FanPost

Fighting through the pick

I'm gonna talk some hoops on the rant page.

Long ago, in a land far far away.....I had a coach that would absolutely not accept the switch on the pick and roll. "Fight through it, fight through it!" was his mantra. And we, at the expense of many hours, were taught how to get though it. This was gone over hundreds of times in practice in preseason and during the season. Of course, the center/power forward(or whoever was guarding the pick setter) was taught to pick up ball if necessary. but we, as guards, were never let off the hook and were always held responsible.

Why the cats can't get through the pick(at least a good percentage of the time) is beyond me. It starts with communication, and I know communication is a weak point for the cats, but your teammate just has to see his man rushing ball and yell "pick"(right, left, whatever). Easy to read way before it happens. Any big man should know, if the man you're guarding leaves the post and heads toward the top of the key, or toward ball, it's to set a pick. Especially, if he's not known for hitting the three. "Get there first!" was another mantra drilled into our heads. If you can get there before he sets it, it's a moving screen. Offensive foul.

We were taught to raise the leg above the pick setters knee, step through, and plant that ass right on his thigh and use it as a swivel to squeeze through(keep your back hand on your nuts, because they'll get crushed in the exchange, and you need your front hand to guard ball). The ref won't call a foul if you keep your hands off the ballhandler and the contact comes simultaneous with your ass on the picker. It's really hard to do, but it has to be done or you're going nowhere.

It's a lot of work, and it takes a lot of practice, but you can't allow the opponent to get an isolation with a point guard guarding the center on the switch. Or, in the cats case at times, nobody (or, even worse, Dakari)guarding the guard. That's exactly the mismatch the opponent is trying to create. Allow it, and you're doomed.

When we get this problem fixed, they'll have to keeps us in a cage, kid. We're gonna eat lightnin, and crap thunder!