On Librarians and Point Guards

photo © 2010 U.S. Army | more info (via: WylioIt’s still March (barely), so I suppose it makes sense to talk basketball.

I confess that my knowledge of the game is limited to my experience watching my son Matt from the bleachers.

Here’s what I do understand. Matty has always played point guard.  He’s fast, but he was never the fastest kid on the court. He didn’t always score the most points.  Sometimes, he didn’t score points he could have scored because he was busy doing other things to make points happen.

One of my student teachers and I recently had a conversation about floor awareness.

How do you manage the space of the largest classroom in the school?

On a busy day, how do you encourage/nurture/control/coach the classes;  the study halls; the individual students who come in for help or to research, read, or produce media; the individual students who come in for study hall or lunch; the teachers who pop in spontaneously to plan (or chat or rant), the volunteers, the crises–technical, educational, and personal; the PDAs in the stacks that get a little too public or a little too affectionate; technologies that go up and down; and whatever else is going on.

It occurred to me that those busy days reminded me of the way Matt approached his game.

I found a definition and two lists relating to the duties and qualities of a point guard. According to Wikipedia,

a Point guard (PG), also called the play maker or “the ball-handler”, is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game . . .

. . .A true point guard’s job is to create scoring opportunities for his team. The role includes passing and running the offense: setting up plays on the court, getting the ball to the teammate that he feels is in the best position to score, and dictating the tempo of the game. This also means knowing when and how to instigate a fast break and when and how to initiate the more deliberate sets.

. . . passing skills, ball handling, and court vision are pivotal. Point guards are often evaluated more on their assist totals than on their scoring.

Randy Brown of the site CoachRB.com, lists eight skills as necessary for great point guards in a post on the SearchWarp writers’ community:

• Study and understand your teammates-The point guard more than anyone of the floor knows each of his teammates inside and out. He knows all roles on the team and makes it a priority to enhance each of their strengths. He knows how to put them into situations where each player can be successful. For example, a post player is instructed to post up on the blocks and not float out to the perimeter. His skills and ability will impact the team most by playing around the basket. Roles are crucial to good teams and the point guard can solidify the team unit with good leadership skills.
• Be the coach on the floor and in the locker room-A good point guard embraces his coach’s philosophy of the game and instills it on the floor. Knowing what the coach wants and does not want is a rare trait among players. For example, it a team’s philosophy is to shoot as many three point shots as possible, the point guard needs to get the ball in the shooter’s hands in scoring areas often. If the style of play is to push the ball up the floor, then the point guard needs to organize the break, push it hard, and attack the defense. The term “coach on the floor” belongs to great point guards.
• Earn the players trust– For a team to follow a leader, they must believe that he would do anything for them. Not only must he play extremely hard, but he can motivate teammates to do the same. Without confidence in your floor general, a team is left vulnerable.
• Set the tone in practice-Your point guard must understand how a successful practice is run and what the goal of practice is. By serving as a model, he can set the pace for a good practice. Conversely, when a leader is not willing to give it his all, the team will suffer by having a bad practice.
• Knowledge of each possible situation-Understanding what to do in every situations is the duty of a great point guard. He must know who is in the game and how he can set up teammates to be successful. Offensively, the game plan must be played out to perfection. Good shots, smart passes, and good screening are a must and can be dictated by the point guard. Point guards are responsible for knowing the time and score at all times, the importance of each possession, and control the tempo. He need to be aware of what is taking place and what needs to be accomplished on both ends of the floor. A good test is to watch a leader take over a game at winning time. When his team is out of time outs, the great players take over the does what it takes to win.
• Unselfishness-Many coaches interpret this to mean the point guard should not look to score. This is not the case, especially if scoring is a strength of your point guard. Unselfishness means that he will sacrifice his game at times to find better opportunities for teammates. Great point guards always make others on the floor better because of his presence.
• Defensive leadership-A great assist to a teammate for a layup is great, but can’t match the impact of solid defensive play. Defense wins games and by taking a charge or forcing a turnover, any player helps his team win. It is more difficult to inspire teams to play defense at times. Players love offense and tolerate defense. A great point guard can lead a team to take ownership of the defensive end of the floor.
• Handle success and defeat in perspective-Athletic competition is a constant flow of highs and lows. Young players are often greatly affected by the outcome of games. By developing a solid point guard, you will provide your team with a peer who can keep them grounded. Winning often breeds complacency in a team and a good point guard can keep success in perspective. Conversely, a loss can be tough on a team. Good point guards are able to pick up the team with his toughness and work ethic. This characteristic is the foundation of all great point guards.

Sportswriter and coach, Kurt Johnson, lists the Characteristics of a Point Guard in Women’s Basketball in an eHow post last year:

• Leadership: The point guard is an extension of the coach and must be the leader between the lines on the court. The ability to get teammates to follow her is key to the team’s success. A coach cannot come onto the floor to ensure that plays are executed properly, but he can rely on the point guard to lead in seeing that things flow as planned. Communication is the most critical aspect of leadership, and the point guard must be able to get messages to her teammates both verbally and non-verbally.
• Speed and Quickness: The point guard is typically the smallest and fastest player on the floor. Because of her need to get past opposing defenders and to guard the quickest player on the other team, it is necessary that she will have good lateral quickness at minimum in addition to straight forward foot speed.
• Good Court Vision: The point guard has to be able to see the big picture as it develops on the basketball floor. She has to have the vision and perception to see openings as they develop so that she can attack them before they disappear. Being a good point guard involves knowing where each of the other players (for both teams) are on the floor at all times, even if they are not in the direct line of sight.
• Calmness: One of the most critical characteristics of a point guard is a sense of calm as things are flying around her. A person who is prone to panic is likely not a good candidate to play the position. As teams pressure the ball handler, she must be control her dribble and keep her wits as she looks for the right pass to keep her team headed in the right direction.
• Unselfishness: The point guard distributes the ball first. Her responsibility is to create a good shot each time down the floor, for herself or more likely for a teammate. A good point guard knows when to dribble the ball, when to shoot, and more importantly when and where to pass the ball.
• Good Shooter: The best point guards are able to shoot the ball with good proficiency. Since she will have the ball in her hands a lot, she will be more effective if the defense is forced to respect her ability to shoot the ball. The ability to put the ball on the floor, drive to the basket and score, or the skill to drain a jump shot makes a point guard very difficult to defend.

The point guard in basketball is like an assistant coach, but even better because she gets to go out onto the floor to play the game. As the one who has the ball in her hands more than anyone else, she is the person most capable of setting the tone for the game. The point guard is not usually the team’s leading scorer, but if she were not there, that leading scorer would have a much more difficult time getting her points.

Filed under: teacher librarians