7 ATTRIBUTES OF THE COMPLETE BASKETBALL PLAYER
By Carmine J. Goneconte

The game of basketball is a wonderful team game. Unlike any other team game basketball allows each of the 5 players on the court to be interchangeable, meaning the “position” each person plays is basically the same as the other 4 positions on the court. Everyone on the team must be able to run, jump, defend, dribble and shoot to varying degrees. Most times the smaller, quicker players are at the guard positions and the taller, slower players are forwards or centers, but this is not always the case nowadays. It is not uncommon to see “big men” handling the ball and shooting 3 point shots and point guards “posting up” smaller defenders.

No matter which position a person plays, there are several attributes that will determine his/her ultimate level of play. Each one is important on its own, however several attributes added together dramatically increase the player’s potential for success. “Gifted athletes” possess most, if not all, of these attributes naturally. Most people possess some of the attributes and have to work hard to improve the areas where they are lacking. Some of the attributes are “God-given”, or naturally present in a person. Height is the most obvious example. You’re as tall as you’re going to be. There’s nothing you can do to improve your height! Foot speed, or quickness is another example of natural ability – you either have it or you don’t! It is understood that you can certainly improve upon your foot speed to some extent, but a slow-footed person cannot make him/herself into a speedster. Several of the other attributes listed below certainly can be improved upon with hard, diligent work. The attributes are:

HEIGHT: A basketball goal is positioned 10 feet above the floor, which by logic infers that taller players will have more success putting the ball in the goal than shorter players because they are closer to it!. The saying in basketball, “You can’t teach height” is certainly true. If all other elements are equal then the taller player will be more successful at the game than the shorter player. Unfortunately size (height) is the one requirement of the game of basketball that you cannot control or change.

SPEED: Without a doubt the most important physical attribute necessary to achieve success in basketball is speed, specifically foot speed or quickness. The ability to beat an opponent to a spot, offensively or defensively, will ultimately lead to success on the basketball court. Offensively if you are quicker than the person guarding you then they will either, 1) be beaten by you when they guard you closely, or 2) have to stay off you a step or two to compensate for your quickness. This will allow you to shoot open jump shots. Defensive quickness causes dribblers to move “east-to-west” across the floor instead of “north-to-south” to attack the basket because they cannot dribble by you. When a dribbler cannot get around a defender he/she is forced to dribble laterally, east-to-west! Off the ball defensive quickness creates stolen passes, offensive fouls, throw-away passes, etc. all because the quick defender can get to a spot faster than a slower offensive player.

STRENGTH: Basketball is a physically demanding sport and although it is not considered a “contact sport”, if you play in or watch a basketball game you will learn that that is not the case. Using the core muscles (lower back, abdominals, glutes, hamstrings& thighs) to defend an opponent, get position for a rebound or to elevate to the basket on a shot attempt is something a basketball player does constantly during a game. Stronger players can move weaker players out of desirable positions on the court. Conversely, stronger players cannot be moved away from a desirable spot on the floor by weaker players. A strong defender can easily “push” an opponent off the path he/she wants to take. A strong offensive player will not be denied the spot they want because they have the physical advantage over their opponent. Having strong hands, arms, shoulders and legs in addition to a strong core muscle group makes a basketball player more able to overpower an opponent in any situation. .

CONDITIONING: Basketball is an aerobic sport. High school games last 32 minutes and require a player to run hard in spurts for lengths of 60 to 80 feet. In addition to the sprinting there are many quick, lateral movements made during a game. Along with “sliding” side-to-side while on defense a basketball player must jump multiple times when rebounding. All of these actions require the player to be in excellent condition. When a player gets tired on the court it is quite noticeable to all. The reality is that you cannot play the game of basketball effectively if you are not in shape.

SKILLS: There are many skills that a basketball player needs to develop in order to be a good player. They all involve hand-eye coordination or foot coordination. The ability to dribble the ball with either hand WITHOUT looking at it is one of the more basic skills. The ability to step forward with either foot as a lead foot and thus use either foot as a pivot is also critical. Being able to pass the ball with either hand while stationary or while running or dribbling increases a player’s skill level. Last but not least is the ability to put the ball in the basket while being guarded and/or the ability to “create offense”. This is the most important, and thus, one of the most difficult skills to develop. It is not easy to put a large ball into an 18 inch diameter hoop 10 feet above the floor while no one is guarding you let alone when someone is working hard to stop you from putting the ball in the hoop!

EFFORT: The one attribute that is most controllable is Effort or Work Ethic, which is a combination of passion (enthusiasm) for the game and a willingness to put forth the effort necessary to become the best player your natural talents allow. These two subsets of Effort go hand-in-hand. You cannot have one without the other. If you truly love the game of basketball and have a desire to be the best player you can be then you will willingly and enthusiastically work on the four “improvable” elements listed above. Your passion to improve will drive your effort to improve. Conversely, if you are not willing to put in effort to improve your speed, skills, strength and conditioning it is probably due to the fact that you truly do not want to. You do not have the desire! Many players will say that they “love basketball” and “want to get better”, however their actions, or inactions clearly prove that they do not, or are not, willing to put forth the effort. The old adage, “Don’t tell me, show me” is apropos here.

BASKETBALL I.Q.: I use this term to describe a player’s knowledge of the game. Yes, most people who play, or played basketball know something about the basics of the game, however players with a high Basketball I.Q. know it on a different level. They see the game differently than most other people. For instance, offense to most players means scoring points. They know that putting the ball in the hoop counts for 1,2 or 3 points, therefore they practice shooting layups, foul shots and jump shots. As they play or watch a game they are only concerned with the end result of shooting, did the ball go in or did it miss? The shot might be mechanically flawed but as long as the ball goes in it’s fine. The player with the high I.Q. is obviously concerned with, and thus practices, shooting to score points however he/she also recognizes the value of moving to get open to score. In addition, players with a high Basketball I.Q. have great “court awareness”, which is an inherent sense of knowing what to do, where to go and where their teammates are without looking or thinking. These players do not concern themselves with the immediate play, but rather they anticipate their teammates’ and opponents’ next move while making the immediate play. In short they are thinking a step-or two ahead of everyone else on the floor. I believe this attribute is one that a player can develop over time by playing in games and practicing game-like situations, however not all players are capable of achieving the I.Q. necessary to play at the higher levels of the game.

There certainly are other sub-attributes or skills that a player needs to become a top-notch basketball player but I believe they all fit into one of the categories noted above. These 7 are, in my opinion the critical ones that a young person needs to have. Very few basketball players have all of these attributes. They are the ones playing in the NBA, WNBA or at the top Division I colleges. Many of the other Division I college-level players have varying degrees of each of these attributes.

This paper is intended to simply list the attributes that are necessary to becoming a better basketball player. Any player can make him/herself better by working on the attributes that are improvable, however it must be emphasized that a person is only going to be as good as their natural abilities allow. Many, if not most, children do not have enough of the attributes to play basketball at the high school level. Just think of all the kids who played in the local recreation league at 9 and 10 years old that no longer play. It is my opinion that there is too much pressure placed on children who do not have the attributes or desire to play competitive basketball! A child who likes to play basketball should be encouraged to play for the enjoyment of the game first. If the child wants to put in extra effort to become better then there are many training aides available to help them. For example there are many videos and books available to help a player improve his or her strength, speed, conditioning and basketball skills. Coaches are also a very good resource and are generally very willing to share their knowledge with interested young players. In fact a player can simply replicate the drills he/she does at basketball practice to get in a workout that will benefit him/her in many of the necessary areas. As long as the child has the desire to improve then he/she will willingly put in the effort to get better. How much better they will become is governed by their God-given natural ability.

To conclude, I hope this paper provides some insight into what it takes for a child to become a complete basketball player. As noted above I am sure that there will be some disagreement, or at least some suggested additions or deletions, with the attributes I listed and that’s fine. If this paper generates thought and discussion on the topic then I feel it has accomplished it’s goal.