OS Basketball Players Thread.

[Nathan_OS]

It seems like alot of dudes play ball here on OS. Not sure how many do tho.

In this thread just state your stats or whatever. Height, weight position, how long you've been playing for., age, Highlight Videos... Stuff like that

So I'll start this off.

Jonathan Joseph
6'5 180 center (depends where I play, SF)
AGE : 16. Been playing since I was 11
Well coach always tells me don't dribble with no intention. Pretty good peace of advice there.

Post up!


Sent from my HTC Evo 3D

[Champion8877]

I haven't played for a team since Sophomore year(I'm a senior now)

When i did play though i was something like:
6'0
165
SF, but i would get played anywhere from SG to PF to whatever they needed.

Now I am 6'2 175-ish. Still play a lot of pickup games with friends and stuff, just nothing organized.

[Yeah...THAT Guy]

5'10" PG/SG at my high school.

I've always been a great shooter (ended up shooting around 50-55% from 3 point range in high school), and when I tried out for an AAU team from my area, the coach told me that I was the most skilled PG he had ever seen (I was 15 at the time and he was a college basketball coach at the time), but unfortunately, coaches grilled into me to always run the offense and stuff like that and I ended up turning into just a spot up shooter and if I didn't have an open look, I'd just dribble drive and kick out to someone. The head coach at my rival school tried to get me to transfer there to be the starting SG next to their All-County PG (Cito Culver, AKA 1st round pick of the NY Yankees; on a related note, their baseball coach also wanted me to be their starting short stop). That school went on to win sectionals my senior year, but I stayed at my school, didn't even play baseball, and rode the bench for my basketball team as we went something like 3-18 in a weaker division than that rival school. It's kinda complicated, and I can't get into my head coach's beliefs because it would violate TOS I think, but he got fired at the end of the year.

Now I'm at Syracuse University, where I play intramural hoops and pick-up games. I've finally started taking advantage of all my skills the past 2 months or so and I've pretty much been dominating the gym ever since (which by the way, feels AMAZING to finally be earning people's respect, because most people look at me and assume they can light me up). I've finally started to use my ball-handling skills to create my own shot off the dribble and it's really brought my game together because now I can pull up for 3 off the dribble, get by my man and pull up from the mid range, I've gotten really good at finishing around the rim despite my 5'10" 140 lb frame, and I've always been a good passer so I still look for cutters/kick outs when I drive. I'm pretty confident that I could walk onto the basketball team here if I wanted to (obviously wouldn't really play or anything, but I think I could be one of those white guys that plays the last couple minutes of blow outs lol). But I've realized that there's more important things in life and I'm way too competitive to settle for sitting the bench, but I know that's the best that I could hope for.

[Marino]

6'1" 205lbs, I played the 2 and 3. I am not a very good ball handler but I am a plus shooter and a solid rebounder. Never really played organized ball, but I was known in the gym and had the reputation at NCSU's gym as a sharpshooter.

[st0rmb11]

6'0" 165 (during my high school days)

6'0" 180 (during my college days)

I had a weird high school playing career.

I went up to varsity in 10th grade, and was relegated to the bench, and came in in short spurts as a 3 point specialist, but in my 4th game, I went off for 23 points on 6 of 8 shooting (4 of 6 from three, 7 of 9 from free throw line), and from then on, I was a starter. I spent the next month as a shooting guard, but after a game in January where I went for 34 points, and ended up having to run the point after our point guard got hurt, I was moved to starting point guard. I ended up averaging around 14 points my 10th grade year, and set a school record for three pointers in a game and in a season.

I fully intended to not play my junior year because the school re-hired the coach from the previous season, who we had gone 2-18 under, and was a complete *******. I was looking to transfer elsewhere to play, but due to South Carolina rules, I would have had to sit out 90 days). But, they fired him in mid-January, and the new coach allowed me to come out. I broke my ankle in one of my first practices, and didn't return until the tournament, where I had 19 points & 7 assists in a first round loss.

My senior season, we had the same coach who had taken over the previous year, and he started me at shooting guard for the first 3 or 4 games, but after our point guard struggled, I was moved back to point guard. The coach was of the belief that the point guard shouldn't shoot more than 8 or 9 times per game, so I was really handcuffed as a player. I was averaging around 14 points per game for the season, then in late January, the coach got sick, and the A.D. took over, and changed the entire mindset of the team. Over the last 6 games, we went 5-1, and I averaged 21 points per game, and we ended up winning our conference tournament and earning a trip to the State Playoffs (a first at the school in 18 years). The original coach came back for the State, and we got beat in the first round.

The A.D. had previously worked at a small college in South Carolina, and had connections at several schools, so he sent off some footage of me to several coaches, and I ended up getting offers to 4 or 5 small colleges, but I was so dead set on going to this one school, so I turned down the options. I went to the college for a year, and was itching for basketball, so I went to a few colleges, and was given a try out, and was offered chances to play, but I chose the wrong school - they were red shirting me for a year. Due to some personal issues mid way through the season, I left the school, and enrolled at a school close to home to finish up.

I still play now, but just for fun. Most of my playing time now comes in scrimmages with the school I coach JV at. I scrimmage against the varsity, kind of like a "scout team" player. They get a report on a guy from another school, and I'll do my best to replicate his game in practice for them. Other than that, I play ball with friends who are still in college, and I have played against some D-1 guys in pick up games, and I play pick up games whenever I visit my buddies who are still in school.
I play with SO much more confidence and assurance now than I did in high school (probably because I'm a lot better now, and I have less to lose if I screw up).
My school has had two alumni basketball games, both of which I have participated in. I scored 18 points (7-11 shooting, 4-8 from three) in the first game, and 21 points (8-15 shooting, 5-10 from three), 10 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, & 1 block in the second one.

Let's see, what else did you ask...

I'm 22 years old, been around the game since I was born, was taught to play at 4, and started playing competitively when I was 8.
I hold my high school's record for three pointers made in a game (7), a season (48, in 18 games), & in a career (106, in 46 games), as well as career free throw percentage (82%), and single season free throw percentage (87%).

I was taught to play by my parents (both coaches). My dad taught me to shoot, Pete Maravich videos taught me how to handle the ball.

As I mentioned, I now coach J.V. boys basketball. I "assisted" for 2 years, while I was finishing up school, and this season (my first as head coach), we went 10-2, went undefeated in the region, and won the region tournament.

So, that's pretty much a run-down of my basketball life/career.

[buckeye02]

I shoot free throws really good. Seriously, free throws are like.....best my thing.

[Frogsfan113]

6"2 145 freshman in high school

Well, I used to play YMCA basketball where I averaged 1 point a game before I quit organized ball. I've always been the tallest on teams vie played on, but was always at SF. I play pick up games with my friends mostly, and have gotten a lot better through playing with one of the better 9th grade private school players in dfw. We played in street tourneys last year and were knocked out in the second round by some varsity guys, although we did win our first game against two d-3 college players. Best part of my game is probably midrange floaters, i can barely do anything else good, but I'm deadly at floaters.

[DukeC]

Height, weight position, how long you've been playing for., age, tips... Stuff like that

5'9 (Being generous here, I'm more 5'7-5'8 ish without my basketball shoes on but wearing regular shoes).

140-145 pounds. It usually fluctuates depending on whether I sit inside the house or not.

Age: 18 (turned 18 in September)
College: Grambling University/Freshman

Position: SG/PG

As for my strengths. Uh, well...I can shoot. I have a deadly hesitation move as well as a stepback. I can pass fairly well. I prefer not to as teams I'm usually on at the intramural center refuse to catch any of my passes that have zip on them. They say I don't throw catch-able passes. I always tell them if you would have kept kept cutting it would have hit you squarely in the hands. I do try to needle passes in there though, so it's not all thier fault....unless said pass hits them on the hands. Which happens frequently.

I hate bringing the ball up. I don't have open court handles (I can't split traps or double teams well) and I tend to get tunnel vision on fastbreak opportunities. So, whenever I get a teammate that can handle the ball at least as well as me I let them bring it up and I slide over to the 2.

As for my shots...It really doesn't matter whether you put a hand in my face or not. Odds are, you're giving me too much space. If I can shoot with my regular form, you've failed, because I'm not missing. Especially from mid-range. Closing out on my 3 point attempts is a bad idea. If you try to leave your feet I'm going around you for a wide open midrange. If you don't leave your feet I'm shooting over you for a (pretty much) wide open 3 pointer.

All this is outweighed by my defensive liability. I can't guard for ****. Not for lack of effort, but because my lateral movement is slow and I'm physically weak. Against anyone faster, or bigger than me....yeah...I'm going to get lit up.

The thing is, if I had the opportunity to actually play on any teams when I was younger (My mom had the car and worked late...so I had to take the bus. I couldn't walk home because my house was 10-15 miles away.) I would have probably been coached properly. As it is, I'm self taught.