FanPost

HOOPS 101: The UNC Rebounding Disparity Explained


During the broadcast of the North Carolina versus NCST game the other night, I heard them discuss the shocking disparity between UNC's ability to rebound the ball so effectively on the offensive side, yet so terribly on the defensive end. Certainly during an ongoing game, it is difficult to go into too much detail about any specific fundamental issue. However, the announcer's explanation was simply a non-explanation.

Yet this is a question that many have queried here and other places, so I thought I would throw my expertise into the ring and provide a better explanation than saying it is due to their athleticism [which is what the announcer said].

First, one must understand that rebounding is not just an individual act by a single player who gathers a missed shot. It is also something that is done at a team level. Rebounding isn't the responsibility of the biggest guy on the court. Everyone shares in the responsibility of gathering up missed shots. In fact, even if a player does everything he is supposed to do in a rebounding situation, it does not necessarily mean that player will get the ball. Many instances occur when a great box-out allows a teammate to get the rebound.

There is also a distinctive difference in the action of rebounding on the opposite ends of the floor. It isn't the same, as this announcer would infer, or people would think. On the offensive glass, coaches generally teach guards to get back on defense to protect against a fast break, and allow their bigs and wings to attack the boards aggressively. I believe the idea about "athleticism" the announcers were referring to is in this instance. Instead of using techniques to create space and block out the opponent, offensive rebounding big men are free to utilize their speed, agility and length to just "go after" the ball. Those players don't have the responsibility or worry that missing the rebound will result in a score for the other team [like it would on the defensive boards].

Defensive rebounds rely on a completely different set of skills and mindset. While athleticism can be beneficial, the ability to obtain good positioning, find a body and block out has far better affect. Rather than simply attacking at will as you may do on the offensive end, a defender has the responsibility to ensure that the balls is obtained and you do not give up an easy basket. Additionally, when a player is on defense, he is focused on maintaining his position relative to the ball, and may be in the process of a rotation or help when a shot goes up. The transition from making a rotation or helping, to finding an opponent and blocking out, takes much more effort and fortitude of mind than simply attacking the offensive glass.

So, why does UNC have such difficulty rebounding on the defensive glass when they are so good on the offensive end?

To answer that, let's first look at why they are so good on the offensive glass. UNC's motion offense is predicated on proper spacing and working the ball and players in order to get the best shot available. I have been running this motion offense, or variations I have added, for over 25 years. My goal is to always try to get the ball inside every possession, in order to collapse the defense and create kick-out opportunities. I would say that Coach Williams would agree with this.

Defenses tend to want to 3QTR guard or "front" post players. What this does is place the defender in a precarious position when a shot goes up. Instead of being between your man and the basket, as a shot is taken, the defenders might be on the side of the offensive player, or even behind them. In that regard, on most possessions, UNC's big men often find themselves with great position to battle for an offensive rebound. And while UNC's big men are generally tall and long, and athletic, they often are able to get a hand on the ball. That is why we are so good at that end.

Yet defensively, we struggle. Part of the reason is the same reason our opponents give up so many offensive rebounds to us - we are likewise fronting or 3QTR quarding the post. But ultimately we aren't getting beat in those situations too often.

The defensive rebounding struggles occur for a few reasons:

Poor positioning and technique: There are many occasions where I have seen our players simply try to out jump opponents for rebounds. This does not work. Rather than finding a body and blocking out, they watch as the shot goes up, follow along with their bodies toward the ball as if it were a magnet, and try to jump for the ball. Too many times have I seen our players pushed too far toward the baseline under the rim, which allows opponents to be able to reach over and get a hand on the ball without fouling. Brice gets pushed around quite a bit. Kennedy often is already too low. This is correctable and actually has improved recently, but is one factor in the struggle.

Shot Block Fest: We have a couple of guys that can block shots. In fact, we have a number of them. And blocking a shot is certainly exciting and can be effective. However, our players tend to get block happy, and attempt to block almost every shot imaginable. Doing so makes them jump out of good defensive rebounding position and thus out of the play. Obviously this lends to the problem just described, as they are in poor position and are not between their man and the basket.

Good initial defense: Despite recent struggles, we are a pretty solid defensive team. Our ability to guard has forced teams into quite a few poor shots. Those shots unfortunately often bounce weird or long, and go right over the initial line of defenders trying to rebound. This leads to the last issue:

Poor Guard Rebounding: A few seasons ago, Reggie Bullock was our savior. Whenever we needed a big stop, he not only would defend, but get the defensive board. Our guards seemed to have a knack for staying in the box and boarding. Our current crop of guards simply does not do that - AT ALL. Paige, Britt, Berry, Jackson and Pinson just do not have an inkling for mixing it up inside. Too often they are releasing to head down the floor on the fast break. While Coach Williams wants to run, I am sure he is letting our guards know that they need to get the ball first. When our bigs are pinned too low, teams take shots that bounce weird or long, and the ball falls into that middle ground area, it is the guards responsibility to fill that gap and box out. Too often we have two point guards on the floor who cut to the sideline for outlets, or have Jackson or Pinson releasing to try and out run the opponent to the other end. Only Tokoto will find himself rebounding, but not often enough.

These are the main culprits to why we struggle on the defensive boards. Some of it is correctable, other parts are simply who we are. In the end, it takes all five guys focused on wanting to stay in the box and rebound, and hopefully as the season goes on, we can improve and won't be talking about this at year's end.