Success on the field, and the court – part one

Success on the field, and the court &#8211; part one

Brian Jerzak January 22, 2023 @ 11:01 AM

Continuing with my series highlighting multi-sport athletes who excel on and off the football field, we move off the <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2023/01/success-on-the-field-and-the-mat-part-one/">wrestling mat</a> and onto the hardwood. Football players who find success in basketball do not all fit this mold – as shown with our cover guy – the footwork and athletic skill sets are near perfect matches for skill position players. Here is my first story focusing on seniors in Minnesota who excelled on the grid iron and for the next two months can be seen dominating on the hardwood. Basketball rankings courtesy of our prep basketball partner - <a href="https://prephoops.com/">prephoops.com</a>.   [player_tooltip player_id='112056' first='Max' last='Shikenjanski'] Stillwater QB PRZ 54 PH 7   Shikenjanski checks all the boxes as a quarterback. At 6'2", he checks off the quarterback frame box. He has one of the best deep balls in the class but what separates him is the accuracy of his deep ball. The senior can throw from the pocket and on the move. He is not afraid to pull the ball down and use his legs to pick up yards. On the court, he runs the floor, has excellent hands, is on defense, and can score from anywhere.    [player_tooltip player_id='112086' first='Chiddi' last='Obiazor'] Eden Prairie DL PRZ 11 PH 10   On the defensive line, Obiazor is an athletic defensive end who has a great first step off the snap. He complements his quickness off the line with low hips and strong hands. This allows the K-State commit to take on and get off blockers in the running game. He has the speed to run down plays from the back side or to track down quarterbacks when rushing the passer. His athleticism translates well to the hard court. He has great ball skills – allowing him to drive to the basket where he can take advantage of his strength and size.   [player_tooltip player_id='295962' first='Owen' last='Leach'] Dillworth-Glyndon-Felton ATH PRZ 52 PH 21   The Minnesota-Duluth basketball commit recently blew by the 2000 career points milestone. Leach gets points from all over the floor. He can spot up or pull up from the outside and has a solid mid-range game. He makes himself available as a cutter, and when he receives the ball, he finishes at the rim. The senior is a threat on both sides of the ball on the football field. He is an athletic, dual-threat quarterback on offense and a ball-hawking safety – with seven interceptions as a senior.   [player_tooltip player_id='123046' first='Nathan' last='Fenske'] Lakeview WR PRZ 100 PH 31   Good luck to any defense that decided to single up Fenske on the outside. He would burn the defense if he went deep and got a decent ball. Fenske's long-striding speed left many corners grasping at air. Even when the defender – or defenders – were in position, the senior's hands and athletic ability made fifty/fifty balls more likely his than not. His size and athletic ability make him a threat from anywhere on the basketball court. He is as comfortable hitting threes as he is down low, scraping for rebounds, or getting out on the fast break.   [player_tooltip player_id='201177' first='Asher' last='Zubich'] Mountain-Iron Buhl QB PRZ 161 PH 35   Zubich is a dual-threat quarterback with a big arm and good open-field speed. When running, he is big and strong enough to break a tackle if he is not squared up. However, with his agility, he is more likely to put a move on a defender than he is to run through a defender. His deep ball usually finds its mark – even in bad weather. In the gym, Zubich has NBA three-point range. He has a solid mid-range game and can back opponents down and score in the post with impressive creativity around the rim.

Continuing with my series highlighting multi-sport athletes who excel on and off the football field, we move off the wrestling mat and onto the hardwood. Football players who find success in basketball do not all fit this mold – as shown with our cover guy – the footwork and athletic skill sets are near perfect matches for skill position players. Here is my first story focusing on seniors in Minnesota who excelled on the grid iron and for the next two months can be seen dominating on the hardwood. Basketball rankings courtesy of our prep basketball partner - prephoops.com.