Jefferson: Glossary

Jefferson Lions Basketball

Glossary

BE AN ATHLETE – What you should do when the play falls apart or you find yourself in an unscripted situation on the basketball floor.  Use your natural abilities, whether you are strong or fast or a good dribbler or jumper, use that skill to get into a more comfortable situation.  Being an athlete gets you closer to being a GREAT PLAYER.

CHIN-IT – The action that will save many turnovers and win games, placing the ball beneath the chin holding it tightly with both hands with elbows out.  This should be used whenever the ball is out of control or you are out of control or you are double-teamed and panicked.  Should be followed with a pivot or two.

CONSISTENCY – The difference between winning five games by four points and losing the same number by the same margin.  Also known as the difference between GREAT TEAMS and bad teams.  Also known as a ridiculous attention to detail, and the one skill that will serve you most when you finish playing basketball.

THE CYCLOPS – The one eyed creature from mythology who bears a striking resemblance to the middle of the floor.

CYLON – The way a player holding or dribbling the ball should look beyond the player guarding her.  Cylons were robots from the TV show Battlestar Galactica, and they had a single eye that moved back and forth reading everything.  If you haven’t fallen asleep yet and want to know more, go here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cylon_(Battlestar_Galactica)

THE GHETTO – This is the area around the court about three feet away from the sideline and each end line, and on the offensive side of the mid-court line.  Like visiting the ghetto at midnight, bad things are going to happen here.  You might get pretty messed up, so avoid these areas and definitely don’t park here.  You’ll lose more than your hubcaps.

GREAT PLAYER – What wins games, not great plays.  Great players work to improve their game and make players around them better.  Great players know when to work within the system and when to BE AN ATHLETE.

GREAT TEAM – A great team hates to lose.  A great team expects to win, and understands that it’s always better to win than it is to lose.  Great teams play with CONSISTENCY and WORK HARD-ER to get the job done.  Great teams handle adversity with unity.

INTENSITY – Concentrated effort.  The ability to stay focused at any given moment on the task at hand, whether it be dribbling, shooting, defending. 

JAIL – The area beneath the basket where you want to put a player in order to score.

THE LIBRARY – The spot on the court at the center of the free throw line where you take a player to read her.  If she is playing you high, take her higher and cut backdoor.  If she is playing you low, take her lower and cut high.

MAGIC GUN – On the show 24, and just about any good action TV show or movie worth its salt, the main character, in this case Jack Bauer, never runs out of bullets.  When the bad guys try to stop him, he can put 8 bullets in the wall, run across the hall shooting 8 more bullets, then empty his gun with 30 bullets at the bad guy.  Be like Jack Bauer and carry a MAGIC GUN.  Have so many different moves, that it seems like nobody can stop you.

POST POSITION – Elbow placed in the business area of the player, roughly between the chest and the chin, hand in the face – called the post side – opposite hand stretched out as a target – called the target side.  Move your post side hip in that direction while maintaining the target.  Switch if the player moves behind.  Always show ten toes, two shoulders, and two palms to the ball.

THE PROMISED LAND – The place where Moses was taking the Jews after captivity.  Also the place where scoring takes place, sometimes called the goal or basket or hoop.

SHOOTING FORM – Balanced stance, shooting leg very slightly in front (maybe 3 inches), elbow extended from the shoulder but no higher than the shoulder with your hand in front of your elbow in a line with your shooting foot and hip.  Ball should rest comfortably on all fingers with your middle finger in the center of the ball, leaving a small space between the ball and the thick of your palm.  From this position, bend and extend your legs while you snap your elbow allowing your wrist to follow through and point all four fingers at the basket.  Retrieve ball from the hoop and repeat.

SHOW BIG – Taking up as much space as possible while facing the ball.  This action discourages passing and driving into you area.  This is a good thing.

SKINNY & FAT – The way a player should go for a rebound.  Up skinny (like Coach Zeigler) and down fat (like *enter name of player here*).  See also STREAK.

STREAK – (from Stuff!)

WHITE – The Australian term for weight used by Coach Phil Brown of the University of Oregon.  Getting your white down means that you lower your center of gravity by getting your rear end closer to the ground.

WORK HARD-ER – Everyone knows that they have to work hard in a game.  In fact, it’s insulting when a coach tells you to work hard, because you already are.  Just playing in a full speed varsity basketball game is hard work.  But to be successful, you must work hard-er.  The difference is two letters and effort beyond what is comfortable.