Hooper's 
At The Line

by Patrick Suessmuth

We're in the gym alone.

Hooper's trying to make his foul shots.

Hooper shoots.

He misses.

Shoots again and misses.

I correct a minor defect in his hand position on the ball.

He misses.

I suggest, "More arc."  He misses.

I say, "Concentrate."  He shoots.  He makes it.

Ah!  We've helped.

Na-a-a.  He's still missing.

I suggest, "Look harder at the back of the rim."  He misses.

I suggest. He shoots another 'clanger'.

I suggest, suggest, suggest.  He makes the odd one.  False hopes are raised

Half an hour later, Hopper still is only shooting 20%.  That's where we started.

Hooper's not a 20% shooter.  He's better than that.

I'm frustrated.  Hooper's frustrated.

Nothing and I mean nothing's fixing Hooper's foul shot.

Hooper's working on it.

I'm working on it.

No improvement.

We quit.  Enough's enough.

We go home, discouraged.  Both of us feel we're failures.

We've done everything. The shot's perfect in form and style.  It should be going in, but even with Hooper's reasonable athletic ability, it still isn't going in.

At home I can't forget Hooper and his shot.  Shaq and his foul shot

come to mind.  Hooper's my Shaq.

Hooper can sink 15 foot jumpers.  So can Shaq.  Neither can sink foul shots consistently.  (For Hooper and his teammates, consistent is 50% or better, under game conditions.)

Shooting the way Hooper's now shooting, he should make more. I've got the solution.  I know what's wrong with Hooper's shot.  It's in the first sentence of this paragraph.  It's in the words, "he should make more."  Of course that’s it.  Hooper can shoot consistently from 15 feet, except from the foul line which is also 15 feet from the basket.

I can't wait to get Hooper alone in the gym again.

Later...

Here comes Hooper now.

We're alone in the gym.

I indicate, "Let's foul shoot."  I'm smiling.  Hooper's not.

Hooper approaches the line dejected, feeling and thinking, 'Here we go again’.

I smile bigger - Hooper's confirmed my idea on how to correct his shot.  I know I am right.  I CAN help Hooper fix his foul shot. (Note: I can't fix it.  Only Hooper can.)

Hooper drags his ass to the foul line reluctantly.

He goes to shoot.  I say, "Hold it. Don't shoot."

I go stand in front of Hooper.  I look him squarely in the eye, "Is this shot gonna go in?"

Hooper eyes are down cast.  His head hangs low, "No."

"Do you want it to go in?"

Tentatively, "Y-a-a, (said as 'Na-a-a' in tone), but it won't."

I smile.  Gently and lovingly I say, "Look at me."

His head lifts...his eyes are dull.

"Hooper, I know what's wrong with your foul shot."  His head cocks slightly.

"Listen.  You have no faith in your ability to shoot foul shots. Every time you go to shoot you feel you're gonna miss.  Right?"

His head nods.

"OK.  On this shot I want you to feel it's gonna go in. In your mind's eye see the ball going in. Believe it's going in."

Hooper’s still looking at me. His eyes are still dull. I can see him thinking, "Coach, your nuts. You know I can't sink 'em."

I start again. "Hooper, listen."  I walk over to a spot on the floor 15 feet from the basket.  I ask, "Can you usually make a jumper from here."

"Yes."

"From here."  I've moved to another 15 foot spot.

"Yes."

"From here."

"Yes."

I move back in front of Hooper.

"Hooper, you're telling me you can usually make jumpers from 15 feet.  This spot is 15 feet too.   The only difference in the two is in your head.  Over there you believe you'll score.  Here you don't believe..."

Hooper's face is changing.  The light in his eyes is coming back.

"Hooper on this next shot from the line, what have you got to believe?"

"It's going in????"

"Hopper that's not believing.  You've got to really believe."

I stare at him, emphasizing the point.

Hooper smiles, "You want me to say, 'I believe its going in.'

“Yes... but make it bigger."

We banter back and forth a bit till finally Hooper says and deeply means it, "I believe it's going in."

There's a gleam in his eye now.

I bow.  I step aside saying strongly, "BELIEVE."

Hooper shoots.

I hold my breath.

Hooper smiles.  His shot went in.

Hooper shoots.  It goes in again.  Two in a row.

Hooper shoots.  Three in a row.

Another shot. Four.

He misses.

"BELIEVE."  (An order.)

He shoots, again, and again, and again.

Swish.  Swish.  Swish.

Hooper's smiling, ear to ear.

Hooper just like that goes from a 20% shooter to an 80% shooter.

Hooper BELIEVES HE HE CAN SHOOT FOUL SHOTS.

As Bugs Bunny would say, "That's all Folks'.

That's all it took. One word.  Believe.

 

Two years later:

Coach smiling, "Still able to shoot 80%, eh!"

Hooper, "Ya!  I still say, 'Believe' before every shot”.

 

Please Note:

My Hooper is a composite player.  He could be you.  He's everyone I've ever coached.  He - She - he's Hooper.  Hell, Hooper often plays for other schools. Hooper's Hooper, he/she is any player I come in contact with who I think (oops, I mean believe) I can help.

I love my Hoopers.

As a coach I love her/him.

I hope you do too.

Footnote:

This foul shooting story about Hooper is real. It did happen, just as I've written it.

It was the start of something big...

 

Addendum:

I must be crazy.

I love basketball. .

I love ANY kid who plays basketball.  I can't help myself, I'll coach anyone anywhere, whether they know me or not.

I remember one day seeing a kid at the foul line shooting fouls like Hooper in this story.  Great form.  Good shooter (I’d seen him shooting earlier and doing well).  He was also shooting only 20% from the line.  I could see he was disgusted with himself. 

Discouraged.  Negative.  

I walk over .

The kid looks at me thinking, 'Who's this?  What's he want?'.

I'm brash.  I plunge right in, "I can fix your foul shot for you ".  (It would have been better to have plunged in saying, "Do you want help with your foul shot.  I think I know why you're missing?". Alas, I'm not perfect.)

The kid and I do a repeat of Hooper At The Line, from my believe through his skepticism, to him believing he can make his next shot.

I step away saying forcefully, "BELIEVE".

He shoots.

He's astonished.  I'm not.  It went in.  So did the next, and the next, and the next. The kid can shoot. 

Coaching Moment:

Of interest to any coach is whenever I've "badgered" a kid to believe, s/he can make her/his shot my record is 8 swishes to 2 misses.  Yes, kids shoot 80% on my 'believes'.

Somehow 'believe' focuses players.

Somehow 'believe' helps/makes baskets.

I guess Norman Vincent Peale was right when he titled his book The Power of Positive Thinking.

To end:

Go in peace.

Go and love your Hoopers. (Click Hoopers On The Bus below for the next article in this believe series.)