I started
consistently playing pickup basketball when I moved to Champaign in 2014. This
was when I first gained access to the Stephens family YMCA, more commonly known
as “the Y”. During the school year, you can find me at the Y Friday night, all
day on Saturday, and all day on Sunday. When school’s out, I’m pretty much at
the Y for 6 hours a day (Sidenote: I’m mostly playing basketball during those
hours, but I can also be found lifting weights, waiting for a court to open, or
trying to talk to some girl that’s out of my league). I truly feel like it has made
me a better basketball player in a way that no drill, film review, or workout
routine can. However, my friends and I have noticed that kids are really
straying away from pickup games. People from my grade play pickup at the park
or the Y, and so does the grade above us. Even college students and adults are
seen often at the Y playing a game or two. But it’s rare for us to see a
freshman or sophomore that’s serious about playing pickup.
Now, what do I
mean by “serious”? 98.765% of pickup basketball players have, at some point, argued
about how seriously a game should be taken. Since there’s no clear “reward” for
winning the game, it’s hard to determine how much effort should go in. You
should never play a pickup game like your life depends on it. Then you risk
injury and, if you’re playing pickup basketball to get better for the actual competitive
season, an injury isn’t helping you at all. You also shouldn’t feel like you’re
dragging your team down. You shouldn’t be letting your man, the guy/girl (because
it’s 2017) you’re guarding, score with ease each time down the court. As a
general rule, be a role player. Score where you can. Don’t let your man score.
Pass more than you shoot.
I could talk for
weeks about pickup basketball, but at this point, you’re probably just hoping
that I would find a synonym for “pickup”. You may even be considering buying a
new pickup truck. If so, stop by the Y on your way to the dealership. You may
even see yours truly.
Pickup sounds fun! I love basketball but I have absolutely no skills. In rock climbing, sometimes groups of people come together and work on bouldering problems together. It's a great way to train and I love the social aspect of it. It sounds similar to pickup!
ReplyDeleteI agree with the comment above. I don't play pickup basketball but I do go to "Turf" (the university soccer turf fields). I play random half field games with people i have never met and it really helps, plus it's always great to spend the afternoon doing something you love.
ReplyDeleteI thought this was an interesting and fun post. As someone who doesn't really play basketball, I had no idea that pickup was a thing that people did, and I thought you did a good job describing it.
ReplyDeleteI thought this was an interesting post and you also asked a great question about how much effort you should put into a game of pickup basketball, which is something I have asked my self before.
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