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Sports Illustrated featured an article about Marvin Townsend, an AAU baseball coach from Chesapeake, Virginia titled "Virginia's Boy Wonders." The article talks about filling out a line-up card when teenagers David Wright (New York Mets), Mark Reyonolds (Arizona Diamondbacks), Ryan Zimmerman (Washington Nationals) and B.J. Upton (Tampa Bay Rays) played shortstop and all played for the same team.
This happens in youth sports all the time. At every level, the coach puts his best athletes at shortstop and pitcher, just as a football coach puts his best athletes at running back and quarterback and a basketball coach makes his best athlete his primary ball handler. However, as players progress, every player is a former "best athlete." Wright, Reyonolds and Zimmerman now play 3rd Base, while Upton is an outfielder. Many former quarterbacks move to wide receiver or defensive back.
In basketball, the "best athlete ball handler syndrome" hinders point guard development. Every coach wants a great point guard; point guard is basketball's magical position. However, so few point guards develop. I think this occurs for two reasons:
1. The best athlete who plays as the primary ball handler is also the team's best scorer. Coaches encourage the player to take the ball to the basket and to shoot often to give his team the best chance to win. The player relies on his athleticism and develops a scorer's mentality to win games.
2. We overlook the potential point guard because he appears timid when he receives the ball. His mentality is to create plays for other players. However, he may not see the ball consistently, due to the "star" ball handler, and when he does get the ball, he is not a gunner. He looks to set up a teammate. However, that is supposedly the star's role. The coach needs a player to shoot when the star draws 2-3 defenders and actually passes the ball.
When one player dominates the action, he is the one player receiving enough repetitions to develop perceptual skills. The other players do not develop as quickly because they do not get as many competitive repetitions to develop confidence in their skills, but also the experience necessary to develop their perceptual skills.
In baseball, it's an advantage because shortstops move to positions with fewer demands. However, when the best athletes converge in basketball, they share the same mentality. While a shortstop develops the arm strength to play 3rd Base or center field or the fielding ability necessary to play 2nd Base, the best athletes do not necessarily develop the mentality to be a point guard.
The personality and psychology of a shortstop and a 3rd Baseman is basically the same. However, the mentality, personality, psychology and role of a point guard differs from that of a scorer. When the best athletes converge, some make the transition to the point guard position; some embrace the role. However, many end up as combo guards, a euphemism for a shooting guard who is too small to be a shooting guard but who does not run the team well enough to be a point guard.
Developing more and better point guards is not a matter of doing more ball handling drills or trying to change short shooting guards when they transition to college basketball or the NBA. Instead, coaches must nurture perceptual skills in all players so the best athletes have a chance to transition to the point guard position. Also, we need to use different measures to identify talent at young ages. If a player with the right personality to play the position does not see enough court time or is cut an early age, a program loses a point guard. Programs often fear cutting a kid who could grow six inches and become a legit post player. But, we do not have that fear of cutting a player who could develop into the perfect point guard if given more experience or tutoring.
Rather than attempting to change an already successful player to a new position because of his height, like moving Monta Ellis or Jerryd Bayless to point guard just because he lacks the ideal height to play shooting guard, teams, especially at the youth levels where players are developing and have the potential to close the physical gaps with more training, should look to fill the role with another player or change their system. In Portland, Brandon Roy appears to have the personality to be a scorer and a playmaker, a lot like LeBron James. In Golden State, Stephen Jackson might be Don Nelson's ideal point-forward. In youth leagues, look for more than physical traits. Some players develop earlier than others, and a potential point guard might be a late bloomer. We need a better system for identifying talents, especially those rare talents which develop into point guards, and a better system for developing the perceptual skills characteristic of skilled or elite performers.
Brian McCormick is the Performance Director for Train for Hoops Train for Hoops is an online, individualized, progressive personal training program for basketball players. McCormick also started 180Shooter.com a site dedicated to assisting coaches and players with shooting development.
McCormick coached professional basketball in Europe and has coached youth, high school and college basketball in the United States. He is also a certified strength and conditioning coach.
McCormick has published nine books, including Cross Over: The New Model of Youth Basketball Development, Blitz Basketball and Hard2Guard: Skill Development for Perimeter Players. He lives in Irvine, CA where he trains players, assists coaches and consults with organizations.
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