From A to Z: Zrust is a name that doesn’t belong at the bottom of the list
Americans are obsessed with doing things in alphabetical order, and apparently if your last name starts with 'Z' you spend a good portion of your childhood being chosen last for everything. According to a study published in the Journal of…
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Continue ReadingAmericans are obsessed with doing things in alphabetical order, and apparently if your last name starts with 'Z' you spend a good portion of your childhood being chosen last for everything. According to a study published in the Journal of Consumer Research – no, I am not making this up – the 'Last-Name Effect' can significantly impact how children behave and how they are perceived by others. Why does this matter here? It matters because I'm about to tell you about a talented kid with a 'Z' name and an 'A' game whose skills and abilities have been overlooked for far too long. Meet Jordan Zrust of Buffalo, who should definitely not be at the bottom of anyone's list.
“I think she has been in the shadows a bit and it’s time for people to take notice,” Buffalo coach Grant Stewart said of his team's best prospect, who rose from 98th to 69th in the most recent class of 2019 rankings update. “Jordan is a very athletic player and a fierce competitor. She has quickness, length and the ability to jump. She runs the court very well and is dynamic on offensive transition. She is also really tough to guard in the open court.”
Zrust is what you might call call 'sneaky good.' More finesse than power, she has the kind of acceleration that enables her to slip past defenders with some frequency. Ask Jordan to describe herself and the 5’11″ lefty says this: “I feel I bring a lot of energy on the court. I’m a slasher type of player who attacks the rim. I love going up and down the court putting pressure on the other team. And my speed and quickness allows me to get a lot of steals.”
That sounds about right. Zrust, who plays summer ball for the Minnesota Comets, isn't particularly flashy but she is quite effective on both sides of the ball. The Bisons have turned their season around due in no small part to Jordan's leadership. Zrust was all-conference in the Mississippi 8 the past two seasons, but this year she has turned it up a notch or two. She's averaging 17 points and six rebounds per game, but her true value doesn’t show up in the numbers. “I try to lead by example since it's my third year of varsity basketball,” she said. “I try to be a calming influence.”
Zrust is currently working on getting stronger with her right hand, and is putting in the time to improve her mid-range jump shot. Jordan is a great passer – her assist totals have doubled this year – with nice court awareness. She is impressive one-on-one, and knows intuitively when to hightail it to the basket and when to move the ball to someone else. She is also among the state's top 25 in made threes while shooting better than 40 percent beyond the arc. These are all assets that make for a quality point guard, of course, except she isn't really a point guard. “I would see Jordan as a 2 or 3 at the next level,” Stewart said. “She has shouldered the role of point guard for our team but I feel that she would be far more effective playing off the skills of a good point guard.”
Zrust, who also plays varsity softball, does not disagree. “I’m mostly a two or three, but we don’t have a main point guard so they have me be the point guard,” she said. “The past two years I played the wing, but running the point this year has been very valuable in putting me in different situations. I see it as a positive down the road because it will make me an all-around better ball player.”
When I watched Zrust play at the recent Breakdown Community Clash in St. Michael, she had a very nice game but was overshadowed once again despite scoring 21 points. That's because the opposing point guard – that would be the much-heralded Erica Hicks of Champlin Park – dropped 30 in a 66-62 win. Zrust's impact was unmistakable, however. While Hicks has chosen to forgo college basketball, Jordan is a scholarship-worthy player. “Jordan loves the game of basketball,” Stewart said, “and she is going to be a great asset for somebody at the college level.”