Prep Hoops Top 250: Top Passers
The annual Prep Hoops Top 250 took place in Des Moines on Saturday afternoon. Throughout the week, we’ll be taking a look at some of the best players in the gym, in a series of articles breaking down the top…
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Continue ReadingThe annual Prep Hoops Top 250 took place in Des Moines on Saturday afternoon. Throughout the week, we’ll be taking a look at some of the best players in the gym, in a series of articles breaking down the top scorers, defenders, passers, etc. In this article, we take a look at the top passers we saw on Saturday.
2021 Reid Grant (Johnston)
Grant has established himself as one of the better playmakers in his class, and he showed why again on Saturday. The 6-1 guard likes to play all over the floor, and he showed the ability to make plays from all over the floor, for himself and for others. His willingness to post up smaller defenders is something that I love. He can either use his strength to score against those smaller, less physical defenders, or he can find open shooters on the opposite wing, which is something he did routinely on Saturday – in particular high school teammate Karter Kriegel, who delivered, and was written about in the “Top Shooters” article as a result. Grant’s willingness to take advantage of his advantage on the floor helps open things up for others, and it’s one of his best traits as a basketball player.
2021 Carter Janssen (Cedar Falls)
The 6-6 point-forward has become one of my favorite players in the state to watch lately. He handles the ball really well, always plays under control, and he has outstanding court vision and passing abilities. He’s the type of player who will look to attack when it’s there, but he’s equally content making the right read and getting his teammates involved. And on a loaded Cedar Falls team, he’ll be asked to do just that – keep the ball moving, make the right play, and score when needed. He already has that mindset, and should be great for the Tigers.
2020 Jaden Keller (Waterloo West)
Keller was perhaps the most aggressive I’ve ever seen him on the offensive end of the floor on Saturday, and his decision to play downhill not only led to more scoring opportunities for himself, but also for his teammates. He sees the plays ahead of other people on the floor, and the play that sticks out and showcases this was when one of his teammates drove from the right wing and kicked it out to Keller, who was standing near the top of the key. Keller immediately made a quick touch pass to a teammate cutting from the left corner for a layup. The ball was in his hands for a fraction of a second, and he got his team an easy 2 by seeing the floor and knowing what is going on. He’s a 6-5 wing who can pull down the defensive board, lead the break and you can trust to make the right decision with the basketball.
2022 Trey Lewis (Johnston)
A second Johnston Dragon who lands on this list, Lewis has grown a decent amount from the last time we saw him. He’s now listed at 5-8, and while he’s still short and slightly built, he’s talented with the ball in his hands. Like Keller, he sees the plays ahead of most of the other players on the floor, and he’s a great ball handler who uses that handle to get by defenders and drop off dimes to teammates for layups. He sees the floor well, and as he continues to develop and mature physically, he’ll establish himself as one of the best guards in the state. There are a lot of skills here, the frame just needs to start catching up.
Other top passers written about in other articles: 2020 Max Lampe (Cedar Rapids Prairie) [Written about in Top Big Men article], 2021 Michael Duax (Hempstead) [Written about in Top Performers article], 2021 Pearson Martin (Linn-Mar) [Will be written about in New Names article], 2023 Cade Kelderman (Waukee) [Will be written about in Top Underclassmen article]