The High School Basketball Center

The new term for the high school basketball position is the "bigs". The general look of the high school center is what you typically think of when conjuring up a basketball player in general and with good reason. Regardless of talent or agility, just looking over at them on the court will start to affect your game if they're truly dominant and now and then, when you find a center or 5 position with some real talent, it can dominate the game at the high school basketball level. Let's take a look at the center position and go inside for awhile.

I'm looking forward to this season. There's a son of a friend we play with who's a legitimate 6'8? on of the skinny, rail thin version. On top of that, he's pretty agile which is hard to find at that height so it should be fun to watch him. When he's in the game, it affects not only their offense but more importantly the opposing teams offense. For one thing, the other center is going to have a lot more trouble getting rebounds and shots off with a legit big man in his face. It doesn't stop there though. Any guards or forwards that are planning on driving to the hoop are going to hear footsteps as the approach. It only takes a really bad block of your shot or layup by the center inside help to make you think twice about doing that again. That's part of the intangible benefit of having a legit center in the middle of court to anchor down the defense and provide secondary help when an offensive player gets past their guy. Let's take a look at what makes for a good center.

Most centers are pretty obvious due to their size. The center is usually the tallest person on the team. Actual weight and physical stature can vary depending on player availabily (you just don't find too many high school students over 6'4? with athletic ability) and style of play. Some centers are long and thin which is expected considering the ridiculous growth spurt that must occur for a 17 or 18 year old to reach 6'5? plus. these players can still be dominant at their position if they combine quickness, smarts, and footwork at their position. If a center has a good understanding of how the game works, they can anticipate and take advantage of opportunities on both the offensive and defensive side of the floor. Footwork is critical to the center as well...probably more than with any other player on the offensive front. The center usually plays with his or her back to the basket as close to the paint as possible. Outside of the double-team, this usually allows the center to go one on one against the opposing defensive player. That means the center must develop a range of different steps and moves to keep the defensive player off balance and get some space for a shot. They may have turn around jump shots, up and unders, drop steps...a whole host of different post moves to rely on. This is where the footwork from 100?s of hours of practicing various moves comes in handy.

There are also the centers that are not only tall but really big. They're especially hard to guard as they bring sheer strength down in the post to bare on the defense. If this type of player can get a few feet from the basket, it's hard to stop the shot. In light of this, the center needs to be a fairly decent foul shooter and rebounder. Foul shots can be a big source of easy buckets as well as put the defensive player on thin ice as they rack up fouls. Rebounding is also a key function of the center position as they need to "control the boards" for the team. Offensive rebounds can also result in second chances which can be pivotal to the outcome of the game. These days in high school, a talented and physically strong center can anchor a team to a successful basketball season.

Source: http://www.artipot.com/articles/1389984/the-high-school-basketball-center.htm

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