Advantage Disadvantage by Yale Jaffe Page B

in
this environment. Over time, yes, but right now they’re rigid.”
    Jonathon said, “Folks, we’ve got no choice.”
    “Daddy, this is really generous of you. Marcus you
need a rest anyway. It is only a temporary thing. What do you think
hun?”
    “I guess there is no alternative. OK,” the dejected
Security and Compliance Manager said.

Chapter Eight. Fixing Jamal’s Game

    Jamal arrived at his first NAU practice dressed to
play, all six foot two inches. He was nervous and unsure that he
could hang with these boys. Some of them started with Battle‘s team
in fifth grade. They were way ahead of Jamal as he climbed the
learning curve of understanding Coach Battle’s playbook: he liked
to pressure opponent’s full court, double team the ball everywhere,
and fast break always. Most city teams earned the stereotypical
reputation by playing an up-tempo game, while suburban teams
attacked more deliberately.
    “C’mon over Jamal, let me introduce you to your new
teammates.”
    The boys surprised Jamal by the friendly reception
the other boys gave him. He towered over all of the players. They
were happy to get a big center on the team. He was ready to play,
but Coach Battle had other things in mind.
    “Jamal, go in the locker room and put on your
swimsuit. Find the door to the pool. You’ll be working in the pool
with our shooting coach for the next three or four practices.”
    Jamal was in shock. He wanted to begin practicing
with the other kids. He hung his head down and shuffled into the
locker room towards the pool. When the pool door flung open, the
shivering, lanky six foot two inch awkward boy stepped out. The
assistant coach called Jamal over.
    “We are going to fix your shot. It is going to take
practice, and if you work hard in the next couple of days, you will
be on the road to becoming a pure shooter. Coach Battle likes many
things about you, but he hates the way you shoot – you have a
terrible habit of hoisting the ball from your hips. You throw it,
but in here you are going to learn to shoot it.”
    A good jump shot starts with proper foot placement
and balance. This is important to getting one’s shoulders square to
the basket. Most shooters focus on the back of the rim. The ball
starts on top of the shooting hand, off the palm and on the
fingertips. The player should hold the ball directly above his
elbow. This was Jamal’s major flaw in his shot. He hurled the ball
from his waist. Although the amount of desired backspin is subject
to debate among coaches, it generally helps the aerodynamics of the
flight of the ball. In addition, on impact, the backward spin slows
the ball down and increases the shooter’s margin of error.
    Marcus looked on in amazement as Jamal stood in the
five-foot water. A poolside basketball backboard and ring was set
up near the edge of pool. The ring setup measured the regulation
height of ten feet from the bottom of the pool near Jamal to the
hoop. It dawned on Marcus that from his position in the pool, his
son could not lower the ball to his hips to use his bad shooting
habit. The coach had Jamal shoot standing flatfoot in the water for
the entire hour and half practice. Jamal was frustrated because he
was shooting baskets from only a few feet away. He heard the rest
of the team as they ran into the locker room after the team
practice ended. Marcus understood the strategy – they were
rebuilding his son’s shots from the most basic fundamental building
blocks. In the pool, Jamal could not lower the ball below his chest
while shooting. “Brilliant,” he thought.
    The coach told Jamal to come out of the water. He
told him to practice holding a ball with his elbow bent at a
ninety-degree angle, pretending that water was up to his armpit.
They would break him of his hoisting habit, or he would not play on
the team.
    ***
    “Dad, I don’t want to play on this team anymore. I’m
the best player on the middle school team already. Shooting in the
pool is bullshit,” he