Patriot League 3A: Playmakers

<p>All stats are updated through January 27th, 2022. </p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1139978" first="Landen" last="Martin"] - Strasburg - 2024</p> <p>The sophomore guard has been on a tear this season thanks to his uncommon passing vision and ability to find teammates through small pockets. On the year, Martin is averaging 7 points, 7.1 assists, and 3 rebounds per game. Martin is an unassuming creator, standing at only 5’10 or 5’11, he manipulates zone defenses with well targeted skip passes or by hitting the roll man against an aggressive coverage. What is so incredible about Martin’s playmaking performances, featuring 14 assists versus Limon, 10 assists vs. Valley, and another 10 vs. Bishop Machebeuf, is that his team ranks among the bottom four in points created. Even without elite scorers around him, he is still racking up incredible numbers, a testament to Martin’s vision.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1369818" first="Ty" last="Yoder"] - Resurrection Christian - 2025</p> <p>Resurrection has a good one in freshman guard [player_tooltip player_id="1369818" first="Ty" last="Yoder"], who constantly puts pressure on the rim along with creating great scoring opportunities for teammates. Averaging 14.5 points, 5.2 assists, 4.4 rebounds, and 1.8 steals per game on 42% from the field, 39% from 3 and 75% from the line. Yoder truly plays like that of a senior point guard, who makes the defense react to him rather than vice versa. Yoder has had incredible passing displays on multiple occasions, featuring a 9 assist to 1 turnover game versus Fort Lupton, 7 assists to 2 turnovers against Frontier Academy, and an 8 assist to 4 turnover performance against the 15-1 Pueblo Central Wildcats. </p> <p>Will Grable - Eaton - 2023</p> <p>The first Grable in today’s article, Will Grable has become an excellent connective guard, often times picking up assists into the post or creating offense through extra passes. On the season, he is averaging 6.6 points, 3.6 assists, and 3.7 rebounds while shooting 55% from the floor. One noticeable trait from the guard has been his unusual quickness to find teammates for post touches. He has a great awareness of what spots his teammates enjoy scoring from, in turn Grable makes the smart pass where they often times capitalize. For the season, Eaton High is first in the conference with an 11-2 record while going 4-1 through the Patriot league.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1284480" first="Ryder" last="McConnell"] - Sterling - 2023</p> <p>The 6’1 McConnell comes up fourth in the conference assists per game, in large part due to his awareness in fast break break situations. On the season, McConnell is averaging 13.8 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game. McConnell has had a variety of standout performances with Sterling, such as his 11 point, 10 rebound effort versus University and a 26/9 rebound performance to open the season versus Mitchell. One aspect of McConnell’s excellent offensive ability is his confidence shooting versus a closeout, largely due to his high shot release point. McConnell is not just an offensive threat, he grabbed five steals with two blocks versus Mitchell and recorded three blocks versus Ogallala.</p> <p>Zac Grable - Eaton - 2023</p> <p>Previously mentioned with the Patriot League Scorers, Grable is an aggressive scorer whose strength allows him to create easy kick-out opportunities. Two aspects of his game have been most evident, the quick first step and excellent vertical bounce. Any great playmaker must have some ability to pressure the rim, Grable is Eaton’s most versatile scorer thanks to his athletic luck and shot creation.</p>