Over the past several weeks, I have spent a lot of time on the road.
Three straight basketball tournaments.
Indiana.
Missouri.
Iowa.
That means a lot of driving, a lot of hotel rooms, and an awful lot of girls’ basketball.
I have watched some excellent basketball during those weekends.
I have also watched some basketball that probably caused the basketball gods to cover their eyes.
After spending that much time in gyms, I started noticing something.
There are a few basketball fundamentals that seem to be becoming increasingly difficult to find.
I wouldn’t say they are completely extinct yet.
But they may be approaching the endangered-species list.
So, in the interest of protecting the game for future generations, I would like to nominate three basketball skills that I believe deserve to be saved.
1. Taking a Charge
It has been roughly 30 years since I played competitive basketball.
When I played, taking a charge was something coaches celebrated.
My high school coach even created an incentive for us.
If you took a charge during a game, he bought you a soda.
I can tell you that during my senior year, I drank quite a few free sodas.
Maybe that explains why I remember taking charges so fondly.
But somewhere along the way, it seems as though the charge has become much less common.
I’m not sure there is one simple explanation.
Basketball has changed.
The game is more spread out.
Players are faster and more skilled with the basketball.
Three-point shooting creates larger driving lanes.
Offensive players are taught to aggressively attack the rim.
And defensive rules and officiating interpretations continue to evolve.
But I also wonder whether young players are simply spending less time learning how to establish legal defensive position and take a charge correctly.
Watch many youth games and you will see defenders repeatedly backpedaling toward the basket while an offensive player attacks them.
Sometimes the defender reaches.
Sometimes she swipes at the basketball.
Sometimes she simply gets run over.
What you don’t see nearly as often is a defender anticipating the drive, establishing position, getting her body square, and forcing the offensive player to make a decision.
That is a skill.
And it does not require extraordinary athletic ability.
You don’t have to be the fastest player on the floor.
You don’t have to jump the highest.
You don’t have to be six feet tall.
You need anticipation.
You need courage.
You need proper positioning.
And, perhaps most importantly, you need a willingness to sacrifice your body for your team.
That is why coaches love players who take charges.
A charge can completely change the momentum of a game.
The offense believes it has an easy path to the basket.
Suddenly:
WHISTLE.
Turnover.
Possession going the other direction.
And one defender has just made a winning play that will never appear in the scoring column.
I would encourage coaches to teach it and parents to appreciate it.
And yes, if your child takes a good charge during a game, you might even consider buying her a soda.
Tradition matters.
2. Making Contact When Boxing Out
If I had received a dollar every time I heard a coach yell “BOX OUT!” during the tournaments I attended recently, I could probably pay for our next several basketball road trips.
The problem exists at almost every level.
Good teams.
Bad teams.
Young players.
Older players.
A shot goes up, and the defender immediately turns toward the rim.
Her eyes go straight to the basketball.
Meanwhile, the player she is supposed to be boxing out walks right around her and grabs the offensive rebound.
Then comes the inevitable scream from the bench:
“BOX OUT!”
But here’s my question:
How much time did the team actually spend learning how to box out?
Telling a player to box out is not the same thing as teaching her how to do it.
A proper box out begins before the player ever pursues the basketball.
The sequence should be something like this:
Recognize the shot.
Find your player.
Establish legal body contact.
Turn and create position.
Maintain that position.
Then pursue the rebound.
The mistake many players make is jumping directly from:
“The shot went up”
to:
“Where is the basketball?”
They skip the player standing behind them.
That is how offensive rebounds happen.
I have always taught my daughters that when a shot goes up, their first job isn’t necessarily to find the ball.
Find the person you are responsible for first.
Make contact.
Get your body between that player and the basket.
Then go get the basketball.
The tallest player doesn’t automatically become the best rebounder.
A smaller player with great technique and determination can consistently beat a taller player who simply watches the ball.
Rebounding is positioning.
Rebounding is anticipation.
Rebounding is effort.
And rebounding is physical.
Not dirty.
Not grabbing.
Not pushing.
But physical.
If you are interested in how I teach the complete rebounding sequence, I have another article on the site called “Driveway Academy: 7 Fundamentals of Rebounding — Teach Your Child to Own the Boards.”
Because apparently, I have now appointed myself chairman of the Society for the Preservation of Boxing Out.
Someone has to do it.
3. The Midrange Bank Shot
This one may be closest to extinction.
The midrange bank shot.
When I played high school basketball, my coach used to tell me:
“The backboard is your best friend.”
He was right.
And more than 30 years later, the backboard and I remain on excellent terms.
Today’s players grow up in a very different basketball environment.
Three-point shooting is emphasized more than ever.
At the other extreme, players are taught to attack the rim.
Both are important.
But somewhere between the three-point line and the basket sits a forgotten little piece of real estate.
The midrange.
And somewhere within that forgotten area lives an even rarer creature:
The eight-to-twelve-foot bank shot.
I see post players use the backboard around the basket.
But watching a player intentionally use the glass on a short or midrange jumper has become surprisingly uncommon.
That is why I became ridiculously excited at a recent tournament when one of my daughter’s teammates caught the basketball, used a pump fake, took a couple of dribbles, and calmly banked in approximately a 12-foot jumper.
I almost wanted to stand up and applaud.
There it was.
A bank shot.
Alive and well.
I hadn’t imagined it.
This shot can be extremely useful.
A player attacks the basket and the defender cuts her off.
Instead of forcing the drive, she stops under control and uses the glass.
A player is sprinting down the floor in transition and doesn’t have an angle for a layup.
Use the backboard.
A defender flies at a shooter after a pump fake.
One or two controlled dribbles into a short bank shot can be a great counter.
The glass provides the shooter with a target.
And particularly from an angle, it can turn a difficult-looking shot into a very manageable one.
I have incorporated bank shots into my daughter’s shooting workouts for exactly that reason.
I am patiently waiting to see one appear during a game.
When it finally happens, there is a good chance I will embarrass her by celebrating far more enthusiastically than the situation warrants.
That’s one of the privileges of being a basketball dad.
Fundamentals Never Really Become Old-Fashioned
Basketball is constantly evolving.
That’s a good thing.
Players today have skills that would have amazed coaches from previous generations.
Big players can handle the basketball.
Guards shoot from distances that once would have gotten them immediately removed from a game.
Offenses are faster.
Spacing is better.
Skill development continues to advance.
I love watching the game evolve.
But evolution doesn’t mean every older basketball fundamental should disappear.
Taking a charge still matters.
Boxing out still matters.
Using the backboard still works.
Sometimes we become so interested in teaching the newest move that we forget to teach the simple things that have worked for decades.
The crossover is exciting.
The step-back three is exciting.
The spin move is exciting.
But somewhere, an old basketball coach is still screaming:
“BOX OUT!”
And he’s probably right.
So please help me protect these endangered basketball species.
Teach your child to establish legal defensive position.
Teach her to make contact before chasing a rebound.
Teach her that the backboard really can be her friend.
We might not be able to save everything.
But together, perhaps we can prevent the charge, the proper box out, and the midrange bank shot from disappearing forever.
And if your child happens to take a charge, box out perfectly, and hit a bank shot during the same game?
Buy her a soda.
She’s earned it.