Subject:  A Curse or a Cure: The Mix-Tape Debate
By:  Brian McCormick
February 9, 2004

Why have Americans embraced the Harlem Globetrotters for generations, but now blame everything bad in the hoops’ world on some city playground legends from New York who make a couple bucks playing street ball and promoting a sneaker?  The Globetrotters were/are basketball entertainers, showmen using basketball to delight an audience, even if their brand of basketball and showmanship sometimes skirted the rules of basketball.  That’s exactly what the And 1 Tapes and Tour do;  exciting the masses with their brand of handles and hops, entertaining, one-on-one basketball.

Blaming the And 1 Mix-tape Tour for all of basketball’s ills would be like blaming Peja Stojakovic for the incredibly poor shooting displayed at all levels.  After all, Peja makes shooting a twenty-four footer look easy, so why can’t a twelve year-old pick up a ball and go rain down three-pointers?

Ludicrous, right?  What kind of player would pick up a ball and expect to shoot as well as Peja, a player who has crafted his art form in gyms across the world for the better part of his lifetime?  Well, whose fault is it that teenagers pick up a basketball and try to do a move that Hot Sauce makes look easy?  When a player steps on the court chucking up threes with poor form, we blame the player for his ignorance.  When a kid steps on the court with no fundamentals or ball handling ability and tries to mimic Hot Sauce, forgetting the hours of practice he spent learning fundamental ball handling ability and practicing 24/7 at the Run ‘n Shoot in the ATL, we blame Hot Sauce and the And 1 stars.  Logical?

Ball handling is a skill, just like shooting or hitting a golf ball.  Nobody believes Tiger Woods picked up his golf club and played six-under par at Pebble Beach in his first round.  Tiger ascended to unparalleled heights because of his work ethic.  He was one of the first golfers to emphasize weight training and working out with Stanford’s linemen while in college and he is notorious for finishing a round and going straight to the driving range or putting green to work out the kinks in his stroke, even if he did shoot three-under par.  As Magic Johnson said, “Talent is never enough.  With few exceptions, the best players are the hardest workers.”

Hot Sauce (and the other And 1 players) knows how to handle the ball.  He developed an insane handle through fundamental drills, playing a lot and flat-out dribbling the ball everywhere he goes.  He didn’t just pick up a basketball and start tossing it behind opponents’ backs.  He learned how to dribble and after mastering his handle, and building control and quickness with the ball, he was able to do tricks and turn defenders in circles.

The problem with the And 1 Tapes is they make ball handling look easy because the players are so skilled.  Everyone nowadays wants to one-up the next player, so they try to steal Hot Sauce’s latest move from the most current tape.  However, they don’t want to put in the effort to learn to dribble, to develop a handle, to build the quickness and control necessary to do the moves.  They just want to blink their eyes twice and magically make the move.

Great shooters constantly work on their shooting, starting close to the basket and progressing further and further from the basket.  They record the shots they take and make and shoot a certain percentage, or make a certain number of shots before moving further back.  They work on game shots at game speeds from game spots.  They practice all the shots they may take in a game;  catch-and-shoot, one-dribble pull-ups, step-backs, space-step shots, etc.

Ball handling is no different.  Great ball handlers grab a ball and start with Pistol Pete drills, getting the blood flowing and improving the feel on the ball.  Then they do some easy drills, either working on two-ball drills to work both hands equally or doing some basic stationary drills that force the player to handle the ball from different angles and with different emphasis, whether it is a basic crossover, a side-to-side dribble or behind-the-back.  Then, the player progresses to game moves at game speeds, working against a dummy defender (chair/coach/trash can/cone), working on moves like the crossover, through-the-legs and around-the-back.  Then, he works on double moves, using one move to set-up a second move, like the Tim Hardaway Move (through-the-legs, crossover), an in-n-out, crossover or a hesitation crossover.

The key to developing a skill is to practice the form and/or control first and then build up to speed and/or distance.  When learning a new skill, the focus is on one precise aspect, not a hundred different things.  When learning to shoot, many people start close to the basket, shooting with one hand.  This eliminates variables and concentrates the player’s attention on one thing;  the basic movement and feel of the shot, release and follow-through, or as ESPN’s Jimmy Dykes says: “Release, Rotation and Result.”  The player progresses through steps, adding the off-hand, moving further from the basket, working on the shot’s footwork and eventually shooting game shots.

Ball handling is no different, as players must focus on the details before moving to the And 1 moves.  Players must learn to control the ball with their finger tips and calluses and keep the ball out of the palm and wrist.  They need to learn the hand positioning on different dribbles and then add the footwork to make the move.  Many players think they have a good handle, but if they make a move at speed, the ball crawls up on their wrist, slowing them down and oftentimes leading to a wasted, unnecessary dribble.  This is like a shooter thinking he has a great shot, but needing to catch, stop, set himself, take a deep breath and shoot a set-shot.  He may have a great shot, but if he can never shoot in a game, does it matter?  The player may think he has a tight crossover, but if he can’t go by anybody, how effective is it?

Great ball handlers understand how and when to use their handle.  In a game, it isn’t about how pretty you look, but how effective you are.  The Miami Heat’s Rafer Alston understands this.  Alston, otherwise known as “Skip to My Lou,” started the And 1 craze before suiting up for Fresno State and playing in the NBDL.  He’s the godfather of the And 1 Mix-Tape Tour, and the one who has made it past the street ball stereotype.

Playing for the Heat, he sets up teammates, running the pick-and-roll with Lamar Odom, even though it is evident that if he was so inclined, he could take Mike Bibby off the dribble at-will at any moment, as he did three straight times when they met at Arco Arena.  But, Alston plays within the system, doing what he can to help his team win.  The best PG, Jason Kidd, rarely does anything flashy, nor does he use anything more than a change of speed and a simple front crossover.  However, if he needs it, he has the handle to take anyone.  Similarly, Alston seems to relish the opportunity to go against Bobby Jackson when BJack tries to pressure him full court.  It is his opportunity to dip into his bag of tricks and use his handle he has honed at the famed Rucker Park.

Alston has succeeded in the ultimate crossover, going from Street Ball legend to NBA point guard.  He understands the problem with the Mix-Tapes is not the Mix-Tapes, as they help build an interest in basketball and motivate players to play, but in the players who watch the Mix-Tapes and fail to give the players credit, taking the skills for granted, trying to emulate the moves, but not the work ethic and drills the And 1 Stars used to build the handle.