Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1922-03-27
University OF North Dakota
Director OF Athletics Has
Article In Athletic Journal
For This Month; Valuable
f or m ation To High
School Basketball Players.

Paul j. Davis, director of physical
education at the University of North
Dakota has an interesting and in
structive article on the use of the
dribble in basketball which appears
in the March issue of the Athletic
Journal. 1t il particularly valuable
information to the high school team
that has to succeed as best it can
with little or no coaching.
The article follows:
Dribbling is one of the most spec
tacular n fascinating things in
basketball, both from the standpoint
of the player and spectator. 1t ma
be made a very important factor in
the success of a winning team, pro-
vided, of course, hat the team III
question has men on it who can
dribb,e and. what is equally impor-
tant. men who know when to use the
dribble and when to stop dribbling
for a pass or shot.
On the other hand. dribbling has
a tendency to break up team play.
There is nothing so demoralizing to
a team as to lave on it a man or q
rumber of men who try to use the
dribble on any and all occasions.
When this condition exists. the other
men on the team do not know what
play is lost. Where I have seer one
chanop for a shot from close range
brought about by fair dribbling, l
i've seen five chances for a shot
thrown away because the dribble was
used when the passing game would
ave been better.
Is Fascinating.
Dribbling has the same fascination
for a basketball player that long end
runs have for a football player, and
many high school players have to
loo m on nh ~ that <h1,, oe---k -,-
around end when up against good OPP
position without a lot Of help from
their teammates. This also applies
to the basketball player who thinks
that he can dribble through any
number of men at n and all times.
This type of player never takes his
teammates into consideration except
that he expects them to give him the
ball whenever he wan it. You sell
dom ever see this type OF player on
a eam that has a real coach. but he
is to be found on many school teams
that have been improperly coached.
One Good Dribbler.
For the past two seasons | have
been fortunate in having a real drib-
bier. He never abused the privilege
granted him as a dribbler: yet. good
as he was, he was only permitted to
dribble under certain conditions and
in certain zones. In playing teams
that used the five-man defense (and
most of them do in the northwest),
whenever the ball was obtained from
an intercepted pass, from an out-of-
bounds play or off the opponents
blackboard, it was passed to the
drlbbler who in turn dribbled until
two players a penetrated the de-
Tense. That is, he would dribble up
close to the defensive men. stop his
dribble and pass to n of the team
mates who had penetrated the de-
tense; or. if they were covered. pass
back to the floor guard. The floor
guard would in turn dribble up to
the defense and loo for a chance to
pass to a teammate who was behind
the defense or try for a shot at the
basket.
Suggestions.
Following are some suggestions
about the use of the dribble:
l. Do not dribble in defensive ter
fitory. but rather make a pass to the
center of the floor.
?. Where a player does not have
an opportunity to make a pass, he
may dribble to draw a defensive man
30 as to make a ASS possible.