Okay, so I’m a nerd; we all know that. A nerd of epic proportions. I know nothing of any sport other than hunting.
I have two questions, one related to my novel, the other just 'cause I’m wondering. Both are fairly simple, I think, but I could easily be wrong.
Novel question: One of the characters in the story is a George, a man in his early 40s. The protagonist, Andy, conntrasts him to his father partly by noting that Andrew Senior’s favorite sport was baseball, while George favors basketball. He specifically thinks this:
Like Dad he was an athlete, though his sport was basketball rather than baseball. He moved with cool, tightly-restrained grace, as if always waiting for his next ___________.
How should I fill in the blank? My sister suggested “pick,” as in pick & roll, but I don’t like the flow of the sentence if I include the entire phrase. In basketball terms, does pick = pick & roll automatically? Or is there another term that would be better to use?
The other question is tripartite. I seem to recall a college player from a few years ago who was famous, or infamous, for shattering glass backboards when he peformed slam dunks. Who was this person, whom did he play for, and when did he play?
I thought Darrel Dawkins was the glass mangler…
Anyway, how bout drive?, Waiting for his next drive? You drive to the hoop to score. You would wait for an opening in the lane, or work off of a pick and then dribble (drive) to the hoop and either perform a layup or a slam-dunk.
Hey, I was going to say Shaq. Those stats look correct to me.
As for your missing verb, let me fill in the blank with:
a) pass – a fundamental skill commonly overlooked amongst today’s elite
b) “cut” or “cut to the basket” – also overlooked amongst today’s elite
c) drive – see b)
The rest are along these lines.
Oh, and picking doesn’t always involve rolling. I used to play a 3-2 screen offense. I would pick my shooter’s defender, essentially setting up a screen at the extended charity stripe, i.e. text book. Hardly would I roll, only because we had a really good shooting guard. If I played 3 or 2 guard, then pick and roll would be in effect.
The sense I’m trying to get here is that George, even in repose, is awaiting any opportunity to move forcefully, decisively, and to his own advantage; I don’t think pass qualifies. What does “cut to the basket” mean?
I’m pretty sure it was Darryl “Chocolate Thunder” Dawkins (has to be on of the Top 5 nicknames of all time). IIRC, he was the impetus to install breakaway rims on pro baskets.
How about something a little longer like…
“He moved with cool, tightly-restrained grace, as if always waiting for his next trip to that empty space that only exists above the rim.”
Daryl Dawkins did not go to college, although he did break a few backboards in his time in the NBA. I don’t recall Shaq breaking one, but I could be wrong. Jerome Lane of Pittsburgh had an infamous glass-shattering dunk in college.
As for your sentence, you probably don’t want to use “He moved with cool, tightly-restrained grace, as if always waiting for his next pick…”, because a moving pick is illegal. “Steal” seems the most appropriate to me, a one syllable word fits best there and steals are most often made by players who fit that description.
I would use “back door cut”. It’s a move where a player flashes from the paint to the outside, and then as his opponent begins to follow, quickly cuts back towards the basket. You can’t move with grace and power while waiting to shoot an open jump shot. Another option would be “baseline drive”. Driving the baseline requires speed to beat your defender as well as power to get up to the basket from behind the backboard . You can wait for a pick, if someone is coming to pick your man, but if you are waiting for a pick, you aren’t moving.
You need to put yourself in the right spot in order to have an opportunity…but when the opportunity arises, obtaining a rebound requires quick, direct action.
Er, well, sort of. “Pick” is a less formal word for “screen”. The pick and roll is a kind of play based on a screen. What you really mean to ask is “if I say pick, will my readers know what I mean, and will it suggest athleticism”? I would say yes to both, but I wouldn’t use pick, msyelf. I might use “the next pass”, or maybe “his next look”, which is a colloquialism for a good scoring opportunity, often from catching a well-placed pass. “Waiting for his next pick” is a little awkward because IME you’re not really looking for a pick every time you go on the offense, and you find it more because you’re looking than because you’re athletic enough to get in a good position–whereas you’re always looking for a good scoring opportunity (for you or a teammate), and that is incredibly dependent on athletic ability (although having an eye for it is important too).
I wouldn’t use “cut” or “drive” because it might lose some non-sports-fans, although now that I think about it “look” probably would too.
Also, I would take out “tightly-” and move “always” before “moved”, personally, if you’re going for the right flow. It flows a lot better in my mind that way, anyway.
Played in high school. I loved setting picks. The look of frustration from the victim was priceless, like the first time every time.
Look at this