We all know there are levels to basketball. It's so fascinating to see it happen in real time. Today a former college player (let's call him Z) came to my weekly run. He was the smallest guy on the court but he made all the regulars look silly. When they picked the teams, I didn't know who he was. So our team looked very undersized and I thought they stacked the teams the other way. Boy was I wrong.

The guys who normally cook everyone (let's call them A and J) were matched up with Z and got smoked. A and J were visibly frustrated trying to get shots off. They normally hit shots from anywhere on the court, but they were putting up bricks cause their shots were altered. J is usually yapping the whole game but today he was silent, not a single line of trash talk. Z stole the ball from them several times.

Z outrebounded all the big men. He threw the most accurate yet easy to catch cross court outlet passes I've ever received. He made me look like Randy Moss getting easy layups. If our team was down, it didn't matter. Z would just pull up from NBA 3 point range a couple times and we'd be right back in it. Or he would drive, do some footwork and hit an easy mid range. Best of all, he got all of our teammates involved and everyone was having fun. Needless to say, our team won all 8 games LoL.

So I've been playing ball for quite a while, and the biggest complaint I get is that people think contact on D is a foul. I understand that the rules of the game have changed a bit, but it's extremely annoying to have young cats call fouls all the time for a little physicality. Next thing you know they are calling a flagrant one. I was taught to never allow the easy basket, like ever.

The latest episode of scheduling changes surrounding the Atlanta Dream's WNBA Finals home games has reached a resolution.

State Farm Arena will host the WNBA Finals game on Thursday at 12:30 p.m. (ET) between the Dream and the Golden State Valkyries, the WNBA announced.

The Atlanta Hawks were originally scheduled to occupy State Farm Arena at 7 p.m. (ET) on Thursday to play the Cleveland Cavaliers, but their game will move back to 8 p.m. to accommodate the double-header.

Read more here:
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7724536/2026/10/26/wnba-finals-game-6-state-farm-arena/?unlocked_article_code=1.LlE.hAFL.tWbAcA7l_oLX&source=emp_shared_article&smid=url-share-ta

Something I keep coming back to when I’m talking with young players is how they carry
themselves when things aren’t going their way.
You miss a layup. You lose the ball trying your weaker hand. Your teammate makes a bad pass.
What happens next?

I want coaches teaching that part too. Give the kid a simple next action: get back, find your player,
talk on defense, encourage your teammate. Don’t leave them standing there replaying the
mistake.

And we’ve got to give them room to try things. If every failed attempt gets them embarrassed or
immediately pulled out, why would they take a risk the next time?

With an eight-year-old, I’d keep it simple: try the move, make a mistake, try again. With an older
player, we can talk through the decision. What did you see? What could you do differently?

I don’t need every kid to be loud or smiling all practice. Some kids are quiet. I care about whether
they stay involved and how they treat the people around them.

Getting good takes time, effort and a lot of days where you don’t look good yet. Stack those days.

That includes recovery and having a life outside basketball.
Coaches and parents, what helps a kid try again instead of shutting down?

Hi all.

Been a basketball fan a long time, but somehow I just noticed something. Was watching the Timberwolves and saw that Lamelo seemed to be taking quite a few steps between picking up his dribble and throwing lobs.

I know there's not technically an illegal number of steps between dribbles, and sometimes there's hang dribbles...but .... if you don't put the ball down, isn't anything more than 2 steps a travel? Whether its a layup, shot or a pass, you just get your "gather"(now) and 2 steps right?

I know the refs aren't perfect and its part of the game to put on a show, but i am wrong? Also, is this common and im just now noticing it?

Daughter (freshman) has tryouts in a couple weeks for her high school team. Seems there are a million different drills for beginners starting out in the sport. What do you think is the best/most effective drills for beginners you would recommend working on with her to see her game improve over the next couple weeks as she looks to make her HS team.

She’s tall for her age (5’7”) and has only been actively working on her game for the past couple months. Any insight is appreciated.

Where are all yall big booty guys getting your basketball shorts? My fiance was wearing underarmour size L loose fit basketball shorts until something changed and now they all don’t fit right in the netherregions.

I swear I have bought and returned close to 20 different models and brands of basketball shorts.

HELP DESPERATE LIFE HELPER HERE

He’s an avid lifter and has larger quads and glutes. I’m knocking my head against a wall at this point because we’re now rewearing shorts to their fatal end. And the fishing shirt material kind of shorts are a no-no…. We like the old school, longer inseam basketball shorts. Millennial core.

THANK YOU IN ADVANCE.

Hello,
My son is a 6’7” basketball player in the Class of 2027 at a highly competitive public high school in Georgia. He already has some D3 and NAIA offers, but his high school coach believes he has the potential for higher-level opportunities.
His coach suggested hiring a professional recruiter who can actively contact college coaches, send highlight videos, and follow up, since he doesn’t have the time to do so himself.
Can anyone recommend a reputable and experienced professional who provides this type of service?
Thank you!

I started out basketball at 16, and during that time most of the students in my school were in the basketball team/ training extra class which you had to paid. I didn't join it, cause I had no money back then and my parents were reluctant to let me go. All my skills I currently have is pretty much from my own watching youtube videos, 2k, and playing at my local park.

It's been 4 years and I haven't really seen a major improvement and it's kinda discouraging. Never once I was the main player unless it was like a 2v2 against some uncs. Most of the time I am just the hustler, getting boards, shooting that open shots and pretty much that. I find pickup basketball at the park being a bad place to develop your skills as a complete beginner. In fact, I think basketball as a whole is pretty hard on beginners. Unless you went to some sort of training camp or team when you are a kid, you aint gonna improve cause pickup basketball as a whole are just filled with those type of players who went to training camps when they were a kid. Like you will always be relegated to a rebounder when playing. And it's also discouraging when people start getting angry when you miss putbacks or open shots when you only get like 5 chances while they get 20+ chances and it's ok for them to miss. Like it's so toxic for beginners, from my 4 years of playing, never once I see a beginner return after playing once at the park.

I just want to try and improve so people stop giving me dissapointed looks everytime I miss a shot, and a lot of times I don't really know what's going in their head, sometimes I will run in for a cut but then they decide to go for a 3 pointer and it kinda messes up my prediction whether I should just stand in the paint to better position myself for rebounds or position myself so i can get the ball. And they get angry when I don't try to attack but also get angry when I try to attack and miss or get block. The person defending me was a state player so why tf should I try to force my way in?

If I don't improve within a year I probably will quit and switch to pickleball cause I don't find any fun playing basketball and it's taking a toll on my health when I just want to have fun and relax after a stressful week and not get scolded or not appreciated when I got scratches all over my body trying to rebound, screen and do everything I can to help.

How was it? Can you tell me the good and the bad? I heard they fell off in the past couple years.

(Yes I know they’re scripted to win)

Ok.I posted last week about working with my grandson, a small guard with average athleticism.

We fooled around s bit with a runner and he really has a knack for it. I see virtually no other kids doing runners in his AAU games or on his own team.

I am not talking about a floater which is very difficult and low pct. I am talking a pure runner off the dribble, shooting the ball with his natural shooting motion in a nice high arch with rotation. Is there a reason very few kids are using the move? I think it is a good move for him with his skill set and athletic ability. Let’s assume he makes a good pct of them so the reason has to be something else. I realize it is easier to block than a pure floater but this is not the NBA .

I was a HS coach for 25 years and never taught it. I never use to watch the WNBA but I tuned in a few Valkyrie games simply to observe the skills being used because they are more relatable for youth basketball than the NBA. I noticed their point guard,Burton, made 2 real runners today. I know Steve Nash use to shoot this type runner and he was pretty good😁

Any enlightening thoughts would be greatly appreciated because I am truly uncertain about this.

Thanks

I recently have started playing basketball and playing pickups with randoms and after the game some people like to dap me up but idk what they tryna do after the dap. one guy squeeze my fingers in a weird way, another like wanted to I think tap elbows? idk, and then they look at me like all disappointed. I grew up in the surburbs ykwis im not streety

Which national basketball team do you think is better overall, the Philippines (Gilas Pilipinas) or South Korea?

I'm curious how the two compare in terms of individual talent, shooting, athleticism, defence, teamwork and overall performance.

If both teams played a best-of-7 series with their strongest available rosters, who do you think would win, and by how much?

So dudes can’t have open gym or basketball leagues anymore in town because people got into arguments and fought too much and ruined it for everybody

It’s insanely frustrating because the season pass was very affordable and convenient and now if I want an indoor gym in the winter it’s $80 a month at least or I have to sign up for an insanely competitive league where the team probably won’t even let me see the court despite my experience (they’re just much better)

It’s a kids game and dudes think it’s life or death and that they’ll make it in the league if they get their foul call or they just get too physical it’s so annoying

I know everyone is so talented that no lead is safe but I'm not exactly sure why. It's pretty insane how quickly it can happen to with like 7 minutes left in the game. I'm not sure if it's more of a recent thing or something that's always been the case. I feel it's more so recently since everyone shoots 3's now.

I F18 have been playing basketball for almost 2 years now, I mostly started because of my height, my parents are both very tall. I am now 6’5 (195cm) so I’m a pretty good height for a post player.

I know most people are ‘forced’ to play in the post because they’re tall, but I find it fun personally! I enjoy pushing people around and being physical. I also love the technical aspects of it, like when to use what footwork, when to pass out, when to screen. I also love getting assists, because it makes me feel a sense of satisfaction that the person that I assisted feels satisfaction that they’ve scored, and it was me that gave them that chance.

I would like to know how it feels to be a point guard, but I don’t think I’ll ever get the chance to find out, unless I become really athletic (which I’m working on) and be like Candace Parker or Breanna Stewart.

Thankyou for reading my ramble!☺️