Racial Segregation in 1967

I was once at a school where, weirdly enough, racial segregation seemed basketball be the greatest thing since sliced bread to all of the evil-minded kids who were involved. This group of kids was truly wicked, evil down to the core, but a lot more harmless than they thought they were. Because the Negro girls had total control over our entire yard, and all of the boys were in their own section of the playground.

The black girls were somehow the lead group within the spread out zone map of an egalitarian war. They introduced me to the playground by being in the first section of it. I found out from them that they were superior at jumping rope, being able to do Double Dutch easily, and there was no way I could keep up with them. I couldn't even do regular jump rope with the white girls, and they begrudgingly let me twirl the rope instead.

Being way overweight and thus unable to do much in the way of sports, I became the fat girl "journalist." I wandered around the girl's half of the playground, interviewing every basketball group. There were the black girls who jumped rope like it was going out of style, and the white girls who had to bow to that Goddess of Jumping, the master of the black girls.

I didn't cause any of the "events" that happened there, I just entered each section of the segregated girls playground, interviewing girls like I was Alex Hailey or something, the ghost writer who helped Malcolm X write his book. The one unfortunate thing; I wasn't allowed to enter the boys section of the playground, and interview the opposite sex.

I even got my African glasses knocked off when I tried to go to the boy's basketball playground, which we didn't have; they had total control of the entire available basketball court. They had a non-racist playground going. We girls had a racist, tallest, shortest, Jewess, Christian, fat girl, sexist segregated playground, and somehow, if it meant something to us that we were evil incarnate, that worked for everyone else . . . but me.

I wanted to be friendly, playful, and good. So I got to interview people instead. Why feel guilt ridden? I had to go to each segregated section of the weirdo playground, interviewing every evil loser queen on it, because the black girls were winning on our Negativity Playground.

As I went through life, I became the Lost Girl Journalist. Yeah, there is now Jeanne Emerson -- is there not? She lives in the Pacific NW and is going to become the oldest female talking head ever. I was never able to become a tall white male journalist. I didn't make it through the system enough to become a million dollar piece of property.

My story? My life was determined by our Negativity Playground.

First I saw the black girl section, two black girls there, saw them skippin' rope like sixty double dutch, and said to myself, "I can't do that, what's up with that? I know what. There's a section of the playground I can play in." I did a limp wrist at them and said aloud, "Ah, tha's jus' them," and moved on to the white girls who were skipping rope. It wasn't even double dutch, and I still couldn't handle it. I jumped a teeny bit, and moved on. For I was the fat girl, and there was no such fat girl section on the playground.

But as I moved on, I headed towards the boy's section, and as I walked toward it, thinking they wouldn't mind, a white boy with black hair saw me and threw the ball as hard as he possibly could. It was a basketball, and it zoomed straight into my face and knocked off my glasses. I cried, stopped, contained myself, and picked up my glasses. There was no "glasses" girls section on the playground, either. I put them back on and continued, as my part Indian self and part black self woke up, and knew it wasn't Jesus Christ the Lord. Surely I wouldn't get anywhere in life. I sighed. I would tell these people something, somehow, but I didn't know what.

I moved on. Eventually there was the tall girl section. As I had previously exhibited courage, they let me in. Probably the older Catholic girls. They let me in conditionally, to what, I did not know. When I admitted I favored Indians, especially Indian chiefs, they kicked me out. I moved on to the segregated Judeo-Christian -- or mostly Jewish -- or whatever section it was, cottoned to it really being the Jewish section, but you know those Christians, they read both books...I hung out with them and heard this:

Miss Lucy had a steamboat

The steamboat had a bell

Miss Lucy went to heaven

The steamboat went to hello

Operator, give me number nine

And if you disconnect me

I'll kick you in the behind

The refrigerator

There was a piece of glass

Miss Lucy sat upon it

And broke her little ask me

No more questions

I'll tell you no more lies . . .

It sounded like art, fiction writing, song lyrics and humor all rolled up into one. And it was being done by evil, leering, lecherous little girls. Who thought that since racial segregation meant something, so did they?

So I added the last lines, already. Which were:

The boys are in the bathroom,

Making chocolate pies.

No one was truly impressed by this. It was the best I could do, I gracefully apologized. Because they were all ready to go to Viet Nam too soon.

Then I had to wander, being the only fat girl, to the little kids section of the playground. It was a tree in a well. The roots were lovely, mysterious and intertwining, and it made it hard to walk around in down in the tree pit. The little kids were all having an easy time walking around in there. I sighed, decided to leave, and found out how hard it is for a fat girl to climb out of a pit. The Pit of Hell of the Babies. Ygdrasil, from the old Nordic legends.

And finally another fat girl, an all white one, found me and made fun of me. I was not all white. I was picking up the chestnuts with a bag and she said they had always been doing that before, it was pass, and I had not invented anything new. I kept picking up the chestnuts.

Just as I finished doing this, the school bell rang, and I had to go back inside. And be told I could become the President of the United States, or maybe go to Viet Nam, enter combat, and kill people. Or be killed.

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Powerful Tips For Basketball Forwards & Centers

It's not very often that you'll find a championship team that doesn't have at least one or two tremendous inside players. In order for an offense to be effective, things must be taken care of in and around the paint. In this article we will discuss what it takes to be a great inside player.

Posting Up

A great inside player is very effective posting up. An average inside player is too casual about posting up. You need to know how to position yourself and how to seal your defender to make it easy for your teammates to enter the ball inside. Karl Malone is known as possibly the greatest power forward to play the game of basketball. One reason for this was his reputation to make himself so big and wide in the post. He was only 6 foot 9 which isn't all that big in the NBA but he made it so easy for his teammates to get him the ball because he would position himself so well and made himself a huge target.

Set Good Screens

A good offense is built upon good screens. So many times players just go through the motions in an offense and set lousy screens. As an inside player set the tone for your team by setting solid screens. You'll get more playing time and you'll win more games because this is what creates open shots. A big reason Rick Majerus' teams are so good is because he spends a lot of time with his players teaching them the importance of setting good screens.

You'll also notice that by setting good screens you'll be more likely to score more points. When you set a good screen it seals your defender and if you roll towards the basket you're likely to be wide open.

Pivoting

Pivoting is another thing that many inside players are too casual about. It's hard to get excited about going to the gym and practicing pivoting but if you're going to be great it's a must. Most inside players are fine pivoting with one foot but aren't so good with the other foot. Don't give the defense an advantage by letting them force you in one direction. A great player to study if you want to see the effects of good fundamental pivoting would be Tim Duncan of the San Antonio Spurs.

Dribbling

As an inside player you don't need to worry about becoming the next Pistol Pete Maravich, but you should be a good dribbler with both hands. Many times you're likely to get the ball as you cut through the lane and you'll need to make a few dribbles before you shoot a lay up. You can't afford to look at your dribble or not be able to dribble with your weak hand. Also when defenses press after you get the rebound you may need to dribble partway up the floor to clear the defenders and get the ball to a guard.

Scoring

First of all work on your basketball throws. Inside players get fouled more than most players because they end up shooting so many shots close to the basket. If you're not able to hit your free throws you are a big handicap to your team.

Always crash the boards, stay active, and keep your hands up. So many great centers get most or all of their points from basketball rebounds, tip-ins, and lay-ups.

Add the hook shot to your game. Years ago many great inside players used this shot because it's so hard to block. If you can become consistent close to the basket with a hook shot you'll be very hard to stop.

Rebounding

This could easily be argued as the most important responsibility of an inside player. To be a great rebounder, boxing off should be second nature to you. If it isn't you have a lot of work to do. We can't speak for all coaches but most coaches see a players lack of ability to box off, a mental weakness. There is just absolutely no excuse for it.

When it comes to rebounding the ability to jump quickly is more important than the ability to jump high.

Visit HoopSkills.com for more detailed instruction on better basketball post play.

Top 5 Ways to Improve Your Basketball Post Moves

In basketball, basketball big man sometimes gets lost in a game of quickness, flash basketball finesse. We often forget about the importance of having a strong post presence to run your offense through. This may be because nowadays big men want to play small. What's the fun in that? Embrace your big frames and use it to your advantage. The following are five top ways to improve your offensive inside game.

Physicality is essential if you want to be a quality post player, so get mean. This will create space for you to work, putting defenders at your mercy. Make sure to keep contact with your defender. Learn to go from soft to strong to soft. When you first receive the ball you want to display soft hands by using your finger tips to embrace the impact from the ball. Then secure the ball with two hands and place the ball under your chin (this is the strong part). Gain leverage and make sure you have a solid foundation to push back your defender. Finally, when shooting, the ball should roll of the tip of your fingers. A nice touch around rim goes a long way.

Big man footwork is one of the hardest things to teach. So the basics must be stressed when learning proper footwork. Start out in triple threat with your back to the basketball in a slightly squatting position. Most of your moves should be very decisive, always keeping you pivot foot on the ground. Start off using the drop step and the power dribble move as it is a powerful but easy to learn move. The hook shot is great to gain separation (Antawn Jamison is the prototype for the mini-hook). The up and under is a powerful tool for a more advanced post player.

Learning patience and not forcing anything that is not there is essential to a big man's success. Just because you get the ball at the block doesn't mean you should automatically throw the ball up. Recognize what the defense is giving you and take it! If a double comes, someone is open. If a shorter player is guarding you, a simple drop step will clear some room (rotate and take a big step with your non-pivot foot towards the hoop). Most importantly, be patient with your development process. Taller players have more body to control, so body control takes a little more time to develop then with shorter players.

Understanding that Positioning is Everything, is everything. Get low with a wide base to gain leverage. Elbows should be out to maintain ground and not allow your defender to move around your body freely. Ideally you would like to be posting up with your back to the basket in the middle of vertical free throw lines on either side of the basket. This allows you to be out of the center where help and congestion may be and still use the backboard to your advantage. You can utilize your hook shot, power moves, fade away, almost any move from this position. One thing that may seem counter intuitive is to take what your defender is giving you. If he is playing you high side (he is closer to the passer allowing you to be closer to the basket) roll off toward the rim or push him towards you passer so you can receive a lob pass underneath. If your defender is pushing you far out, square up and face the basket. If you are at the elbow or closer to the base line give him a quick jab step and go the other way. Always understand where you are in relation to the basket and passer!

Understand the importance of post play and be assertive! Understand that a major key to any teams offensive success is working the ball in and out of the post. Call for the ball constantly and fight hard for position. First, getting the ball near the basket is one of the first steps to getting the ball in the basket. Second, after you establish a presence down low, you will create opportunity for other players. From clearing out the lane for dribble penetration or kicking out to jump shooters you are the foundation for a properly ran offense.

Never forget the importance of big time post game. If you have size, embrace it. There are way too many big players trying to be smaller. It's basketball and the hoops are ten feet tall, be happy with your height. However, do not step onto the basketball court without the proper tools.

Brenton Gieser is a contributing blogger to http://www.BlackTopHoops.com/blog, the ultimate blog for street, recreation and pick up basketball. On Blacktop Hoops you will find articles on: improving your game, the newest basketball kicks and gear, the best leagues, tournaments and courts to play at and much more!

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