Blog Posting #75, August 30, 2009

Don’t Blame the Passer

“He was wide open! Why didn’t that guard throw the ball inside? How open does he have to be?”

One of the most common complaints from the parents of post players is, guards don’t throw the ball into the post enough. You hear it in the stands during the game and in the car on the way home, after the game. Biased parents become angry, accusing the perimeter players of consciously and deliberately refusing to pass the ball inside. Guards and forwards are charged “guilty” of not sharing the basketball and giving the post players opportunities to score. But is this true?

I was a post player so you would expect me to agree with these parents, right? Wrong. I know better. When I started playing basketball, the perimeter players were very apprehensive about passing the ball in, but I could tell they wanted to. Therefore, I assumed the problem was me. When I put the shoe on the other foot, I began to see some reasons why they didn’t pass the ball to me.  

1. It Was a Risky Pass: The pass into the low post is the only pass in basketball that is directed at the defender as well as the receiver.

2. I Didn’t Have My Defender Locked Behind Me: I left space between the defender and me, enabling him to get around and intercept the pass.

3. I Didn’t Present a Confident Target: I wasn’t reaching toward the passer and demanding the ball. It was like was saying, “Hey, if you don’t mind, please pass me the ball. But, on the other hand, if you don’t want to, it’s OK.” 

4. I Could Not Produce a High-Percentage Shot: The perimeter players were capable of getting equal, or better shots than I could create in the post. So why take the risk?

Once I fixed those four things (and believe me, I fixed them quickly), those guards and forwards were happy to pass the ball in and they did.

If you are a post player and you (and your loving and supportive parents) are frustrated because you are not receiving the ball inside, do what I did. It works. The first thing I’m going to tell you is, the way to ensure the problem will not be solved is to blame somebody else. So don’t even think about it. Next, I would give you three more words of advice:

1. Lock the defender behind you with a sideways stance (as opposed to your back to the defender) so your hip is making contact with his thigh and your shoulder with his chest. You will have more leverage and more vision to keep him from getting around.

2. Present a target with the hand closest to the passer, extending the arm fully and opening up the hand completely. Call for the ball with your voice and nod your head as if to say, “Dude, give me the ball or I’m coming out there and taking it from you.”

3. Get yourself an inside game. No matter how well you perform 1 and 2, they’re still not going to give you the ball unless they know you can score and/or get to the line. Every time you score or get to the line, you increase your teammates’ confidence. Each time you don’t, you decrease it.

If you take my advice, it is very likely that, in the stands during the game, and on the way home in the car, the parents of the guards and forwards will be saying, “Why doesn’t he pass the ball back out? He’s like a black hole in there. Once the ball goes in, he’s keeping it.”