Basketball coaches always encourage three-point shooters to have a quick trigger, and Michigan forward Quinn Costello might just have the quickest release out of anyone in the Big Ten.
The freshman from Medford, Massachusetts doesn’t drop the ball at all when he catches it, keeping it high and launching from deep, making his shot nearly impossible to contest. He leads every Wolverine not named Trey McKenney in three-point attempts, knocking down 9-of-21 looks from deep so far this year. That includes
going 5-of-6 in Michigan’s 84-70 win over Marquette on Wednesday at Crisler Center.
“We work on it every day,” Costello said when asked about his three-point shooting in his post-game interview with in-game host Zach Linfield. Costello credited his teammates, especially bigs J.P. Estrella and Moustapha Thiam, for the win.
Costello, the first player off Michigan’s bench, played a pivotal role in the win over Marquette, with the lanky sniper hitting four of his first five attempts from deep — matching his combined make total from Michigan’s first two games — and scoring 15 points in the victory.
“I’ve coached some good shooters; I’ve never coached a 6-foot-10 guy who can shoot like he can,” head coach Mike Boynton Jr. said of Costello after the game. “The thing about Quinn is he expects so much of himself, he’s a high achiever, he’s hard on himself about doing things outside of shooting to help our team win. His defense is getting better, he’s still got a long ways to go, but I’m glad he doesn’t have the mindset that he wants to be a one-dimensional guy.”
The coaching staff encourages Costello to have a quick trigger from deep, whether it’s off the catch or off the dribble, and the freshman embraces that bode of confidence. And he always has the green light.
“I think every time he shoots the ball it’s going in,” Boynton said. “I’m shocked when he misses, and every time he misses one, I want to give him another one because I think he’s going to get the next one.”
With his quick shot and ability to guard multiple positions, Costello is going to be one of the most important players in Michigan’s rotation. He credits his three-point shot to working hard with his dad at a university near his hometown that’s known more for academics than athletics.
“The amount of reps I had in the back gym at Harvard University with my dad growing up, freshman year of high school and everything,” Costello said. “It was a little natural to me but I think it definitely took some work and that’s something I’ve always tried to improve on.”
Costello is trying to be more than just a shooter. In Wednesday’s win, he showcased his playmaking ability, finding Thiam in the pick-and-roll for an easy bucket. If he can become the prolific driver that Duncan Robinson developed into towards the end of his Michigan career, this team’s offensive ceiling gets a lots higher.
“Me coming off screens, they were bringing two to the ball and the slips were there,” Costello said. “I would consider myself a pretty high IQ guy so I try to make the right read when the ball is in my hands.
“I’d say I’m pretty comfortable (with the ball). I don’t do a lot of ball screens in practice, but I do a lot coming off of ball screens like that with the bigs, catching it and playing with them. So just them being able to accept physical screens and get me open, they started to understand that’s what gets them open to, so I think a mutual understanding of that has helped a lot.”
The coaching staff is taking advantage of Costello’s high IQ, putting him in situations to create shots like they did against Marquette. Creating those baskets will be a valuable skill for this squad, especially when the starting guards are on the bench.
Costello being a shot maker and a shot creator can help Michigan reach it’s full offensive potential. At Big Ten Media Day, Elliot Cadeau said Costello was “for sure an NBA player”. Performances like Wednesday night’s solidify that bold statement.
“If I were an NBA scout and I (saw) a 6-10, 6-11 guy shooting no-dip, catch-and-shoot threes, just making the whole defense not be able to help off him, I think I would pick him,” Cadeau said.
