Minnesota Future Stars Classic: Five must-see passes
One of the most over-looked traits in young players is their passing ability. Sure, it may not be as flashy as shot-making. It doesn’t appear to be as dominating as a shooter completing a three-point play through contact. But there…
Access all of Prep Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingOne of the most over-looked traits in young players is their passing ability. Sure, it may not be as flashy as shot-making. It doesn’t appear to be as dominating as a shooter completing a three-point play through contact. But there is nothing that puts stress on a defense like a good passer. A good passer can cut you open, and they can hurt you when you least expect it. Here is a list of five must-see passes from the Minnesota Future Stars Classic.
Five must-see passes:
Peyton Himley to Austin Winship
Austin Winship has been explosive in transition today. Here he scores through contact at the rim. #PHFutureStars #aaubasketball pic.twitter.com/8dlS7YVWWq
— Jordan Kneen (@JordanKneen) April 27, 2019
In one of the best transition plays of the weekend, Peyton Himley showed off his unique passing ability. In the featured assist, Himley finds Austin Winship in stride for a layup he was able to convert through contact. The bounce pass shows his understanding of angles and space. A pass behind Himley would have been picked off by the trailing defender, while one in front would have carried Winship beyond the basket. The ability to find and execute this pass at such a young age is extremely impressive.
Alex Altmann to Braeden O’Neil
Check out this play by Braeden O’Neil to follow up his shot with an attempt to get the offensive board which drew a foul! #PHFutureStars pic.twitter.com/vIFiJMkHMj
— Jordan Kneen (@JordanKneen) May 1, 2019
So many things went right for the Minnesota Heat-Pratt during this play. As the ball finds Alex Altmann on the perimeter, Braden O’Neil was able to establish dominant position over the defender in the post. Unfortunately, Altmann was unable to get the ball to him, and the defender was able to force O’Neil out of the paint. The key to this play is that Altmann never gives up on O’Neil and sees him retreat into space on the opposite wing. This recognition allows Altmann to exploit a passing lane and get the ball into a one-on-one situation in which the Heat had a favorable matchup with an off-balance defender. Ultimately, the pass led to a foul after a missed shot.
Colby Brueggemeier to Christopher Fulford
Back-to-back assists for Colby Brueggemeier, including this beautiful bounce pass off of the pick and roll. #PHFutureStars #aaubasketball #MinnesotaSwish pic.twitter.com/lRmUPBd6B2
— Jordan Kneen (@JordanKneen) April 27, 2019
Bounce passes by Colby Brueggemeier in the pick-and-roll were a thing of beauty throughout the Minnesota Future Stars Classic. The featured pass found Christopher Fulford who was able to convert over two defenders for two. Brueggemeier’s ability to recognize defender’s positioning when defending their pick-and-roll offense allowed him to take advantage of his rolling big man.
Patrick Barth to Raymond Brown
Patrick Barth is at it again this afternoon. Here he grabs an offensive rebound over a crowd and lays it off for an easy 2. #PHFutureStars #aaubasketball pic.twitter.com/ZjOU2hycj2
— Jordan Kneen (@JordanKneen) April 27, 2019
Their were not many passing big men that impressed as much as Patrick Barth this weekend. The combination of his size, composure, screen-setting and shot-making abilities made him a nightmare for opposing defenses. But it was his passing that truly set him apart. In the featured play we can see Barth go up and grab the offensive board over two defenders. At the same time, Raymond Brown cut into the paint, and the defense lost track of him. As Barth turns, he has a number of plays he can make, but he wasn’t set on one. In the video you can see that Barth’s eyes are not on the floor, ball, basket, or defenders. Instead, they are up looking for open players. Barth finds Brown, and he lays it off for him to convert the layup opportunity.
Zach Nelson to Jeremy Kolb
Zach Nelson uses the dribble to create space for open-shooter Jeremy Kolb to knock down the 3! #PHFutureStars #aaubasketball #MinnesotaHeat-Pratt pic.twitter.com/M59oGofrbv
— Jordan Kneen (@JordanKneen) April 27, 2019
This play may look easy, but the touch that Zach Nelson used to get this ball to the open shooter is not. In this play, Nelson uses a nice crossover dribble to try and drive to the hoop, however the opponent plays nice defense and cuts off his path. As Nelson drove, he noticed Jeremy Kolb near him on the perimeter and laid the ball off to him. What makes this pass special is that he had the ability to take something off the pass while driving hard towards the baseline. Often, young players don’t have the ability to change speeds with their passes, and they end up throwing them too hard or soft and mess up the shooters rhythm. That was not the case for Nelson. He hits Kolb in the hands right where his shooting motion begins. This allowed Kolb to take the shot in rhythm and knock down the open three.