Be Feared in the Court

I can honestly say when I use to play basketball I was feared on the courts I played. Just ask the people who I went up against on the island of Maui.

I can recall arguments of who was going to defend me. Don’t get me wrong, there were some guys that would step up to the challenge. But when the game was on the line, I was going to find a way to get a good shot at the basket.

The defensive side is where I could make life hell on someone. You didn’t want to dribble the ball loosely around me or I would get a hand on it. And being blessed with decent jumping ability and timing made shooting over me difficult.

I took it personal if you tried to score on me. Guys that wanted to show off their handle would be disappointed because it was hard to shake me. In a pick up game, I would usually get 2 to 3 steals for lay-ups.

Another reason I was feared was my endurance. I could run the court all night and wear opponents down. If I got the defensive rebound I was usually pushing the ball before the defense could set up. It was like running through an obstacle course on my way to basket.

I wasn’t the tallest guy. I probably would say I looked like a six foot Charles Barkley. Post ups and pull up jump shots was where I made my living. Hakeem And Jordan were the players I patterned my game after. I always watched how they got the shots they wanted.

If I can pass along one offensive shot that got me to college it was the bank shot. All I had to do was get to my spots and I could reel off 2 to 4 buckets in a row. Sometimes I would hit so many bank shots, some players thought of it as cheating. But it didn’t stop me.

So the next time you play a pick up game, be the one nobody likes to guard or have defending them. The harder you can make it for an opponent, the better your chances are to win.