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Home > Blogs > Springfield, Ohio High School Sports > Archives > 2009 > February > 06 > Entry
On this date in area sports history…
On this date five years ago, Feb. 6, 2004, the News-Sun published a story on how the 3-point line has kept young players from learning how to rebound.
Published in the Feb. 6, 2004 edition of the News-Sun:
WANTED: WINDEX WARRIORS
EMPHASIS ON HITTING THE GLASS DOWN AS MORE 3-POINTERS ARE LAUNCHED
By BRIAN PLASTERS, News-Sun Sports Writer
The call of the 3-point line is strong _ often too strong to ignore.
Starting at an early age, potential basketball stars dribble outside the 3-point line, turn around and launch up a long trey.
“The younger kids see that line out there and they automatically go out there and shoot it,” Southeastern coach Aaron Perry said.
The development of the 3-point shot has detracted from the emphasis on rebounding.
Either teams have one main rebounder _ consider South’s Nate Miller and Southeastern’s Matt Poole, who gobble up prodigious amounts of boards _ or teams rely heavily on the 3-point shot, spreading rebounds around to all corners of the court.
With their eyes on the larger prize, more players than ever are launching shots outside the 3-point arc. It’s not just the guards, either, it’s the big men, as well.
A quick tour through the News-Sun’s weekly statistics shows twice as many players are chucking up 3-pointers _ successfully _ than working underneath for the rebounds. In this week’s statistics report, 23 local players qualified for the 3-point shooting requirement (two attempts per game with 30 percent made), while 13 grabbed more than the minimum of seven rebounds.
“(Rebounding’s) something that’s a lost art, and I think it’s gotta be taught,” Mechanicsburg coach Darren Long said. “It’s gotta be a mindset for the kids in the younger ages, and they have to understand it’s just as important to rebound as to shoot.”
Mechanicsburg fits into the mold of both the big rebounder and outside shooter. The Indians have 6-foot-5 forward Todd Marsh underneath scooping up 9.3 rebounds per game. Outside, Tim Patten has been lights-out all season, making 45.8 percent (27 of 59) of his 3-pointers.
Marsh has taken one 3-point shot in three years on the varsity squad, and that’s the way Long has built his team. Marsh averages 11.2 points per game as the Indians’ top inside scoring threat.
“(Marsh) knows what he’s gotta do to be a basketball player and be successful,” Long said.
While trey’s light up a scoreboard, rebounds light up a coach’s heart. Playing defense, scrambling after loose balls and pulling down missed shots is often the safest way to stay on the floor.
Southeastern coach Aaron Perry said the Trojans were having difficulty rebounding earlier in the year. Poole, easily the tallest player on the team at 6-5, has averaged a steady 8.8 rebounds per game, but it hasn’t been until recently the rest of the squad has picked up its rebounding output.
“I think when you’ve got one really good big man, I think naturally other kids stand back and let him do his thing, because they’re used to Matt getting them all,” Perry said. “Sometimes when you’ve got one great rebounder, it actually causes your overall team rebounding to go down a little bit.”
Perry said an increased focus on grabbing boards has helped the team in the second half of the season.
“As a coach, it’s my job to make them do it. In the second half we’ve really improved our rebounding stats, and that’s from restructuring it, and putting an emphasis on it,” Perry said.
One team that’s rarely worried about a lack of rebounds is South. The Wildcats lead the Greater Western Ohio Conference with 34 total rebounds a game, followed closely by Troy (33) and North (32).
“We just tell our kids, basically, you’ve gotta board,” South coach Larry Ham said.
As simple as it sounds, it works. On defense, all five Wildcats on the court go after the rebound. On offense, one player is left to guard the outlet, but everyone else heads after the ball.
It helps that Miller, 6-3 and blessed with a tremendous gift of anticipation, seems to be always around the ball. The rest of the team reinforces Miller.
“We talk a lot about leaning on people, how to pin guys,” Ham said. “We’re not the biggest guys, so we can’t always box somebody else out.”
Ham also limits the players who can shoot 3-pointers. James Cooper and Jabril Thomas generally have the green light, but he wants the other players to shoot closer to the basket.
If it was up to Perry, he wouldn’t allow any players younger than middle-school age to shoot 3-pointers. At the middle school level, he said only a select few should be allowed to put up the longer shot.
“I don’t even agree with the 3-point shot in the junior high,” Perry said. “I think they shoot too many of them. They stopping shooting the ball and they become heaves or throws.”
Which leads to longer rebounds at an early age, and players don’t learn proper rebounding techniques. Once they do learn correct techniques, playing time becomes more plentiful.
“If you’ve got a kid who can play defense and can rebound, he’s going to make a coach very happy,” Long said.
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