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Martinelli

As an Ohio kid I grew up watching the great OSU teams. I remember seeing an interview with Lucas after he left college, and he told a story that went like this. He didn’t believe in boxing out; his strategy was to read where the ball was going or where it was likely to go based on where it was shot from. He would be in position and go to the rebound/ball and not worry about blocking someone out. In practice he would block out because that is what the coach wanted him to do, and so he did it as the team leader, but in the game it was completely different, and that is how he was such a dominant rebounder even though he was only average height for a center, and not a great jumper. It drives me crazy when I see a player shoot from the corner, but the players on the weak side do not position themselves for a shot that goes too long; instead they often move to the front of the basket …no no no!
Bill Russell had the same approach to rebounding. Did pretty well with it too.

GOUNUII
 
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My experience is really different. There's no shot clock here in Michigan, and most teams play slow, especially in the tournament, where games are often in the 30s. Even with the slower pace, lots of TOs and bad shots because of a lack of IQ and skill. Only 5%-6% of the players you see will make it to the next level.

Interesting. Perhaps regional differences? I live in the DC area and teams have a fair amount of skill and athleticism typically. Of course, not all teams play the same. What I am saying is that players tend to error on the side of aggressiveness and most teams play fast paced offensive ball. A game in the 30's is non-existent. I think this approach is entertaining and requires greater skill but like I said it doesn't give a lot of value to possessing the ball and minimizing turnovers. Usually 1-2 players on each team go on to some level of college ball.
 
Yep, and I like Barnhizer, but he has a long way to go to reach the Jerry Lucas level.
Lucas was as big a phenom coming out of Middletown HS in his day as Lebron was years later in Akron. He likes to tell the story of being recruited by Adolph Rupp and UK. It's a short story. Adolph shows up with an attitude of "this is the best/luckiest day of your life. I want you to play for me at UK." Expecting an immediate and joyful commitment, Adolph was instead shown the door. A swift and certain rejection by the teenager who was wise and confident beyond his years.

GOUNUII
 
Lucas was as big a phenom coming out of Middletown HS in his day as Lebron was years later in Akron. He likes to tell the story of being recruited by Adolph Rupp and UK. It's a short story. Adolph shows up with an attitude of "this is the best/luckiest day of your life. I want you to play for me at UK." Expecting an immediate and joyful commitment, Adolph was instead shown the door. A swift and certain rejection by the teenager who was wise and confident beyond his years.

GOUNUII
Lucas is a very smart guy. You might recall that while he was with the Knicks he spent a good bit of time memorizing the Manhattan telephone directory. If I remember correctly, he lost interest somewhere around the "M"s.
 
Roper adds a third hustle scrappy to the line up. Next years team may not win a lot but like Rutgers a couple years ago will be a team worth rooting for. Also like the post on rebounding. Boxing out is great but it is getting the ball is going that matters. Ty Berry gets 4.7 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game. Decent contribution as he has a nose for that.
 
Bill Russell had the same approach to rebounding. Did pretty well with it too.

GOUNUII
If you play, you know that works limitedly. As a guy that did the dirty work, on rebound, I could and did watch trajectory and used my quickness and leap to try to tip balls. But rarely did I get to an uncontested spot where the ball was coming.

But weak side sideline shots I lived on. Til late in game when the shots would more often fall short.
 
Bill Russell had the same approach to rebounding. Did pretty well with it too.

GOUNUII
Btw, old school boxing out annoys the f out young guys. It’s an old skill and I have drawn a zillion calls in my pick leagues doing just that.
 
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Speaking of boxing out clowns can we get some people in MN's face before games start so he's plays angry starting games... like Charles Barkley angry. I would have sacrificed my firstborn to have his size and play ball... that full court press he took the ball down and shrugged off whoever that was and threw it down is my favorite sports highlight of '23... also Martinelli has game.
 
Did Martinelli take ballet? That was one hell of a move at the end of the half.
I did in grade school along with gymnastics. My mother thought it would provide a good foundation to build around. And I never broke a bone as a kid - I learned how to take a fall.

I suspect your question was tongue in cheek, but I have always encouraged my friends w kids to follow that path. Worked for me.
 
I did in grade school along with gymnastics. My mother thought it would provide a good foundation to build around. And I never broke a bone as a kid - I learned how to take a fall.

I suspect your question was tongue in cheek, but I have always encouraged my friends w kids to follow that path. Worked for me.
I did not play football in high school, but I went to a high school known as a football powerhouse in Cincinnati. One winter, I was trying to do some strength and conditioning training to help with a sore knee and so I went through the winter workout program with our football team. As part of that, they had all the guys doing ballet for part of the program each day. This was in the mid-80s. It was kind of funny to be in a gym with a group of large guys and hearing all the knees crack as they did their deep knee bend moves.
 
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I did in grade school along with gymnastics. My mother thought it would provide a good foundation to build around. And I never broke a bone as a kid - I learned how to take a fall.

I suspect your question was tongue in cheek, but I have always encouraged my friends w kids to follow that path. Worked for me.
Honestly, if I were a coach/parent of a serious high school athlete, I would send the kid to dance/ballet/martial arts school in the offseason.
 
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I did in grade school along with gymnastics. My mother thought it would provide a good foundation to build around. And I never broke a bone as a kid - I learned how to take a fall.

I suspect your question was tongue in cheek, but I have always encouraged my friends w kids to follow that path. Worked for me.
My question was jovial in nature, but it was half-serious. I recognize the skills involved and how they would translate.
 
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The small leagues do. Union League Club, Y, Spirt and Social, etc. I call it pick up cuz there are no practices and I often play with several guys I don’t know outside the games.
Yeah, that's what I'm used to. We always worked on the honor system; players call their own fouls.
 
Honestly, if I were a coach/parent of a serious high school athlete, I would send the kid to dance/ballet/martial arts school in the offseason.
I’d go a step further HJ - even non future D1 athletes - learning how to fall is huge. And not naturally picked up. Knock on wood, besides no broken bones, no acls or other bad injuries. And I wasn’t a quite, dormant child.
 
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Yeah, that's what I'm used to. We always worked on the honor system; players call their own fouls.
True pick up games go that way too. And the boxing out - well, let’s say the younger generation doesn’t appreciate it and often doesn’t know or try to fight out of it.
 
As an Ohio kid I grew up watching the great OSU teams. I remember seeing an interview with Lucas after he left college, and he told a story that went like this. He didn’t believe in boxing out; his strategy was to read where the ball was going or where it was likely to go based on where it was shot from. He would be in position and go to the rebound/ball and not worry about blocking someone out. In practice he would block out because that is what the coach wanted him to do, and so he did it as the team leader, but in the game it was completely different, and that is how he was such a dominant rebounder even though he was only average height for a center, and not a great jumper. It drives me crazy when I see a player shoot from the corner, but the players on the weak side do not position themselves for a shot that goes too long; instead they often move to the front of the basket …no no no!
As a Knick fan , here is an interesting bit of Jerry Lucas trivia-he memorized the NYC phone book!!
 
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Do not underestimate the amount of dubious coaching in the pre-college ball. Didn’t HJ post about his kid facing a zone in middle school ball?. I was horrified by the lack of basic fundamentals
My HS team finished a few games above .500 but managed to be the only team to beat the eventual Group IV state champion. How a team could be mediocre with 7 D1 scholarship players reflects on the coaching. Here is a list of the colleges that players received scholarships from:
1. Wake Forest
2. Florida State
3. Memphis State
5, Duquesne-eventual leading scorer in school history
6. American
7. Catholic
 
Honestly, if I were a coach/parent of a serious high school athlete, I would send the kid to dance/ballet/martial arts school in the offseason.
My brother in law started for Michigan at OT. Played in the Rose Bowl in the late 60.
Got an offer from Dallas but choose to go the Stanford Law on a boxing scholarship. Point of the story is he took Ballet and said it was the most demanding physical disciplines he encountered.
 
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I did in grade school along with gymnastics. My mother thought it would provide a good foundation to build around. And I never broke a bone as a kid - I learned how to take a fall.

I suspect your question was tongue in cheek, but I have always encouraged my friends w kids to follow that path. Worked for me.

My mother made me take up ice-skating and clarinet lessons. She thought it would provide a good foundation for me and keep me out of trouble. I soon took up smoking, breaking large industrial neon lights in dumpsters, and throwing rocks at freight trains.
 
My mother made me take up ice-skating and clarinet lessons. She thought it would provide a good foundation for me and keep me out of trouble. I soon took up smoking, breaking large industrial neon lights in dumpsters, and throwing rocks at freight trains.
Hah. We used to find long fluorescent tubes in a dumpster, in the ally, behind my house on the South Side. We loved throwing them against a brick wall like spears and watching them almost magically disintegrate into almost nothing.
 
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My brother in law started for Michigan at OT. Played in the Rose Bowl in the late 60.
Got an offer from Dallas but choose to go the Stanford Law on a boxing scholarship. Point of the story is he took Ballet and said it was the most demanding physical disciplines he encountered.
Have you ever seen the training competitive rowers go through? If your not into discovering one new pain threshold after another, you won’t last long.

GOUNUII
 
Hah. We used to find long fluorescent tubes in a dumpster, in the ally, behind my house on the South Side. We loved throwing them against a brick wall like spears and watching them almost magically disintegrate into almost nothing.

I may have been a Vandal, but I wasn't an ecovandal.
 
Hah. We used to find long fluorescent tubes in a dumpster, in the ally, behind my house on the South Side. We loved throwing them against a brick wall like spears and watching them almost magically disintegrate into almost nothing.

I may have been a Vandal, but I wasn't an ecovandal.
Man it was a different world then. Kids played outside and had to make up their own entertainment. We did a lot of stupid shit growing up and somehow survived.
 
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Have you ever seen the training competitive rowers go through? If your not into discovering one new pain threshold after another, you won’t last long.

GOUNUII
His daughter rowed for Seattle Pacific and she was massive at that time. At 5'11, I was worried that she would never have a feminine body again but now at age 55 she is very trim and my beautiful little (but tall) girl again. But yes rowers are awesome.
 
My mother made me take up ice-skating and clarinet lessons. She thought it would provide a good foundation for me and keep me out of trouble. I soon took up smoking, breaking large industrial neon lights in dumpsters, and throwing rocks at freight trains.
Trainspotting
 
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