out as well as he really competes on the glass.

Juan Marquez, Springfield Commonwealth - Marquez operates well as an on or off ball guard and offers versatility in that department. He makes timely cuts to the basket and relocates to get looks behind the three-point line.

Jackson Maurer, Pope Francis - Maurer has prided himself on his two-way play at the guard spot. He's a formidable defender on opposing guards, with the ability to stop on a dime to knock down pull ups.

Colby Paul, Macduffie - Paul is a traditional point guard propsect. He does a good job of seeing the floor to get others involved, gets the transition offense flowing and can step into three pointers.

Isaac Rivera, New Bedford - Rivera is an off-ball guard that has some shooting versatility to his game. He's got some fluidity to his shot with a consistent load up, knocks down threes in bunches, and seeks out contact on drives.

Dominic Taylor, Somerset Berkley - Taylor is a great glue guy at the two spot in the lineup. He makes excellent reads as a secondary initiator and competes on the defensive end.

Ivan Mapp, Darrow - The Darrow junior guard has fluidity to him moving well around the floor. His ability to get to the basket on drives was our top takeaway on his game.

Brendan Loewen, Georgetown - The Georgetown junior has upside to his game with some playmaking vision and handle at the guard spot, as wel as a shot from outside.

Ryan McDonald, Walpole - McDonald's motor at the guard spot stands out as he makes hustle plays, diving for loose balls or sacrificing his body for potential charges. With the ball in his hands, he does a good job of getting to his spots to convert shots off the dribble with his clean jumpshot. His rebounding skills in the backcourt also caught our eye in this showing.

Finn ONeill, Proctor Academy - The New York native is a shooter to know in the class of 2026. O'Neill shoots the three ball with efficiency, coming off screens or getting into pull-up shots. His ability to attack the basket is impressive as well.

Jaynatae Jackson, Aces Whitney North - The point guard plays a heads up game with vision to get others involved, or locate holes in the defense to seek out for his own shot. He's got speed and plays hard on the defensive end.

Luca Sarnowska, Darrow - The German native can score the ball at the guard spot at all three levels. He's got bounce to flush down dunks, can shoot threes and does a good job of grabbing boards off the glass.

Maurice Whalen, Saint Bernard's - Whalen joins the state runner-up squad after a good year at Westbrook HS (CT). He's an excellent shooter, converts standstill treys in bunches and has some versatility to make them in other ways. His playmaking and slashing are in development and worth keeping an eye on.