“Running the Point: Part Two”

So, you’ve caught the outlet pass and haven’t been called for travelling or an offensive foul as soon as you turned to go up-court. That’s good. Meanwhile, your coach or the coach inside your head is screaming “push it!” Where do you push to? Unless you are on a team that has a set “break offense” with some sideline schemata, take the ball up the middle of the court; that’s where defense is likely to be and that’s what you want: to be defended. First thing you do is calculate, enumerate, count: how many of us, how many of them. If there are more of you then them, you’ve got what hoopsters refer to as “numbers” and then you do “push” because the “numbers” don’t last long. Offensive players stay wide on the wings, point guard dribbles up the middle keeping the dribble until she sees defense making a move toward her. Don’t wait until you are jammed to get rid of it, pass when the defense begins to make a move at you, some momentum coming at you. (But is the defense faking? Sometimes life just seems so complicated…)