Courageous, Appalling ...... and Wrong?
Apparently there are others out there who are enamored with the variant of basketball played by the fairer sex. The following commentary trends toward the peach baskets and two handed set shot adoration espoused by the Power Line guys last Saturday. But in the interest of balanced coverage (and because I was referred to by one of these sites as an American Legend), here are excerpts of the other side’s view of women’s hoops:
Cold Spring Shops:
In a pig's eye. What St. Paul is describing is the defensive breakdown that men's basketball has degenerated into. For "slow and deliberate," substitute "moving without the ball and hitting the cutter," or "freeing the shooting guard for an open shot." Very few men's teams (unless they are coached by a Bennett) understand what these things mean. For "low standards of athleticism," substitute "presence of transition defense, precluding breakaway dunks by a bucket-hanger." Very few men's teams (same disclaimer) get this either. That leaves as "drama and excitement" the typical men's game (including in the NBA), characterized as 36 (or 44) minutes of no defense and individual improvisation, followed by 30 minutes to play the remaining four minutes, in which the leading team plays no defense and the trailing team commits fouls. To repeat, in a pig's eye.
The American Mind:
On one point, he's correct: women athletes shouldn't act as barbarian-like as men. But he disparaged the women's b-ball game too harshly. I rarely watch women's basketball, but I watched this year's Final Four with much enjoyment. These players were really good. The movement away from the ball was as good as the men's college game and far better than the NBA. The cuts to the basket were precise and effective even if they weren't as fast for Saint Paul's ("it actually appears as if they’re all playing under water") taste.
No comments:
Post a Comment