NEW GLARUS - Elbow straight. Balance and follow through. Zach Feller can be spotted repeating those steps while shooting jump shots on the court in the summer.
Teammate and classmate Jaden Kreklow can be seen working on a breakdown move as he looks to improve his ability to penetrate.
Feller's 3-point shooting and Kreklow's ability to drive to the basket have provided a super freshman combo that has New Glarus knocking at the door for a Capitol Conference championship for the first time in more than 13 years. New Glarus (8-5, 3-0 Capitol South) will host Marshall (10-3, 3-0) in a Capitol South showdown on Thursday.
"We are in this together," Kreklow said. "We can talk to each other, feed off each other and give each other good tips on how to get better. I knew coming in we could hang with them (older varsity players). We can still improve and get better. That is the most important thing."
Feller and Kreklow have each had a hand in helping propel the Glarner Knights to an 8-5 start, including 3-0 in the Capitol South.
"Coming into this season we could be successful because we had a lot of talent," Feller said. "Some-times we will go to the gym together. We push each other to get better.
"It's awesome we get this opportunity to play a really good team. Hopefully, we can get on a conference championship run for the next four years."
It didn't take long for either freshman guard to make an immediate impact. Both played on the varsity team in the Monroe summer league.
"We play so much ball in the summer and those guys played up with the varsity," New Glarus coach Travis Sysko said. "It became pretty clear in the summer they were ready for that."
Feller is the Knights' second-leading scorer at 12.7 points per game. He has excelled as an outside shooter knocking down 3-pointers. Feller scored a career-high 28 points and drilled six 3-pointers in a 76-51 win over Argyle earlier this season.
"He's been our most consistent outside shooter," Sysko said of Feller. "With Zach, he's pretty tenacious on defense. We are not afraid to let him guard one of the other team's better players. He's not afraid to get there and mix it up."
Feller said one of the biggest differences playing varsity basketball right away was that the speed of the game was much faster compared to middle school basketball.
"It's another level of the game," he said.
Feller has noticed a change in the way teams are defending him about midway through the season.
"I have noticed they are coming out a lot more and pressuring me more to take away my shot," Feller said. "I need to get stronger and be able to finish better against bigger guys who are more physical. I have to get my shot off quicker against bigger defenders."
Sysko said early in the season Feller caught teams by surprise with his outside shooting.
"They have him scouted, and they know they can't give him an open look," Sysko said. "The big adjustment for Zach and Jaden early on was adjusting to the physicality of it. Making the adjustment from middle school basketball to varsity has went well. They are holding their own; there is no doubt about that."
Kreklow is averaging 8.4 points per game and has been a key contributor off the bench for the Knights.
"Jaden's ballhandling is a strength," Sysko said. "He really has a knack for being able to get by defenders and get into the lane. That is what our dribble drive offense is about. It's about getting into the paint and creating opportunities for other guys and Jaden has done a good job of that."
Kreklow scored a career-high 15 points in an 83-77 win over Columbus earlier this year.
"The first few games I got butterflies and then I started to know my role and got comfortable playing with the guys on my team," Kreklow said.
Kreklow is the first one to tell anyone he must improve as a shooter and as a defender as a smaller guard. He will have a challenge if he gets matched up on Marshall senior 6-4 point guard Adam Link.
"It's a challenge sometimes," Kreklow said of having to defend players two to three years older who may have more size. "I'm not really a big guy. You just have to be faster, sharper and always prepared."
Kreklow understands rebounding and defense will be the keys to knocking off Marshall.
"We have to make sure we keep them off the glass and assume every shot is a miss," he said. "It's a huge game. They are a good team. You have to be sharp mentally against Marshall."
Teammate and classmate Jaden Kreklow can be seen working on a breakdown move as he looks to improve his ability to penetrate.
Feller's 3-point shooting and Kreklow's ability to drive to the basket have provided a super freshman combo that has New Glarus knocking at the door for a Capitol Conference championship for the first time in more than 13 years. New Glarus (8-5, 3-0 Capitol South) will host Marshall (10-3, 3-0) in a Capitol South showdown on Thursday.
"We are in this together," Kreklow said. "We can talk to each other, feed off each other and give each other good tips on how to get better. I knew coming in we could hang with them (older varsity players). We can still improve and get better. That is the most important thing."
Feller and Kreklow have each had a hand in helping propel the Glarner Knights to an 8-5 start, including 3-0 in the Capitol South.
"Coming into this season we could be successful because we had a lot of talent," Feller said. "Some-times we will go to the gym together. We push each other to get better.
"It's awesome we get this opportunity to play a really good team. Hopefully, we can get on a conference championship run for the next four years."
It didn't take long for either freshman guard to make an immediate impact. Both played on the varsity team in the Monroe summer league.
"We play so much ball in the summer and those guys played up with the varsity," New Glarus coach Travis Sysko said. "It became pretty clear in the summer they were ready for that."
Feller is the Knights' second-leading scorer at 12.7 points per game. He has excelled as an outside shooter knocking down 3-pointers. Feller scored a career-high 28 points and drilled six 3-pointers in a 76-51 win over Argyle earlier this season.
"He's been our most consistent outside shooter," Sysko said of Feller. "With Zach, he's pretty tenacious on defense. We are not afraid to let him guard one of the other team's better players. He's not afraid to get there and mix it up."
Feller said one of the biggest differences playing varsity basketball right away was that the speed of the game was much faster compared to middle school basketball.
"It's another level of the game," he said.
Feller has noticed a change in the way teams are defending him about midway through the season.
"I have noticed they are coming out a lot more and pressuring me more to take away my shot," Feller said. "I need to get stronger and be able to finish better against bigger guys who are more physical. I have to get my shot off quicker against bigger defenders."
Sysko said early in the season Feller caught teams by surprise with his outside shooting.
"They have him scouted, and they know they can't give him an open look," Sysko said. "The big adjustment for Zach and Jaden early on was adjusting to the physicality of it. Making the adjustment from middle school basketball to varsity has went well. They are holding their own; there is no doubt about that."
Kreklow is averaging 8.4 points per game and has been a key contributor off the bench for the Knights.
"Jaden's ballhandling is a strength," Sysko said. "He really has a knack for being able to get by defenders and get into the lane. That is what our dribble drive offense is about. It's about getting into the paint and creating opportunities for other guys and Jaden has done a good job of that."
Kreklow scored a career-high 15 points in an 83-77 win over Columbus earlier this year.
"The first few games I got butterflies and then I started to know my role and got comfortable playing with the guys on my team," Kreklow said.
Kreklow is the first one to tell anyone he must improve as a shooter and as a defender as a smaller guard. He will have a challenge if he gets matched up on Marshall senior 6-4 point guard Adam Link.
"It's a challenge sometimes," Kreklow said of having to defend players two to three years older who may have more size. "I'm not really a big guy. You just have to be faster, sharper and always prepared."
Kreklow understands rebounding and defense will be the keys to knocking off Marshall.
"We have to make sure we keep them off the glass and assume every shot is a miss," he said. "It's a huge game. They are a good team. You have to be sharp mentally against Marshall."
