Video: National Junior Player of the Year - Sharife Cooper The McEachern standout became first non-senior to win MaxPreps National Boys Basketball Player of the Year honors.
The
2019-20 high school basketball season is almost here. We continue our
preseason content with the top 10 guards to watch this season.
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along with our preseason coverage through late November for everything
you need to know for the upcoming high school basketball campaign.
The talent is abundant this season led by a senior class loaded from top to bottom.
Here's a look at some of the top guards in the game:
The stat-stuffing guard looks to continue his ascension in the
247sports composite rankings, climbing 65 spots from January to No. 55 overall in the class of 2020. A third team MaxPreps Junior All-American honoree last year, he averaged 16.2 points, 8.1 assists, 7.8 rebounds and 4.1 steals per contest to lead the Crusaders to the New York state federation Class AA Tournament of Champions title.
The Hornets will go for their fourth consecutive state title this season after finishing No. 29 in the final Top 100 in 2018-19. The Virginia pledge averaged 21.9 points, 10.2 assists, 10.2 rebounds and 3.6 steals per contest to earn second team MaxPreps Junior All-American honors. With a challenging national schedule that includes a trip to the City of Palms Classic, the versatile point guard will showcase his skills against the nation's best this season.
After a disappointing first-round exit to eventual state champions Chino Hills in the CIF Division I state playoffs last season, the Monsoons added two key transfers over the summer. The addition of elite sophomores Dior Johnson and Devontes Cobbs puts Mayfair in a prime spot for a state title run with their leader returning. Last year, Christopher averaged 25 points, 7.8 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 3.2 steals per game to earn Division 2AA MVP honors.
The highly touted two-sport star looks to lead the Red Hawks to their fourth consecutive state title, coming off an incredible junior year that saw him win a state title both on the hardwood and the gridiron. Last season, he earned third team MaxPreps Junior All-American honors averaging 23.3 points, 6.3 assists, 4.7 rebounds and 3.7 steals per contest. The 5-star guard looks to finish off his storied high school career in dominant fashion.
The 2018-19 Atlanta Journal Constitution GHSA Class AAAAAAA first team All-State selection averaged 18.4 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game to lead Norcross to the state semifinals. After transferring to join the two-time defending CIF Open Division Champions, the spotlight will shine bright on the smooth 6-6 guard this season. The Kentucky-bound guard is expected to be the catalyst for the national title contenders.
The recent Tennessee pledge averaged 15.6 points, four rebounds and four assists per contest last season to lead the Ascenders to their first GEICO Nationals crown. He led the team in scoring in two of their three contests at GEICO Nationals, but is tasked with a slightly different role this year. With no true point guard in the starting rotation, Springer will likely be forced into a primary ball-handling role in the Ascenders' title defense.
He was a big riser last year, establishing himself as a 5-star prospect after leading the Warriors in scoring. He averaged 26.2 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game and will again be relied upon heavily to lead the offensive charge. The Warriors have already played two regular season games this season, and Thomas is averaging 34 points per contest to lead the team.
The No. 3 overall Class of 2020 prospect finished an incredible three-year run at San Joaquin Memorial (Fresno, Calif.) with 2,291 career points. After averaging 30.1 points, 7.8 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game last season, expect the next level athlete to continue to dominate in a new uniform this season. Look for Green to potentially break the 3,000 career point mark, with high expectations to lead Prolific Prep to its best finish in program history.
Regarded as the No. 2 overall Class of 2020, Cunningham continues to improve and has the potential to finish his high school career ranked atop the senior class. Last year, he earned second team MaxPreps Junior All-American honors averaging 11.4 points, 5.7 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game. He also showed out in big games
— highlighted by 26 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds against Cole Anthony and Oak Hill Academy.
After becoming the first non-senior to win MaxPreps National Boys Basketball Player of the Year, the Auburn pledge begins the season atop the list of elite guards to watch in 2019-20. Cooper was simply phenomenal last season, averaging 28.6 points, 8.6 assists and 4.1 steals per contest and leading McEachern to its first state championship and an unbeaten record. What will the incredible playmaker do for an encore this season?
Upcoming Preseason Basketball CoverageNov. 6 — Preseason Top 25 rankings
Nov. 13 — Preseason Top 100 rankings
Nov. 19 — Tournaments and events to watch
Nov. 20 — Best team in all 50 states
Nov. 21 — MaxPreps National Player of the Year Watch List
Nov. 27 — Toughest schedules
Cade Cunningham, Montverde Academy
File photo by Steven Ryan
