#311 Below the Rim

There have been many articles this week regarding University of Connecticut women’s basketball coach Geno Auriemma’s comments on lowering the rim for women’s basketball. He says some players can’t shoot and miss layups, therefore slowing down the game and making it less interesting for fans. He suggests lowering the rim by about seven inches.

How about teaching players the fundamentals on how to shoot and make a layup? (And free throws while I'm on the subject of shooting.)  I feel like some coaches/players have gotten away from teaching/learning the basics and just want to go out and play and showboat. There is nothing wrong with sometimes just going out to play, but to be a complete player you must learn the fundamentals. Dribbling, passing, shooting. Even though I’m 6’6” and am close to the rim, it’s still an “art” and you have to use the box on the backboard. (Yes, that is what the box is for.)  And even as a center, I learned to dribble with my head up and learned how to pass to where my teammate is going, not to where they were. Simple fundamentals.


I hear many fans say they like the women’s game better because it’s played below the rim and is more about teamwork and fundamentals. If the rim is lowered, some players wouldn’t even bother with layups anymore and would resort to dunking, which doesn’t take that much skill and usually isn’t that exciting. (You’re tall. You jump and put a ball in the basket. How hard is that?)

Stick to the fundamentals and leave the rim where it is. 

#310 Big Ride

This happened last year, but I just came across this story about Shawn Bradley's bike being stolen.  And I thought I had a hard time finding a bike!