Kalaia Jackson, Editor-in-Chief
Photo//Wikimedia Commons
When I played basketball in middle and high school, boxing out was heavily emphasized by my coaches for the power forwards and centers to perform when our teammates would shoot. We would spend at least 20 to 25 minutes each practice doing boxing out drills and applying this technique in scrimmages.
However, it seems that is not the case in college basketball, men or women. When the point guard, shooting guard, or small forward shoots, I expect the power forward or center to box out their opponent and rebound the ball. Instead, they reach over their opponent’s backs and risk getting called for a foul.
I do not understand why this is now a frequent occurrence when I watch these games. So many teams lose the chance to get an easy put-back and gain two points for their team when they choose to simply stand there and watch the basketball in the air.
Maybe the coaches prefer their players to use that extra energy to run back and get on defense rather than defend the basket and gain some points.
As a former center who loved boxing out, watching this technique not be utilized on the collegiate and professional level is sad to see.