AJC > Sports > Highschools > Blog > Archives > 2007 > January > 16 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USArt of shooting is lost
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Here’s a truth: I could step onto a basketball court right now, at 45, and shoot better than most of the players in high school today. Really. And there’s something really wrong with that.
The culture of crossover dribbling and dunking over someone continues to sully a game in which the object is to put the ball into the basket. The pure shooters of the basketball are quite difficult to locate, far more scarce than in the last decade.
There is a Chris Allen of Meadowcreek here and a Lance Storrs of Columbia there, reliable outside shooters. And surely there are others around the state. But not a lot.
The perimeter marksmen have fallen by the wayside, about the same time baggy shorts came in vogue.
Coaches want athletic kids who can get up and down the court and who can finish on the break. Up-tempo ball creates the opportunity for easier baskets, which is great because making an open jump shot seems to get more and more difficult.
Coaches also work on shooting a lot in practice. It’s just that making the crowd scream with a crossover or dunk is far more appealing today than it was in years past.
This mindset is not ruining the game; high school basketball is wonderful. But the obsession with pleasing the crowd is not helping the game, either.
Permalink | Comments (13) | Post your comment | Categories: Curtis Bunn
Comments
By FASST
January 16, 2007 01:36 PM | Link to this
The reason the art of shooting is lost is because, they need to take the 3 point line out of the game. If you look back in the day, we didnt need a 3 point line, and you had to learn how to shoot at any point of the court.
By kevin
January 16, 2007 03:05 PM | Link to this
bullsh@t i think your lying
By bluedevils50
January 16, 2007 09:09 PM | Link to this
Whatever happened to free throws??? If you can hit 80% of your free throws, you can win a lot more games!
By G. Curry
January 16, 2007 11:38 PM | Link to this
Well Mr. Bunn, I had the fortune of seeing a young man named Connor Nolte in the Deep South Classic. He is a senior at Milton, and while he does not shoot the ball like Chris Allen or Lance Storrs, you better not lose him on the court. He is 6’6, left-handed, and puts the ball on the floor very well. Check him out and let me know what you think.
By Coach Ron LInk
January 17, 2007 09:39 AM | Link to this
There is one right here at Cedar Shoals, Chris Kupets who is averaging 28.9 pts. per game and 89.5 F.T%. He is a “basketball work-aholic” and probably gets that work ethic from his two sisters who are the Georgia gymnastic duo from last yrs. national championship.
Chris is an outstanding passer, ballhandler and shooter. He has broken almost all of my shooting records for one minute drills and I have been keeping them since the late ‘80’s. He can’t dunk consistantly…and I’m glad…I’ll take a 3 over a 2 any time, anyday.
Coach Ron Link 38 Year of Coaching
By Richard Diamond
January 17, 2007 10:09 AM | Link to this
This article is right on the money. Most kids don’t want to take the time to practice sound shooting mechanics. While athleticism is important to the game, a good shooter can dismantle an opponent fairly quickly. There are so many distractions today for a kid and practicing shooting 300 to 400 times per day under the watchful eye of a good shooting teacher is considered boring. And, there are many coaches who do not understand how to teach shooting or what is important to be successful long term.
By kory
January 17, 2007 10:40 AM | Link to this
If you want to see a pure shooter, come to Wheeler High School in Martietta , Georgia, and watch a kid named Adrian Williams who knows how to light it up. He just recently had nine 3’s in the first half of a basketball game against Lassiter High School. He ended up with eleven 3’s total and broke the Cobbb County record for 3’s in a game!
By Dream
January 17, 2007 10:43 AM | Link to this
Hey Mr. Bunn, you need to check out some of the kids over there at Stockbridge High School in Henry County.They have a senior over there name Taylor who will shoot your team out, he is a pure shooter. They also have a freshman point guard name Adonis Durden who has a very promising future in basketball.He posses a great all around game both offense and defense.
By H2F
January 17, 2007 01:24 PM | Link to this
Granted, I haven’t seen many good teams this season, but the quality of players is down tremendously.
If a team shoots outside at all, it’s almost always a three. Mid-range jumpers are a thing of the past. More accurately, jumping is a thing of the past. Very few leap for rebounds and even less jump shoot. Most shoot flatfooted.
Unless they dunk. And ashamedly around here, that’s the only reason a crowd will get to its feet. Doesn’t matter the score, if there is a dunk both sides whoop and holler.
I think the main issue is that no players work beyond practice. When is the last time you saw a lone teenager shooting at an outside goal?
Video games are to blame, but the death of rural America is, too. You used to have schools in such places as Adrian, Jakin, Sandy Springs, Hahira, Cohutta, etc.
Now we have 2,500+ kids in high schools that have 15 uniforms. Midville once won a state title in the 1960s when 15 of its 25 total high school males played.
I believe if we had smaller schools, more kids would come out for the teams, more would have the chance to play, and we might discover more talent. Some of Georgia’s top scorers in the 1960s came from Class C schools.
By bball
January 17, 2007 10:10 PM | Link to this
white kids dont play much as used to as far as minutes or schemes… Whiteys can flat out shoot it, but thats not the game anymore, kids are too long and athletic and can get to rim at will
By lazyboy
January 18, 2007 07:41 AM | Link to this
Right on target with Chris Allen. Had 45 tuesday.Had 10 threes on 14 attempts. Could have easily had 50 sat half of 2nd qtr. Missed a l,ot of 3rd due to cut. Easily best in Ga. Cant be 5 better guards in country.
By Same Guy
January 18, 2007 08:43 AM | Link to this
I think the worse thing that has happened to basketball is AND1. Kids watch the fancy dribbling and throwing balls off people’s heads and that is what the imitate. The fundamentals of the game are starting disappear. Why are shooters getting more rare? I blame AND1 and the me first society. The crowd does not ooh and aah when someone makes a 3. You want to see basketball that you talk about before the baggy pants, watch the girls play.
By Carl Anderson
January 18, 2007 09:12 AM | Link to this
A yo, this kory kid is right. You need to come to Wheeler High School. This kid Adrian is great! 11-14 from three point land. They also have a freshmen (Phil Taylor) who will be something to watch over the next 4 years. And if you want to see some more great shooters wait until the 4th quarter and check out Kory Jones and Mikal Lewis who both come in and can stroke it from downtown!!