High School Basketball Power Forward

Now we're starting to move to the center of the High School basketball court. We've left the guards in their outer orbit as they dribble, drive, and shoot with skill. We've also added considerable heft to the small forward and brought the position in tighter to the basketball with more back to the basket skills. Let's take a look at what makes for a good power forward at the high school basketball level. Just a hint...it's power.

It's almost unfair. The other team doesn't really know what to do. Your point guard keeps bringing the ball down and after some baseline picks and a quick shuffle, the power forward on your team jockeying for position just outside the block. He's way too deep for good measure and the adjoining defensive player didn't rotate over quick enough to cut off the pass. In drops the pass to the power forward who seizes it with both hands and looks over his shoulder to see what his next step is going to be. He kicks the ball back out to the shooting guard and wrestles another foot or two further into the defensive player's space. Back in comes the pass to you but now you're deep in enemy territory. You flex back to clear some room and the defensive player gets knocked back despite his best efforts. You dribble hard as you pivot left and right looking for a weakness...a feeling of give on the other players body. You sense he's off balance a bit and you see the other defensive player coming in to double. It's now or never...you clear more space with your left hip, drive your shoulder into the chest of the defensive player without overdoing it and find your self with a foot of space. That's all you need. You go up strong and bring the ball out and over against the backboard. It drops in as the defender reels from the chest punch he just took. It's going to be a long night.

The power forward or #4 is almost self-explanatory. Height is generally a concern with the power forward but less though than with the center since some people just play bigger than they are. Think Charles Barkley. At the high school basketball level, some players are just really strong regardless of height and they combine this with a tenacity and toughness that makes for a good power forward. It's the linebacker of the high school basketball scene. They earn their keep around the paint with moves to the back, short drives to the hoop, the occasional short shot and lots of rebounds. A good power forward finds himself at the line quite a bit so a good foul shot percentage can quickly add points to the total and also thin out the defensive players or at least take the fight out of them as they get into foul trouble. The power forward works well with the center which makes sense since they occupy the same general territory. Back picks and communication between two bigs can be extremely effective at the high school level.

The power forward position can be difficult to place well since you typically have lots of dribblers and shooters but a person with solid footwork in post position is rarer. These skills tend to come with time and there's not always enough time by high school to perfect an inside game beyond maybe a turn around jumper. With time, a power forward can develop drop steps, up and unders, and a whole selection of pre-defined moves to either get his shot or get fouled. The power forward also does a great deal of one on one play in isolation against a defender. That isn't to say that plays aren't designed around the power forward but the benefit of a good player in this position is the ability to just drop the ball down into them and have them go to work. If they're crafty, strong, and aggressive, a high school basketball power forward can do some real damage.

Source: http://www.artipot.com/articles/1389982/high-school-basketball-power-forward.htm

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