Finding that very classic pass first point guard in the Beko BBL has never been a common thing as a point guard knows how to pass the ball, but the majority of them still can score better on a game to game basis. In the last years in the BBL, if one hand to choose some of these classic pass first point guards that would rather pass than shoot, one could probably pick them off one hand. One guy who has always been at the top of the assist leaders in Germany has been Bane Ratkovica of Tuebingen who twice led the league in assists from 2009-2011 and currently is doing it again. One sometimes had to wonder how the Serb was able to go through a clogged lane with a few big men in traffic breathing him down and still be able to lay the perfect shovel pass to his teammate. Other classic point guards in the past were guys like John Goldsberry who shone more with his defense once having 10 steals as a rookie with Leverkusen, but with Bamberg he helped win 5 titles while being the perfect playmaker that rarely shot, but always found his teammates in the set offense. Another guy that thought first about getting his own teammates in a good position to score before himself was New York native Kevin Hamilton who never averaged less than four assists a game per season in five in Germany and saved his best for last season where he was third in the league with 5,8apg with bayreuth. Hamilton was one of those guys that had this flair of elegance on the court that no other player had and one often watched his movements more than his passing simply because it looked so graceful. The most classic pass first point guard that the Beko BBL ever saw was Jared Jordan who led the German league in assists in three of four years and in between also was the best assist man in the Greek league. From 2011-2013, he led the league in assists with 8,8apg and 7,6apg. Jordan has left Germany and is practicing his talent in Span now with Gipuzkoa BC San Sebastian where he is leading the league with 6,6apg. Jordan who is called Mr pass is like an ice cream man having as many different ways of passing the ball as there are ice cream flavors. With Trevon Hughes not making the cut in Bayreuth for Michael Koch who was seeking that classic point guard again like he had in Bonn with Jordan, he wheeled and dealed and presented a rookie recently with Jason Brickman who is supposed to bring some calmness and organization into the offense. Brickman is a 23 year old 181cm rookie from San Antonio, Texas that played at LIU Brooklyn (NCAA) from 2010-2014. He started the season with Dynamo Moscow (Russia-Superleague) never finding his groove there. “It was very difficult in Russia being the only American and having most of the team not speak English. I did not fit into their system there so it was tough”, stressed Jason Brickman. At LIU Brooklyn, he improved his assist rate each season including from 7,3 to 8,5 to 9,8 as a senior. That was better than what Jordan did his last two seasons at Marist(NCAA) where he averaged 8,6apg while Brickman averaged 9,1apg. Brickman who names Jason Kidd and Steve Nash as his favorite point guards is happy for the experience in college and playing for Jack Peri. “I have had a good sense of passing and pretty good court vision since I was younger. But playing at LIU really helped me to be an even better passer. I played for a great coach and the perfect system so it was a fun experience. Coach Perri was the guy who recruited me to go to LIU. He pushed me to get better every day and he had so much confidence in me so it was easy to play for a coach that really trusts in me. He let me grow as a player each year and gave me more responsibility every year. He challenged me to try and strengthen my weaknesses”, stressed Jason Brickman

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