As fun as it is to watch the greats play, it is better when you go out and try to do the things you have seen the pros done.  Countless times I have counted down the clock as I took a fade away jumper for the win (ala Michael Jordan).  Now fans are emulating LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, Kevin Durant, and others.

There are many ways you can play basketball.  You can play five on five, one on one, horse, speed, etc.  In my opinion playing 3 on 3 is the best ways to practice and use the moves you’ve seen on TV.  Like the Rajon Rondo fake layup turn around hook or the fake behind the back pass to layup.

You need to practice basketball drills to be like the NBA greatest players.

Dribbling Drills-To be a good basketball player you need to be able to dribble the ball.  Especially because so few of us are blessed with being 7 feet tall.  The shorter you are the more you have to be able to dribble.  Good drills are dribbling two balls at the same time.  This helps your weak hand to be as good with dribbling as your strong hand.  Other important things to practice are crossovers, between the legs, and behind the back dribbling.  These skills will help you get space from your defender which will allow you to drive or give you space for a jump shot.

Passing Drills-Passing is another very important part basketball.  Bounce passes, chest passes, cross court passes, and lob passes are fundamental abilities that you need to know.  As you master these passes you can also try more flashy passes such as behind the back, off the backboard, and no look passes.

Shooting Drills-Nothing else matters if you can’t score.  You need to be able to make shots to win any basketball game.  Free-throw shooting is one of the most important shots to master.  Nothing is more frustrating when you miss a free shot at the basket.  You should be able to make all shots such as mid range shots, three point shots, hook shots, and lay-ups.  But you should practice the most with where you will get the ball.  If you are a center practice hook shots more.  If you are a shooting guard practice mid range and three point shots.

Team Drills- It is necessary to work well with your team.  You need to know where someone will be on offense so you can pass to them.  You also need to trust your teammates to help you on defense.  Your team chemistry will come as you play more together and get to kn0w each others tendencies and how to best play with each other.

Basketball Conditioning- There is a lot of running in basketball.  You need to be in shape to stay on your man on defense and have enough energy on offense to blow by your defender as you drive to the hoop.  To improve your conditioning you should do wind sprints, run laps, push ups, and sit ups.  Also, if you want to play in the post, the more body building you do the stronger you will be to back people down and score easier in the post.

Basketball is a great way to get outdoors, get exercise, and have a lot of fun.  If you practice these drills you can be like the pros and dominate your competition.  You will be better as you practice more, and remember you are doing this because everyone wants to be like Mike.

Here is a great variant of basketball games that can be played with friends in casual settings, in case the normal game play isn’t as fun anymore.

Speed- This game involves a line of people that take turns shooting in order to get each other out. The game is a fairly simple one in nature. there are two basketballs that are used, and two people at a time take turns shooting in sequence. When a basket is made, the person throws it to the next person down the line, then runs to the back of the line immediately after. If someone behind another person makes it first, the person before them is eliminated.

The game continues on until every person but one is eliminated.

When a game is completed, people line up in reverse order of how they got out, pick a new spot to shoot from, and continue on with the game.

Playing this game variant will give people some much needed variety and will inject a bit of spice and fun into the equation. Plus, if you happen to be awesome it, then you can dominate in multiple settings.

Hiking -I’m excited for hiking (obviously). The snow runoff can make streams and waterfalls particularly gorgeous, so being able to go check that out is going to be exciting.

Frisbee- I’m definately stoked to get back out and enjoy the local parks. Playing some utlimate with friends will be awesome. Crushing them will be even better.

Basketball- I know that some of us have been playing Basketball inside for months now, but there’s nothing quite like the feeling of chasing the ball down a hill after an errant shot outside. Ahh… memories.

Kickball- Yeah, I said it. Kickball is great. And if you can get a group of friends together, then an intense and relatively violence free time can be had. Remember to call dibs on being Team Captain.

Those are a few of the sports that I’m excited to play in the spring. It will be great to be outside and be warm again. The table tennis games I’ve been playing have recently turned tense with our mass case of cabin fever, so this will be a good release.

This person is the most annoying person alive.

Chances are that they have never played on an organized team and they think their child is some kind of prodigy even though they are really just mediocre. They are yelling at what “should” be happening when in reality, their solution is rarely plausible; and the “bad” call the ref just blew was actually legitimate.

My suggestion? Sit as far away from this person as possible. They yell for no reason, and they look naive in the stands blabbing on about a sport they only know about because they have signed up their kid since they were five years old.

Parents should sit back and watch the game, and allow the coaches and referees do their job. At the very least, parents should save their kids the embarrassment of having that parent who goes crazy in the bleachers. parent’s should let the kids play and have fun, and not discuss matters they have limited knowledge on.

The Aztecs seemed unstoppable, being undefeated, but the Cougars have only lost one game this season. Each team has a star player; namely Jimmer Fredette (BYU) and Kawhi Leonard (SDSU).

Both teams are good – great, in fact. Combine that with the fact that there are two Top 10 teams in the Mountain West Conference is simply amazing, but with all of the coverage that these two teams have been receiving made the match-up that much bigger.

More than 22,000 fans packed the Marriott Center at BYU to watch Jimmer Fredette lead his team to a 71-58 victory against SDSU. Jimmer scored 43 of those 71 points, playing his best home game yet. His timing was perfect; especially since there were a rumored 24 NBA scouts there to watch.

The Cougar nation can celebrate this huge victory, but the actual team must prepare to travel to new Mexico to go up against Lobos this Saturday.

This team sport is becoming more and more like the pros – in other words it’s a team sport that is more about the individual than the team. Players are singled out and the elite are put on pedestals and are deemed destined for greatness.

Though it is awesome that certain players have a great talent, let’s just remember that it is just high school. There is no need to compare them to the greats when they put up points, but shun them when they miss the game-winning shot.

This is not make or break – it’s high school – and it should be treated as such. They’re kids and when they shine they should be praised, but they should not be told that they are better than everyone else because that will only give them a big ego that is hard to get rid of.

What's next for Allen Iverson?

NBA sources report that Allen Iverson is in deeper trouble than was previously thought.   It is rumored that Iverson is currently struggling with gambling and alcohol issues.  Which isn’t too surprising, given the recent turmoil that he has been facing.  Iverson left the 76ers early this year to spend time with his 4-year-old daughter, who has an undisclosed illness.  The same day the announcement was made that he would be leaving, his wife filed for divorce, demanding full custody of their five children.

After many years as one of the leading players in the NBA, the past few years have been rough for Iverson.  He was traded by the 76ers to the Nuggets in 2006, and after 2 less-than-average seasons he was then sent to the Pistons.  After suffering through another not-so-good year, he ended up with the Memphis Grizzlies in 2009, played three games, then announced his early retirement.  A few weeks later, he signed once again with the 76ers, only to have this trouble take him out for the season after only 25 more games.

This recent trouble has lead many to believe that Iverson’s career is over for good this time.  Not everyone has given up hope, though.  It is thought that with some help from someone important to Iverson, such as his Georgetown coach John Thompson, he can turn things around.  And we know that in these major sports, there is always some team that is willing to take a chance on a veteran trying to return to the game.  It will be interesting to see what happens to this former All-Star and MVP this next season.

Every team sets goals at the beginning of the year. If a team doesn’t set a goal to make it to the NCAA tournament, then in my opinion, the coach should be fired. Every college basketball player wants the opportunity to play basketball on the biggest stage possible. for college basketball, that means getting to the NCAA tournament and doing well.

Many teams are currently on the bubble. Other teams are in for sure, but would benefit greatly from a higher seed.

For example, who will be the fourth #1 seed? It is pretty much a lock that Kansas, Kentucky, and Syracuse will be #1 seeds, but who will fill the last position? My guess would be Duke, Ohio State, or New Mexico. Yes, New Mexico. They are playing as well as any team in the nation.

As for the bubble teams, here is a list of a few that need to go far into their conference tournament to make sure they make it to the dance:

Notre Dame, Washington, San Diego State, Dayton, St. Louis, Memphis, Old Dominion, Florida, Mississippi, Arizona State, Illinois, and Seton Hall.

These teams will definitely be vying for a spot as they leave it all out on the court this coming week. Nothing is better than March madness, as it officially has arrived!