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Rock Chalk Talk: Basketball
Anything pertaining to basketball: college, pro, HS, recruiting, TV coverage
Anything pertaining to basketball: college, pro, HS, recruiting, TV coverage
The lost art of the (KU) alley-oop
- konza63
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8 years 9 months ago - 8 years 9 months ago #3275
by konza63
“With kindest regards to Dr. Forrest C. Allen, the father of basketball coaching, from the father of the game.”
1936 inscription on the portrait of Dr. Naismith, displayed above Phog Allen's office desk at KU.
As I watched two more botched alley-oop attempts by KU tonight, I found myself thinking...
When was the last time I saw a really pretty, scintillating, and foe-demoralizing alley-oop by KU?
I'm dead serious. Years ago, we made that play look so simple, effortless, and graceful. When you do it well, particularly at home, it can be one of the most crowd-pleasing, frenzy-inducing plays in the sport. It can stem an opponent's momentum and put the swagger behind one's own team.
But this squad can't pull off an alley-oop to save its soul. They have botched literally dozens of them this year. Dozens! It's almost always the passer's fault, with passes that are nowhere near the rim or leading the dunker to same. We wind up with some oddly contorted move where the potential dunker has to come down and catch the ball and fling up an off-kilter layup, or misses the slam because he can't get his hands properly on the ball.
It's baffling. Kids love to perfect their alley-oops in practice and show off with them. But we've forgotten how to do it.
I want Turgeon and Calvin Thompson back!
(Or any of the KU player combos in the intervening 25+ years who knew how to perform this awesome basketball move)
When was the last time I saw a really pretty, scintillating, and foe-demoralizing alley-oop by KU?
I'm dead serious. Years ago, we made that play look so simple, effortless, and graceful. When you do it well, particularly at home, it can be one of the most crowd-pleasing, frenzy-inducing plays in the sport. It can stem an opponent's momentum and put the swagger behind one's own team.
But this squad can't pull off an alley-oop to save its soul. They have botched literally dozens of them this year. Dozens! It's almost always the passer's fault, with passes that are nowhere near the rim or leading the dunker to same. We wind up with some oddly contorted move where the potential dunker has to come down and catch the ball and fling up an off-kilter layup, or misses the slam because he can't get his hands properly on the ball.
It's baffling. Kids love to perfect their alley-oops in practice and show off with them. But we've forgotten how to do it.
I want Turgeon and Calvin Thompson back!
(Or any of the KU player combos in the intervening 25+ years who knew how to perform this awesome basketball move)
“With kindest regards to Dr. Forrest C. Allen, the father of basketball coaching, from the father of the game.”
1936 inscription on the portrait of Dr. Naismith, displayed above Phog Allen's office desk at KU.
Last Edit: 8 years 9 months ago by konza63.
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- Hawknmo
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8 years 9 months ago #3362
by Hawknmo
RKCKJHK!!!
Excellent question!!! The team I used to watch used to get 1 or 2 a game on OOB plays. Where is that?
Personally, I'll take a Vaughn/LaFrentz ooper anytime.
RKCKJHK!!!
Personally, I'll take a Vaughn/LaFrentz ooper anytime.
RKCKJHK!!!
RKCKJHK!!!
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- NotOstertag
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8 years 9 months ago #3369
by NotOstertag
"When I was a freshman, I remember Coach Naismith telling us how important it was to play good defense." - Mitch Lightfoot
...and it's not just this year. I think it goes back 2-3 years at this point to the point where it's no longer "automatic". Go back 5-6 years and they never seemed to be botched, and now it seems like it's at best a 50/50 proposition.
Agree that it appears to be the passer's problem. Are we no longer teaching it? Did we ever? I'd theorize that maybe defenses are better at recognizing it and thwarting it, but it doesn't seem like other teams I see are botching them (I have no data other than my eyeballs).
Agree that it appears to be the passer's problem. Are we no longer teaching it? Did we ever? I'd theorize that maybe defenses are better at recognizing it and thwarting it, but it doesn't seem like other teams I see are botching them (I have no data other than my eyeballs).
"When I was a freshman, I remember Coach Naismith telling us how important it was to play good defense." - Mitch Lightfoot
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