Nickel: Wisconsin's AJ Storr has many shots and moves in his arsenal
MADISON - As Wisconsin looks to reverse it's losing trend and regain the winning ways the Badgers established in January, maybe one of the the answers is within their leading scorer. And finding a way to trust him and to get him the ball.
So many of his moves and shots already look NBA-ready, but he's only been in a UW uniform for a few months, so there's a lot to learn - on both sides.
But this remains true: AJ Storr’s shot arsenal is massive and the Wisconsin Badgers starting guard can create his own offense and play one-on-one basketball with just about anyone.
Storr's journeyman story as a high school teenager from Illinois to Arizona to Las Vegas to Florida before college ball seems to have only enhanced his versatile ability to score from anywhere, it seems. But the origin story of that best shot of his – the wing attack – all dates back to his Finn Middle School years in Rockford, Illinois, where he practiced alone in the gym for hours.
But, of course, there’s always more to work on.
The sophomore transfer from St. John’s University leads Wisconsin (18-11) in scoring with 16.1 points per game. From the wing, the free throw line extended, facing the basket, this spot is Storr’s best to work with, because he has so many options.
“I’m confident in any of them - off the dribble; catch and shoot; one dribble pull up, it doesn’t really matter,” said Storr.
Storr does have certain spots he likes more than others but he’s able, with a quick first step, to get to where he wants to be. He does a lot of work on his various moves in the gym, alone, but that wing work in particular is something he started almost a decade ago
“It was in middle school – nobody knew me back then,” said Storr. “I used to shoot every shot back then; every shot was my shot.”
Storr’s left-hand Tomahawk dunk is also virtually un-guardable.
“Another one is probably just the quick two-hands drop-in. Probably can't block that a lot of times,” said Storr.
Storr practiced the dunk a lot until he could connect at the age of 13 and now with a 41-inch vertical jump, the shot is comfortable to him.
That said, there are plenty of things the 20-year old wants to, and should, work on. Early in Wisconsin’s game against Illinois last Saturday, Storr hit a reverse layup using the backboard. It’s a pretty 2-point play that requires good footwork and court awareness since the angle is a little different; but that’s the area of the court and what Storr wants work on.
"Over the backboard, on the baseline, over the backboard shot, like Kobe," he said. "Even if you're off-balance, having two feet square to the rim, that's the main key of the ball going in."
Storr also wants to work on the buzzer-beater shot.
Storr didn't get a ton of touches in Wisconsin's final five minutes in the loss to Illinois last Saturday, but when he did, he missed his two shots from close range. Still, they looked like good decisions, rather than rushed or hurried.
But when asked, Wisconsin coach Greg Gard said that he'd like to see Storr play more within the Badgers offense, and that includes being efficient on offense. His shooting percentages of 43.5 from the field and 30.2 from three could improve.
Storr is trying to find the balance between aggressive play and let-it-fly scoring mentality and doing what the coaching staff wants. But the shots and the moves are there. The biggest defense difference so far has been marginal, said Storr, so it doesn’t matter what opponents are trying to do to stop him.
"I've seen every defense coming from the Big East," he said "It was a little bit more one-on-one. Now here's more of like gap defense.”
It will be up to Wisconsin and Storr to figure out the best way to utilize his versatility on offense.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin's AJ Storr has many shots and moves in his arsenal
