One of University of Houston coach Kelvin Sampson’s favorite gifts can be found year-round underneath the basketball rim.
All it takes to find is hustle and position.
It’s one size fits all.
And if you ask Sampson, it’s the gift that keeps giving. And giving.
Every chance, Sampson sings the importance of rebounding like it’s your favorite Christmas carol. He wants his team to be the Grinch every time they are around the basket.
You don’t become one of the nation’s top rebounding teams any other way. Through Tuesday’s games, the Cougars are second nationally in rebound margin (12.2), third in total rebounds (43.3 per game) and fourth in offensive rebounds (14.9 per game).
In both wins this week at the Diamond Head Classic in Honolulu, UH had a decisive rebound advantage against Portland (40-27) and Georgia Tech (42-25) to advance to Wednesday’s championship game against No. 21 Washington.
It’s one of the core commandments for any Sampson-coached team.
Thou shall play defense.
Thou shall rebound.
Sampson calls rebounding “a part of our culture” and teaches it at every opportunity.
“We emphasize rebounding,” Sampson said.
Quentin Grimes, a Kansas transfer, had four rebounds in a Dec. 8 game at South Carolina. Sampson thought he should have more. The next day, Sampson pulled out a plastic bubble — which has been described as a “moon-like crater” — and placed it over the top of the rim.
Every shot becomes a miss. And a rebound opportunity.
“He was fighting the whole team,” Sampson said.
UH practices have also included the “double bubble” drill, with both rims covered, and “war bubble” that involves four or five players in the paint fighting for rebounds.
There are other examples how rebounding is ingrained in the Cougars’ DNA.
Against Texas State, Chris Harris Jr. grabbed an offensive rebound underneath the basket. It was an easy dunk opportunity.
“Dagger! Dagger!”
It’s a terminology familiar around the UH basketball program, which involves grabbing an offensive rebound and passing out to an open player on the perimeter. Harris did not think twice, finding Grimes open for a 3-pointer that was the biggest shot of the game as the Cougars avoided an upset bid.
“Honestly, I don’t think about scoring,” said Harris, UH’s 6-foot-10 human fly swatter with 25 blocked shots. “My focus is on offensive rebounds and blocks.”
Most usually relate a team’s rebounding leader to a dominating 6-9, 6-10 or 6-11 post presence. Not with the Cougars, whose last two leaders in the category have been 6-3 and 6-5.
Last year, guard Armoni Brooks led the Cougars with 6.3 rebounds. This year, sophomore guard Nate Hinton is averaging 9.4 rebounds, one of just four players 6-5 or smaller among the top 50 nationally in rebounding.
Hinton has recorded at least eight rebounds in all but one of the last 10 games and is the only player in the American Athletic Conference to currently rank among the top four in offensive and defensive rebounds.
The correlation between rebounding and overall success is evident with the Cougars. During last year’s run to the Sweet 16, UH was outrebounded just seven times in 34 games. They lost four of the games.
So far this season, UH (9-3) has out-rebounded every opponent.
“Every team is going to have its strengths,” Sampson said. “The key to having a great season is play to your strengths and play away from what you are not good at.”
joseph.duarte@chron.com
twitter.com/joseph_duarte
"Key" - Google News
December 25, 2019 at 06:30AM
https://ift.tt/366Nwxe
Rebounds the key to Kelvin Sampson’s heart, UH’s success - Houston Chronicle
"Key" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2YqNJZt
Shoes Man Tutorial
Pos News Update
Meme Update
Korean Entertainment News
Japan News Update
No comments:
Post a Comment