Box out, ladies! Put your butt on her, control her with your hips, and don't let her get the rebound! Use what your mama gave you!"
The words of my high school AAU coach echo in my brain like a catchy Justin Timberlake song every time I watch a Virginia basketball game.
At the time, I didn't really comprehend the scope of what coach was trying to tell us. I mean, I was no match for the 15-year-old six-footers in the paint, nor did I feel I was very well endowed in the "what my mama gave me" department. I figured I was too small to be effective inside and would just focus on shooting the ball, letting the taller girls take care of the rebounding.
But now, as I watch the Virginia women's basketball team, I refute a common misconception: Size really doesn't matter -- in rebounding. While it may be convenient to vertically exceed the competition when going for a board, height certainly isn't as important as sticking to the fundamentals of rebounding, specifically the box out.
LaTonya Blue is a prime example of a player who knows how to use what her mama gave her. Listed at 5'11" -- but surely an inch or two shorter -- Blue leads the Cavaliers in rebounding with 6.5 per game in ACC games and 5.9 per game overall. Blue skies over her own teammates -- even the ones who tower over her naturally -- to grab rebounds. At times it's easy to mistake Blue for 6'2" Brandi Teamer when she hits the boards. But it's obviously not her height that's giving her a rebounding advantage. It must be the box out.
A successful box out can mean getting an offensive rebound and scoringpoints, or collecting a defensive rebound and stopping a run by the competition. But the bottom line is that boxing out leads to rebounds, and for the Cavaliers this season, rebounds lead to wins.
When out-rebounding opponents this season, Virginia's record is 10-5, but when the opposition grabs more boards, the Cavaliers' are a dismal 2-7.
Yesterday afternoon, Virginia again felt the burn of being out-rebounded by the opposition in their 72-67 loss to N.C. State.
The Wolfpack gathered eight more rebounds that the Cavaliers, which may not seem like a significant margin. But, what seems inconsequential on paper was indeed critical for Virginia.
Up by 12 points midway through the second half, the Cavaliers seemed in control of the game. Post players and guards alike were using what their mamas gave them as if it were their job. The boxing out was beautiful and the crowd couldn't have been livelier.
But when N.C. State went on their late run to win the game, a shift in Virginia's effort to box out was clearly evident. No longer were hips flying and bodies crashing in the lane. Instead, players were watching the ball bounce away from them, not following their shots and flat out letting the competition dominate the boards.
Their postseason chances remain uncertain as the Cavaliers approach the end the regular season. Winning the final four games may seem like a difficult task for Virginia to accomplish, but if they pay homage to mama and effectively execute fundamentals such as the box out, then another trip to the Big Dance seems highly probable.
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