Pittsburgh Basketball: Top Playmakers in February
Over the last month, there were numerous players that made their presence known on the court with their ability to facilitate, control the tempo and overall be the playmakers their respective teams needed them to be. Here is a list…
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Continue ReadingOver the last month, there were numerous players that made their presence known on the court with their ability to facilitate, control the tempo and overall be the playmakers their respective teams needed them to be. Here is a list of the top five playmakers in the Pittsburgh area in the month of February:
– Noah Jackson, Sr. Central Catholic
- Jackson was one of the strongest guards in the last month that I saw play, and he never shied away from taking contact when he drove to the bucket. A guard that is pass first oriented, Jackson did not seek out his own shot much, but drew so much attention when he penetrated he opened up numerous shooting opportunities and driving angles for his teammates. Jackson instinctively knew what to do once the defense collapsed, and as a result helped the flow of the offense which resulted in wide open shots for other players.
– Josh Kapcin, Sr. Penn Trafford
- Kapcin moved tremendously well without the ball in his hands, and as a result was a playmaker that made things happen sometimes without possessing the ball. By moving well off the ball, it forced defenses to pay close attention to him which freed up his teammates for open shots. Kapcin handled the rock well, and was able to get inside the paint consistently which forced numerous issues for opposing defenses. Kapcin is a drive first guard when he does have the ball, and does an exceptional job at controlling his body well when he drives which allowed him to finish through contact play after play.
– Nodin Tracy, Soph. West Allegheny
- A very strong ball handler who was always very patient in the half and full court. Tracy can drive and score with both hands, and was a very heads up guard when he did get inside the paint. Tracy excelled at drawing in low post defenders, which then opened up easy dump offs to the bigs on his team. He’s a natural in the open court with handling pressure, and always seemed to make the right play whether it was on a break or in the half court.
– Connor Spratt Connor Spratt 6'3" | PG Seton LaSalle | 2023 State PA , Soph. Peters Township
- Spratt has a solid handle but does a really nice job at keeping his head up when he drives and is always aware of his surroundings. Spratt was well versed in the retreat dribble, as he was able to force defenses to come out aggressively on him, which in turn led to downhill drives all night for the sophomore guard. When he drives, he’ll first feel out the defense and patiently bide his time, before seeing an opening to either score the rock or pass to the open teammate.
– Max Depner, Soph. Moon
- Depner is another calculated driver, who feels out defenses well with drawing out his dribble on pick and rolls to pull post players out from the paint. By doing so, he was able to get tons of mismatches for himself to drive inside, or an easy dump down to a wide open teammate in the paint. He has a nice three point shot, but his bread and butter was getting inside the arc and slicing through defenses. In the open court he never put his head down when he drove, and was always on the lookout for the open man.