Hoop clinic: Passing

CLINIC

It is impossible to have a discussion about the premier point guards in the WNBA without mentioning Ticha Penicheiro. The Sacramento Monarchs' perennial All-Star has vaulted to the head of the PG class primarily because of her ability to find teammates for easy baskets with a flair and accuracy unmatched by anyone else in the league. To put it simply - the girl drops dimes!

It's no easy feat to lead the WNBA in assists per game, but Penicheiro has managed to do this three times in her five-year career. Penicheiro is able to do this because she possesses three skills vital to being a great passer: vision, touch and knowledge of her teammates.

Vision, The first key to being a good passer is having great vision. You must be able to take a quick look at the floor and know immediately where all players are at all times. For example, if you are leading your team on the fast break, you must be able to recognize what kind of numbers you have. You must see not only where your teammates are, but where defenders are as well. You must have an idea of whether your best shooter is going to appear in the play late as a trailer and if so, whether you can get her the ball for a shot with no one guarding her.

Knowing where everyone is at all times is vital because that keys your method of attack. Penicheiro has exceptional court vision. She is able to make no-look passes regularly because she always knows where everybody is on the floor. Because she has that information, she is able to attack the defense in ways and manners they are not expecting.

Touch. Another key attribute to being a good passer is touch. A great passer must have good touch, meaning the ability to throw different types of passes in different situations. Sometimes a bounce pass is needed. Other times a soft lob is required. Therefore, the more variety of passes a player has, the more valuable she will be to her team. One thing scorers detest is when they're open and the ball doesn't come their way. That's why coaches always find minutes for players who are good passers. Good passers help teams put points on the board and lead to more success for the team.

Ticha Penicheiro probably has more variety in her passing arsenal than any player in the league. Whether by way of a soft, hard, bounce pass, chest pass, soft lob, behind-theback, no-look or a thread-the-needle-on-therun pass, if you're open, rest assured Penicheiro will get you the ball.

Know Whom You're Playing With. The third key to being a good passer is knowing whom you're playing with. It is crucial to know what types of passes your teammates can handle. It does the team no good to throw a sweet bounce pass to a post player who has trouble catching bounce passes. In fact, it may do the team harm because she might not even catch the ball, so rather than scoring a basket, the team has turned the ball over. If the good passer has a solid idea of what passes her teammates can catch and makes passing decisions accordingly, she will make her teammates look good and feel confident about their abilities on the court, which ultimately leads to more team success.

When she suits up for the Monarchs, Penicheiro is fortunate to play with great players like Tangela Smith, Ruthie Bolton and Yolanda Griffith. Penicheiro helps them reach their peak as players by giving them the ball in ideal situations. She does not give Griffith the same types of passes she gives Smith or Bolton. When those players get the ball, they receive it at a moment when they can do something positive with it. Because she knows her teammates so well, Penicheiro understands what situations are best for each of them.

So next time you catch the Monarchs in action, keep an eye out for Ticha Penicheiro. You can't miss her. She's the one making everybody else look good!

Coquese Washington is the starting point guard with the WNBA's Indiana Fever and an assistant coach at Notre Dame

University. Send you questions for her to [email protected].

Copyright Ashton International Media, Inc. May/Jun 2003
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