Young Basketball Players Pass Their Way to Victory

When basketball fans think of great passers, point guards most often come to mind. Chris Paul and Rajon Rondo are some of the very best in the NBA. Before them, John Stockton and Jason Kidd tallied high assist figures with regularity. However, many of the best basketball teams understand that a collective ability to share the ball can result in a greater chance of success.

Take Tim Duncan and Boris Diaw of the Spurs, for example. These forwards can score and rebound just like others at their respective positions. Yet what separates these players from many other forwards is their elite ability to find an open teammate with a great pass. Perhaps no other part of the game has contributed more to the success of the Spurs than the art of passing. Duncan and Diaw have been a major part of that.

Coaches of young athletes can take the example of the Spurs to explain the importance of passing for all players, regardless of position. Great passing can help a team get open shots better than any kind of dribble. By focusing on the importance of passing on team websites, coaches can elucidate this vital part of basketball to their players.

Bellarmine passing leads to great shooting

The Bellarmine University men’s basketball team in Louisville, Kentucky, is one of the best shooting teams in all of Division II, according to The New York Times. Last year, the team led the country with a 52.9 percent rate from the field. And what makes everything work for Bellarmine is the team’s belief in group success over personal gain.

“The mentality of everyone on the floor is, I may have a good shot, but there’s always a chance to get a better one for someone else,” junior forward George Suggs told the news outlet.

High school team in New Jersey recognizes need to pass

After a tough loss against Holy Cross High School, the Bordentown High boys basketball team realized that they didn’t pass the ball enough to give themselves a good chance at victory, New Jersey On-Line reported. The team followed that game with a big victory that was keyed by unselfishness.

“I think they took it to heart and realized that for us to be as good as we can be we have to share the ball,” coach John Myers told the news outlet. “We have to have four guys in double figures every night. Not one, two, but four to five guys in double figures because we can.”