2021 Prospect Howell Offers ‘Quarantine Highlights’

<p></p> <p>In this crazy time of social distancing and staying at home, we all are feeling the impact when it comes to volleyball. The lack of traditional training and events means that we are relying a lot on video to provide current prospect evaluations. </p> <p><span style="font-size: 1rem">This week I came across some video updates from class of 2021 prospect [player_tooltip player_id="58052" first="Hannah" last="Howell"] as she has used this time to increase her visibility by recording skills at home and posting them to her recruiting page. She even titled the video as "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awYsunplt6g&amp;feature=emb_title">Quarantine Highlights</a></span><span style="font-size: 1rem">", which is just shy of two-minutes in duration and showcases three primary skills (blocking, attacking, and passing) through some very creative measures.</span></p> <p><em>Blocking</em><br /> The first portion of the video shows her blocking. She has connected a slackline between two trees that is at the approximate height of the net. She offers two camera angles, one on the net and one from a view similar to the end of the court facing towards the net. She has filmed herself through some swing blocking patterns and quick two-step moves with good views of her mechanics, arm work, and hand position. </p> <p><em>Attacking</em><br /> For the hitting portion of the film she has a ball-holding apparatus extending off of a portable basketball hoop, noting that the rim is at 122". As the volleyball is held in place and extending from the rim, you can see that it sits a few inches below the level of the rim, giving a good indication of her elevation and reach. She has filmed herself from a variety of angles showcasing her approach footwork and arm swing. </p> <p><em>Passing</em><br /> She concludes the film with some ball control that includes some consecutive passing with a front facing viewpoint that highlights her hand position and platform work. She then offers some two-touch pass-to-swing reps that show some of the control she can create.</p> <p><span style="font-size: 1rem">This is a wonderfully smart and creative way to stay engaged with the sport and the recruiting process. As the video highlights key skills, this is also a good indication of her mindfulness in being informative with details of the conditions in which she is working out as well as offering multiple angles (and some slow motion) to give a variety of vantage points in watching her execute these various skills. </span></p> <p>Howell is a top-40 prospect in Prep Dig’s current rankings of the 2021 class in Minnesota. She has been a big factor for both her high school program at St. Louis Park and for her Northern Lights 17-2 team during the early part of this current club season. Check out another video she recently posted of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njSWQo-kllY&amp;feature=emb_title">highlights</a> from the early part of the club season. She helped lead St. Louis Park to the state tournament in 2019 while earning postseason accolades for her effort. She and her team should be in the mix once again in 2020 as they return a few key offensive pieces, with more awards certain to find her at the conclusion of the season.</p> <p>Howell is an aggressive attacker with a well-rounded skill set as a left pin attacker. She has great footwork in all areas of her game and makes an impact in a variety of ways. As an attacker she has developed a nice arm with good lift and torque that can generate the needed range and power of a true point scorer. She also contributes in other areas as a six-rotation athlete as she can pass and defend, close down hitters when blocking, and take healthy swings from the back row. Additionally, the effort in creating and updating this type of film during these unprecedented times shows her commitment to the sport and continued improvement as well as a level of resiliency and forward thinking that every competitor needs. <span style="font-size: 1rem">These times, without a doubt, are challenging for top prospects such as Howell as part of the rising senior class. As the in-gym experience has been eliminated for the time being, college coaches and prospects alike have been forced to find alternative means to engage with this critical facet of the club season. Howell has provided a great solution.</span></p>