Shot-Blocking and How it Effects the Game
Tonight, Pittsburgh plays UConn and has to go to UConn to play them. UConn is the current #1 team in the country and plays in the toughest conference in the land and still only has 1 loss this season. They recently lost one of their top players to an injury and are susceptible tonight against a very solid Pitt team that is ranked #4. Pitt will lose.
UConn has one of the most intimidating big men that we’ve seen in college hoops for years and the kid is only getting better. Hasheem Thabeet is the Husky’s 7*3 center who is averaging a double double and half. He scores nearly 14 a game, rebounds to the tune of 11 a game and averages nearly 5 blocks a game. He is a defensive nightmare when teams try to score within 10 feet of him. If he blocks 5 a game he alters at least a dozen more and that isn’t an exaggeration. Watch tonight and when Pitt drives into the key all eyes will be on the big man as they think of creative ways to try to get the ball up and around him. Thabeet used to be more foul prone but this season he’s gotten even better at knowing what shots to go after and when to use his size to intimidate. The last game alone he had 25 points, 20 rebounds and 9 blocks. That’s impressive.
He’s the perfect collegiate example of how shotblocking effects each game and how important a shot blocker can be. Shot blocking is really just a missed shot attempt when it comes down to it but nobody likes getting their shot blocked. Shot blocking builds momentum and demoralizes the offense in so many ways. Imagine driving past your defender and pulling up 10 feet from the hoop and you’ve done everything right only to have a big 7 footer a few feet away from you. You raise up to shoot it and he puts it back in your face or worse yet he throws it out of bounds. That leaves a lasting impression.
What Thabeet does well is keep his blocks in play or try to get them the ball in a chance to have a fast break opportunity. If the shot isn’t blocked then he knows well enough that he can probably get the rebound. It’s amazing how much this one player can do for one team.
If I’m Jaime Dixon I go right at Thabeet and try to get him in foul trouble. If he’s out of the game then UConn is beatable, but if Thabeet sticks around for 35 minutes he’s going to give Pitt fits and UConn will still be at #1 at nights end.
