Spokane Stars Basketball

Archive for January, 2009

Sam Noffs asked:




Sheldon Williams and his wife Candace Parker are like most married couples with the exception that husband and wife are each professional basketball players. Sheldon Williams at 6’9″ and 250 pounds is currently a large inside presence for the Boston Celtics while his wife and the mother of his daughter is arguably the best women’s basketball player in the game today (possibly ever) as a 6’4″ impact player for the Los Angeles Sparks.

Williams, born on October 21, 1983, is about three years senior to his wife Parker who was born on April 19, 1986. The two standout athletes were married on November 13, 2008 and had their first child together on May 13, 2009. Lailaa is the name the couple chose for their new baby girl who is unquestionably expected to be a stellar athlete in her own right.

Both Sheldon Williams and Candace Parker were prominent collegiate basketball stars who played for storied college basketball programs. Williams was an exception key member of the Duke University Blue Devils while playing in Durham, North Carolina during his college years. When Sheldon left Duke in 2006 he retired from the iconic organization with school records for both rebounds and blocked shots. Williams, like his wife, was a First Team All American selection in college.

Candace Parker was a star for the University of Tennessee Volunteers, a team that is noteworthy for being either the first or second most accomplished women’s college basketball program (tightly contested debate for the top spot with the University of Connecticut). Candace Parker is perhaps best known by casual followers of the WNBA as being only the second women to dunk in a WNBA game and one of only a handful of women to ever dunk in a women’s college game. At 6’4″ and 175 pounds the athletic Parker is such a versatile player that she was listed on the Lady Volunteers roster as a guard, forward, and center.

While Parker grew up in the Chicago area (Naperville, Illinois) and Williams hails from Oklahoma City the two spend their time together in whatever cities they can. During his brief NBA career Sheldon Williams has played on teams based in Atlanta, Sacramento, Minneapolis, and Boston while his wife has remained on the Los Angeles based WNBA team during her time in the league. The NBA season begins in October and ends with the NBA Championship series in June. The WNBA season on the other hand begins in May and concludes with a championship series in September. Although this sort of scheduling and time on the road is difficult for a young marriage with young parents Sheldon and Candace are confident that their situation is both a unique and healthy one for their relationship.

Matt Dimock asked:




Most championship teams have at least one tall player to control rebounds and present a dangerous scoring threat. It is important for you to spend time with such a player and develop his basketball skill to ensure he reaches his potential

Footwork and Fakes. Proper footwork and clever fakes are essentials for pivot play. The tall player must receive practice on footwork and faking until the movements become habitual. The daily practice plan should include time for the pivot-man to work on a side goal on correct footwork and scoring fakes.

The basic footwork the pivot player will need in moving across the lane to receive passes is the slide step. This step follows the pattern of the defensive slide step. Standing with feet shoulder width apart, the pivot player should assume an erect stance with elbows wide to present a big target.

To move to his right, he steps onto his right foot and slides his left foot to a position beside his right. As the left foot makes contact with the floor, the pivot player again moves his right foot. The reverse is true when moving to the left. When using the slide step, the pivot player should never cross his feet.

The slide step should be perfected both with and without the ball. It can be valuable in sliding across the lane to receive a pass. Once the pass is received, the pivot player can use a dribble and slide step to maneuver into position for a favorable shot.

The pivot player should have the basketball skill to make the following moves involving faking:

1. Roll right or left immediately upon receiving the ball.

2. Fake right, turn left for a shot. To shoot the hook shot, the fake to the right should be made with the head and shoulders. After faking, a quick step onto the left foot sets up the hook. If shooting the jump shot, the pivot player may fake by stepping to the right with the right foot.

He then pivots on his left foot swinging his right foot around and into position for the shot.

3. Fake left, turn right for a shot. The fake for the hook shot will again be with the head and shoulders while a step left with the left foot may be used when shooting the jump shot. The left-handed hook shot should be taken off the right foot.

4. Fake left, fake right, turn left for the shot. For the hook shot, the fake left will be made with a movement of the left foot to the left. The fake right will be made with the head and shoulders. A step back on to the left foot for the right-handed shot will complete the maneuver. For the jump shot, the fake left must be made with the head and shoulders. The fake right will be made with a movement of the right foot to the right. The jump shot will be taken then by pivoting on the left foot and swinging the right foot around into shooting position.

5. Fake right, fake left, turn right for the shot. For the hook shot, the fake right will be made with a movement of the right foot to the right. The fake left will be made with the head and shoulders.

A step back on to the right foot for the left-handed shot will complete the maneuver. For the jump shot, the fake right must be made with the head and shoulders. The fake left will be made with a movement of the left foot to the left. The jump shot will be taken then by pivoting on the right foot and swinging the left foot around into shooting position.

The preceding maneuvers are made with the back to the basket and are used when the player is within ten feet of the basket. It doubles the effectiveness of the pivot player when he learns to face his opponent outside this area and drive either left or right. Development of an outside shot can add to his scoring potential also for few pivot-men are adept at defensing their opponent on the outside.

Develop your big players basketball skill for team success.