Column: Three milestones on one night

Published 10:05 pm Monday, January 14, 2013

There must have been a full moon or something going on last Tuesday night, because something unusual certainly happened in the local basketball scene.

Austin senior Joe Aase, Lyle-Pacelli senior Skylar Meyer and Hayfield senior Brady Kramer all scored their 1,000 career point as their teams all won on the same night.

The 1,000 point milestone can sometimes be a tricky stat. In Minnesota, players can play varsity sports as seventh graders so some athletes can put up mediocre numbers for six years and end up with 1,000 points and career numbers can become a little tainted.

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But these three players do not fall under that category. Aase wasn’t on the varsity roster for most of his freshman season and Meyer and Kramer played limited minutes as freshman. These three all truly earned the career mark.

From the moment Aase stepped up on a varsity court for the Packers, it was clear he had a nice shooting touch. It was also clear he had the ability to score from almost anywhere inside the arc, and he looks even more refined this season.

Aase, who is headed to Division I Davidson College next season, has fine-tuned his jump shot into a work of art. Anyone looking on how to properly shoot a basketball should just watch Aase shoot and you’ll see about as good a form you’ll see in a high school game.

It was kind of ironic that Aase scored his 1,000 point on a post move because he’s knocked down so many big jumpers over the past three years.

For LP’s Meyer, scoring 1,000 means he’s finally joined his older brother in career accomplishments. It was just three years ago that Skylar was watching his older brother Cody score his 1,000th point on a lay-up against Glenville-Emmons.

Last Tuesday, it was Skylar who scored on a put-back in a win over Glenville-Emmons to get his own 1,000th point.

Skylar, who has drawn some interest from Division III schools, is the type of scorer who can often do whatever he wants in the open court. In a win over Randolph last Monday, he had an explosive driving dunk and he also has the shooting touch to step back on the perimeter and let it fly.

When he gets in a zone, Skylar is one of the toughest players in the area to guard.

Kramer scored his 1,000 point on a left-handed lay-up in traffic off an assist from Brady Stevens. The milestone puts him on par with a couple of his family members. He is the eighth Hayfield player to score 1,000 career points and he joins his cousins Tony Kramer and Tanner Kramer on the list.

Brady, who is being recruited by a few Division III schools in Wisconsin and Minnesota, is the definition of a solid player. He may not make any flashy plays that get replayed over and over on youtube, but there are no weaknesses in his game. He’s works hard, attacks the hoop and has a steady jump shot to compliment his inside game.

Quite often Brady will go up against much taller opponents and he still finds a way to hold them in check while scoring 15 points himself.

It’s been great to see these three player mature over the past few years and it’s great accomplishment for them to all join the 1,000 point club.