Basketball Player Classification Essay

The sound of the buzzer echoes through the gym. I look up at the final score and it reads 78-43. We had just been beaten down on our home court. How could this have happened? We were an undefeated team and our first loss was a big one.

I look around to see our players walking off the court, looking for reasons to blame anyone but themselves for the loss. Our young, dedicated coach sat in disappointment. I hear the soft insults, “Ben should have done this” “Jacob should have done this”. Everyone was their own type of player, and tonight we did not play like a team. Tonight we played for ourselves. Tonight we lost.

Everyone loses. It will always happen. Most of the time, it comes down to players not playing as a team. No one is the same type

of player. Everyone has their strengths and everyone has their weaknesses. If you neglect play as a team, the type of player you are can easily become a weakness. You must learn to play as a team.
There are many types of players within a basketball team. Some are good types, others are bad types, but everyone is different. A coach of mine once defined a basketball player as: Someone who sets aside his own wants for the good of the team. Do not let the type of player you are dictate your team’s ability. Starting all the way from the shooter and ending with the player coach, here are some of the many types of basketball players.
THE SHOOTER
You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. – Wayne Gretzky
When I was in 4th grade rec league, I was first introduced to this type of basketball player. A young kid on my team had the skills of a 2nd grader but had the attitude of an NBA player. The moment anyone one of us passed him the ball, he was launching it high in the air. He had no regard for the selfishness he presented, and never looked to pass to anyone else on the team. Unfortunately, as many times as he shot the ball, about one tenth of them were able to actually find the bottom of the net. Many of us referred to as him as the shooter because of the extreme amount of attempts he would produce during a basketball game.
Since this young kid decided he would remain the shooter, many of my teammate’s reactions were simple. Do not pass him the ball. Then, we did just that. We were basically playing with four men on the court as we did not include the shooter from all of our offensive tactics. As much as this gave us joy, we just still seemed to struggle, losing most of our games by large deficits.
THE PASSER
Great players are willing to give up their own personal achievement for the achievement of the group. It enhances everybody.” – Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

I have a younger brother who is a solid basketball player. He is only a freshman but he has the skills to become an excellent player by the time he graduates. Most might look at his average of six points a game and think that I was crazy. How can a kid who averages six points a game be considered excellent? However, what many do not realize is he averages around eight assists a game. Those eight assists are an incredible stat line to have. I refer to my brother as the passer.
The passer is really the glue of a team. Without his contributions, the shooters of the team will never have a chance to score. How can a player score without someone giving him the pass? Every shooter knows they will need this person. My brother is totally behind the scenes of the action, but the individuals with true basketball knowledge will know who the real most valuable player of the team is.

TECHNICAL TYSON
Most of the technicals I received were bullsh*t. – Tyson Sullivan
By the time I started travel AAU basketball, I had most of my friends on my team. This included my best friend Tyson. Tyson like most kids was extremely competitive when it came to any type of sports. This competitiveness led him into heated situations with refs and players on the court, and would eventually lead to a large amount of technical fouls given to him. Our team was always friends with each other, so one of our things we tended to enjoy was giving each other nicknames. From our brainstorming, we came across Technical Tyson, and it stuck for many years.
Unfortunately, despite the large amount of fun we had calling Tyson Technical Tyson, the large amount of technicals he received put us into a large amount of trouble. For those who do not play basketball, when receiving a technical foul, the opposing team gets to shoot two free throws and is given possession of the ball. This made it difficult to keep a lead during closely contested games.
THE DRIBBLER
I think that everyone should be able to dribble. Everyone should be able to pass. Otherwise, why are you out there? – Oscar Robertson
Currently, my teammates and I have made our ways to the varsity basketball program at our high school. We all have gotten better, yet one still believes he is the best there is. He has practiced all his dribbling abilities all summer to a point where even I can admit are quite impressive. He goes from two balls to dribbling with a tennis ball in his hand. The one question I can never get out of my head is: Why do you need to dribble with two balls when you only use one on the court?
Aside from my belief, this dribbling habit truly hurts the team in the long run. When the dribbler sits at the front court and shows off his dribble moves like we are at a circus show, the ball has an easy chance of being stolen. Plus, post players tend to feel frustrated as they are not getting their chance to touch the ball with the dribbler showing off to the crowd.
THE FOUL GUY
The rule was "No autopsy, no foul." - Stewart Granger
During my middle school days, we always liked to scrimmage a 4A team that was near our area. They were in a conference that was notorious for calling tick-tacky fouls. Unfortunately we always played them at their home court with their refs there to back them up. During our times, we came to notice our rivals had one player that we like to call the foul guy. Our reason for this nickname was his ability to yell after every shot trying to act as if he was fouled.
Since the foul guy managed to get every foul call, we struggled in almost every game we had to play against them. My teammates and I were unmatched against their crew and many of us fouled out by the third quarter, pushing our subs to try and take on a solid team. The outcomes rarely came in our favor.
THE JV SENIOR
Everyone deserves a chance to play. – Anonymous
Every team has one of these kids. On my high school basketball team we have a couple. They go out for the love of the game and who can deny them that? The kids on my team have the most heart of anyone I have met. They never will play in a varsity game but that will not stop them from doing what they love. I envy that about them.
Unlike most types of players, this one is the least to worry about. These types of kids are an excellent person to help support and cheer you on. They are also a solid source of fun when they finally get that chance to play. I believe every team should have this kid.

THE IMAGENARY DUNKERS
My first dunk ever was in middle school. We were playing, me and my church friends, and I dunked it, and I swear I could not sleep that night. – Jeremy Linn
During my freshman year of basketball, everyone got to the point where they could grab the rim of the basketball hoop. From this feat, some automatically believed they could dunk in a game whenever they want. What a funny joke right? However, this was how everyone thought. They would try and try in practice but could never quite put it down.
When it came to how the team felt, the realists like myself just laughed at the fact that they thought they could dunk. Watching the “dunk contests” on the court after practice was just an extra source of fun. These dunkers made basketball much more enjoyable for everyone out there.
THE PLAYER COACH
Matt, did you get a whistle for Christmas? – Dave Lange
Last but not least, we have the player coach. The one kid on the team who thinks he runs the team. Some can be extremely positive and help the kids out who are struggling while others criticize players and tell them what they should be doing. I suppose the chance of each is fifty- fifty so hopefully you can be on the good side and receive the positive player coach.
Since there are two types of player coaches, it is obvious that teammates can be frustrated or happy about having a player coach.

This will always be based on what player coach is present. As annoying as they can be, it is always beneficial to have this type of player on your basketball team.

A basketball team is like the five fingers on your hand. If you can get them all together, you have a fist. That's how I want you to play. – Mike Krzyzewski

As stated, those are only a few of the many types of basketball players in the world today. Types of players are always a necessity to a team, and as I stated before, they decide if you are good or bad team. Unfortunately, even if teams have excellent types of players, the only way to succeed is by playing as a team.

In today’s society, if you watch college or the professional leagues, you rarely can find a true team. In these years, a player can easily succumb to the belief that they need to shine with their strengths. It is during those times that the type of player you are can be a downfall to the team.

Will this selfishness ever stop? Will all basketball programs learn to play as a team? Will you be the change? My dad or first basketball coach said it all for me: ”The greatest type of player is the one who will do anything to help the team

win.”