Top 5 Columbus City League Senior Passing Guards

Mark Francis Jr.

November 21, 2020 @ 10:18 AM

Good and young passers of the basketball, much like good help, are difficult to find these days. Many young guards enjoy putting the ball in the hoop more than getting the ball to others. An effective passer gets the ball into the hands of the others at the right time, the best passer gets the ball into the hands of others at the right time while that person is ready to shoot. This class of seniors have some underrated swingers of the ball and this list will show whatever scouts and coaches why these young men should be looked at harder as leaders of programs next season. 5. Tyreek Gunnell- Centennial: This miniature dynamo is not only fast with the ball in his hand but he also showed his ability to make the easiest, best pass available. Last season his assists duties were easy due to the plethora of scorers around him such as [player_tooltip player_id="1078607" first="Travonne" last="Jackson"] and Jaylen Gilbert. Gunnell shines in transition where he can use his speed and vision to make perfectly routine bounce passes which enables the finisher to go right up and drop a lay up. When driving with the ball, he is able to hit open corner three point shooters right in the shooting pocket. 4. Shermar Watson- Northland: Watson is a player that is mature beyond his years, and he understands when and how to pass the ball. His cerebral approach lets him see the game differently and deliver on the money passes to his teammates. In the halfcourt, pick-and-roll instances, this young man gets the ball up in the air perfectly and then makes fundamental bounce passes in front of the roll man for lay-ups. In transition, Watson throws pretty good lead ahead passes which allows his teammate to run and catch the ball to finish by himself. Watson uses his high basketball IQ to be a top 5 passer in his class and an impressive floor general. 3. [player_tooltip player_id="1078681" first="Keshawn" last="Harris"]- Independence: Last season, Harris was the point man for Andre Trent’s 52-point, record-setting game and if that was the first time someone saw Harris’ passing ability then they would be shocked but this writer was not. Harris is a great driver of the basketball and is even better at dishing it out to shooters or dropping it off to his big man to finish. Harris is not the flashy passer but the ball gets to where it has to go and gets there quickly with the shooter being ready to let it fly. Keshawn can score as well but when a team overplays him, be ready for every other open scorer on his team to get the ball and score. 2. [player_tooltip player_id="805210" first="Eli" last="Burke"]- Africentric: Burke could be the best overall player on this list, part of that reason is his passing skill. Burke is a confident passer, willing to try and make the toughest of passes and make them look somewhat simple. Burke’s sheer strength allows him to fit the basketball into small windows whether off a bounce pass or regular chest pass. While most of these players thrive in transition as far as up-court passes, Burke is better at taking the ball himself then feeding the player running with him in transition. Overall, Burke is just as impressive a passer as he is a scorer and that will serve him well not only this season but into his college career. 1. Maurice Barnes- South: Better known as “Buck,” Barnes plays with a demeanor that lets him play free and be able to make spectacular passes. He was groomed to be a pass-first guard because he has been surrounded by talent since he was a freshman. Barnes has gotten good at the no-look pass, he excels in looking off defenders only to hit a cutting player from the other side. When talking to Barnes, it is evident that he enjoys the result of letting other players score. Barnes is the best passer in his class, he is able to pass in different ways with the results usually being the same, no turnover and his teammate scoring.