Uri’s Week 4 Filmstudy: Best Movement Shooters
The title of “shooter” is one tossed around the basketball nebulous without a ton of consideration for the type of shooter a player is. Do they prefer pulling up? Operating off of pin-downs? Catch-and-shoot in the corner? Or are they…
Access all of Prep Girls Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingThe title of “shooter” is one tossed around the basketball nebulous without a ton of consideration for the type of shooter a player is. Do they prefer pulling up? Operating off of pin-downs? Catch-and-shoot in the corner? Or are they just mid-range maestros navigating screens? Through Week 4 I’ve noticed that oftentimes a team’s most potent weapons have the uncanny conditioning to pass and relocate along the perimeter. This creates constant problems for defenses traditionally accustomed to locking down the first action and then relying on principles to carry them through a possession. Here are some of the most underrated movement shooters in the state:
Kayleigh Flach — Oconomowoc — Wing — Class of 2023 — Unranked
Flach is a classic example of free throw percentage being a great indicator for outside shooting potential. She’s shooting 90% from the charity stripe on the year and that has been translating to her shooting stroke from beyond the arc. She’s an extremely opportunistic shooter who doesn’t need to dominate on the ball in order to contribute offensively. Flach particularly stands out as a movement shooter out of baseline out of bound (BLOB) shooting. The subtle way she shifts her shoulders to fake a cut and then shifts to the three-point line is plain fun to watch. She makes defenders look silly and capitalizes on open space when a defense isn’t ready for her to pull the trigger as quickly as she does.
https://youtu.be/E9wcclGSBDs
In this play against Mukwonago, the defense is so focused on the paint that they anticipate the cross-screen as a cut and collapse hard. Instead of curling hard off the theoretical pick, Flach peels off as the defense gets completely bamboozled. Notice how she plants her left foot immediately so that when the ball comes her way she can immediately sweep her right foot into position and launch. In football, mid-distance passes soften linebackers for the run game. In this case, Flach’s ability to float through the defense and find herself in open shooting positions forces Mukwonago to do exactly what they don’t want to do: guard the perimeter and leave the paint vulnerable.
Karissa Smith Karissa Smith 5'9" | SG Appleton North | 2023 State WI — Appleton North — Guard — Class of 2023 — #84 Overall Prospect
Smith’s shooting profile is so interesting because she’s Appleton North’s primary initiator but all of her action is so contained and disciplined within the natural flow of the offense. She’s constantly moving along the perimeter and when faced with the opportunity to play off the ball she just seems to oscillate into open spaces. She has a variety of cuts in her back pocket that she utilizes like every bona fide shooter, but she tweaks her movement to maximize the amount of time she’ll get to load and launch her one-and-a-half motion jumper. Take the play below for example.
https://youtu.be/MMZtT9Zlyi0
Smith on the left wing starts at the free throw line extended with the defense pressing her beyond the three-point line. She feints an L-cut and with one half-move she creates a ton of space–more than enough to pull the trigger had she received the pass earlier. But to maximize the amount of time and space she’d have for the three she adds a movement. As a soft back screen comes up Smith notices the defense not paying attention to her and meanders to the corner. She turns one foot of space into five feet of space into fifteen feet of space for one movement three.
Lili Hartel Lili Hartel 5'9" | CG Mukwonago | 2023 State WI — Mukwonago — Guard — Class of 2023 — #94 Overall Prospect
Hartel’s shot is poetry. A smooth, one-motion sling that always looks like it has a chance to go in. What makes Hartel a movement shooter of notice is her addition of simple dribble moves to her relocation, as well as the space she attacks with her side-step and step-back moves. She stays low throughout the course of a half-court set such that going from catching the ball to spotting up for a shot happens in one fluid action.
https://youtu.be/SFag3z3WqaM
In this play, Hartel starts in the corner as a floor spacer without much direction to float around. She begins her movement a split second before the ball finds her. Notice how much space she covers with one move. She floats from the third hash to the freethrow line extended with one side-step move. And all throughout that motion she keeps her knees and shoulders at her shot-speciifc levels. Not to mention the incredible balance needed to balance yourself and rise up after sprinting in the opposite direction.